---
title: "Andretti, Rahal Secretive on a McLaren Full-Time Return to IndyCar"
description: "McLaren is rumored to have tapped former partner Andretti Autosport, as well as Rahal Letterman Lanigan."
date: "2018-05-16"
modified: "2018-05-16"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20887/andretti-rahal-secretive-on-a-mclaren-full-time-return-to-indycar"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Andretti Autosport"
  - "Fernando Alonso"
  - "Indy 500"
  - "Indycar Series"
  - "mclaren"
  - "News"
  - "racing"
  - "Racing News"
---

# Andretti, Rahal Secretive on a McLaren Full-Time Return to IndyCar

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/05/gettyimages-689535076.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The rumor mill is up and running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as teams and drivers get ready to tackle the [102nd running of the Indy 500](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20899/chevy-sweeps-first-indy-500-practice-with-pagenaud-castroneves-carpenter-up-front>). One of the biggest rumors of the month of May surrounds current Formula 1 outfit McLaren, as well as IndyCar teams Andretti Autosport and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Everything began when select McLaren officials visited last weekend's IndyCar Grand Prix at the Brickyard in the search for possible partnerships for the [2019 IndyCar racing season](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19660/the-casual-fans-2018-indycar-spotters-guide>), according to *[Sports Business Daily](<https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2018/05/14/McLaren.aspx>).* However*,* it's not exactly clear who these officials are or what their roles are within McLaren, but it's safe to say that aren't that many reasons why F1 personnel would visit an IndyCar race. Could the rumors turn out to be true? The teams aren't saying much, although one of them is saying a bit more than the other.

![message-editor%2F1526493443581-gettyimages-686580952.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1526493443581-gettyimages-686580952.jpg>)
*McLaren Honda Andretti's Fernando Alonso at the 2017 Indy 500., *GETTY**

"We think [McLaren](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/20888/lucky-road-rally-participants-survive-brutal-high-speed-crash-in-a-mclaren-720s>) would be a valuable addition to the IndyCar paddock," a spokesperson for Andretti Autosport told *The Drive*. "Our partnership for the 2017 Indy 500 proved to be successful and we would welcome the opportunity to work with them again."

Meanwhile, a Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing spokesperson went straight to the point: "We are not commenting on that."

As Andretti Autosport pointed out to us, last year's partnership with McLaren and their [superstar driver Fernando Alonso](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19434/is-fernando-alonso-the-greatest-formula-1-driver-of-this-century>) was a successful one in terms of on-track success and overall media exposure. Alonso's race may have been cut short due to a mechanical failure, but the direct cause of the Spaniard's retirement wasn't something McLaren or Andretti Autosport could've done anything about. All fingers pointed at Honda's unreliability in 2017.

Would you welcome McLaren on the IndyCar grid next year? Let us know in the comments section.

*Stay tuned for more boots-on-the-ground coverage from The Drive from now until the 102nd running of the Indy 500 on Memorial Day Weekend.*

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)