McLaren boss Brown reveals F1 test discussions for NASCAR ace Larson

Kyle Larson could get a Formula 1 test outing after McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown revealed that discussions have been held with the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Larson, who recently compared his skills to triple world champion Max Verstappen, already has ties to McLaren after making his IndyCar debut at this year’s Indianapolis 500.

In an entry jointly fielded by his regular NASCAR Cup team Hendrick Motorsports and the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team, he qualified fifth and was running solidly inside the top ten until a speeding penalty at his final stop derailed his efforts.

It’s since been announced that Larson will return to the Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren in 2025.

Speaking on retired NASCAR racer Kevin Harvick’s ‘Happy Hour’ podcast, Brown suggested that a test for Larson is something “I’d love to see”.

“We’ve been chatting about it,” remarked Brown.

“Kyle, as you can imagine, definitely wants to do it in between our schedule, which goes from February to December, and NASCAR’s schedule, which is February to November.

“Finding that window – we did that with Jimmie Johnson and Fernando [Alonso] in Bahrain with Hendrick Motorsports [in 2018]. That was a lot of fun.

“I’d love to see Kyle in an F1 car. It is something that we’ve discussed and something I think will happen down the road.”

Arrow McLaren IndyCar team regular Patricio O’Ward has taken part in F1 practice sessions for McLaren at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in each of the past two seasons.

The ride swap Brown referenced with Alonso and Johnson, who subsequently raced in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing, resulted in the seven-time Cup champion sampling a 2013 MP4-28 car while Alonso piloted Johnson’s No. 48 Gen-6 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Brown remarked that two-time Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri has voiced his interest in NASCAR and could potentially be interested in taking part in a swap exercise.

“Oscar knocked on my door a little bit about his excitement around NASCAR, so I think if we were to do something with Kyle and one of our Formula 1 drivers, it would probably most likely be Oscar,” said Brown.

He also discussed the possibility of McLaren attempting the Daytona 500 one day on Harvick’s podcast, and suggested “that would be kind of cool”.