McLaren to “chew on” IndyCar & Extreme E before making Formula E decision
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says his team must focus on its IndyCar and Extreme E commitments before deciding whether to enter Formula E or the World Endurance Championship.
McLaren will enter Extreme E next season with rallycross star Tanner Foust as its first driver.
Brown confirmed Foust’s teammate will be a female driver that will be announced at a later date.
Recently, McLaren also revealed that it had acquired a 75 per cent stake in the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team, confirming its full commitment to IndyCar long-term.
In January, McLaren announced it has an option to enter the all-electric series for season nine (2022/23), but Brown says a decision still hasn’t been made.
BMW and Audi will no longer compete in Formula E from next season, while Mercedes is reportedly set to announce its withdrawal from the series shorty, although the reigning champions will exit after next season.
When asked about McLaren's potential participation in Formula E, Brown said a decision will be made by the end of the year.
“We're still reviewing and will make a decision later this year both on Formula E and the World Endurance Championship which are two racing series that we think are great,” Brown said to select media last week when announcing Foust as its new Extreme E driver.
“But we've bitten off some stuff we now need to chew on for a bit between the IndyCar and the Extreme E so we have that work going on. And then being very focused on IndyCar recently and getting that deal done and getting Extreme E ramped up.
“So we'll make a decision on both of those by the end of the year.”
