17/08/2018
NEWS STORY
With Fernando Alonso looking to take part in a post-Italian GP test at Alabama, his first experience of IndyCar on a road course, in a Honda-powered Andretti Autosport car, it's thought that a full programme in 2019 would see the Spaniard powered by Chevrolet.
However, ahead of the Barber Motorsport Park test, Honda Performance Development president Art St. Cyr, admits the Japanese manufacturer would relish working with the Spaniard.
"Fernando Alonso is one of the premier racing drivers of this generation, and we very much enjoyed working with him at the 2017 Indianapolis 500,” said St. Cyr in a statement.
“He has shown that he can be very competitive right off the bat, and it would be great for IndyCar if he were to decide to drive here full-time after his F1 career. Having Alonso as a driver would be an obvious benefit for any team or manufacturer.
“Our engine lease agreements are made between HPD and specific teams. Several of our current IndyCar Series teams already have agreements in place with HPD for the 2019 season, and we have been operating near maximum capacity all year long to properly provide powerful, reliable engines for all of our teams. We have had discussions with several current and potential teams for 2019, and those discussions are ongoing.”
Despite the numerous issues facing McLaren's F1 team, Zak Brown has been in extended talks with Andretti with a view to a joint programme for 2019. However, with Honda understood to be cool on the idea of working with McLaren, Andretti is understood to have been looking to partner with Harding Racing in a move which would see Alonso in a Chevrolet-powered car, though this would likely not go down well with Honda.