McLaren Racing has announced that Bob Fernley has been appointed as President, McLaren IndyCar, with immediate effect.

Fernley will report directly to Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, and will lead the McLaren 2019 Indianapolis 500 programme, when Fernando Alonso will attempt to secure the Triple Crown of motorsport.

Fernley is a widely experienced and respected figure within the world of motorsport, with relationships across the industry. His career portfolio most recently includes a role as Deputy Team Principal at Force India, and previously a focus on North American motorsport, including successful periods in IndyCar.

His appointment is consistent with McLaren Racing's plan to run its IndyCar programme as a separate entity to its Formula 1 activities.

Fernley will build and lead a technical team entirely focused on the 2019 Indy 500, while helping to evaluate the feasibility of a longer-term McLaren involvement in IndyCar.

Further details on the 2019 McLaren Indy 500 project will be shared in due course.

"Bob is a fantastic operator and someone I respect greatly," said Zak Brown. "His experience and leadership will be essential for us on this project. He is particularly talented at putting effective teams together and extracting maximum performance with finite resources. The Indy 500 is no easy race and Bob's is a key role, so I'm delighted he's on board."

"Heading back to The Brickyard will be a very special experience for me and I am proud to be leading this McLaren project and team," added Fernley. "The 500 is a hell of a challenge and we have incredibly strong competitors to overcome if we're to be successful. We will need to prepare well for the month of May and that work starts now."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by DDKindleVille, 16/11/2018 8:54

"Great to have Bob back in a Motor Sport might even watch Indy now should it be shown on British TV. He was, imo, treated very badly by Force India & Otmar Mr yeah/no has done no better since he took the team over. Hope he & Fernando go well"

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2. Posted by alvarezh3, 16/11/2018 1:11

"Back in the early eighties, Frank Williams declared that he was in the advertising business, that his cars were just running banners (or something of the sort).

As most of us know, McLaren is not just a F1 racing team anymore, it's also a flourishing sports car manufacturer and needs to advertise on the number one auto market in the world (or number two, behind China?).

I believe they are just doing what RedBull does with their F1 project, except that McLaren is localizing in the US market through Indy because F1 viewership in the US is rather weak, and the project is way, WAY cheaper than F1."

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3. Posted by FQITW, 15/11/2018 16:53

"Still good luck to him.
He did a good job at Force India balancing everything while all the hassle which the team had was swirling around."

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4. Posted by imejl99, 15/11/2018 13:03

"McLaren, hostage to Alonso since Zak Brown. Sad."

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Fernley appointed boss of McLaren IndyCar programme

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