Zak Brown spills the beans on whether Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri would race in Indy 500 in the foreseeable future

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has weighed in on the possibility of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri racing at the Indy 500. The Woking team chief shared his thoughts in a recent interaction with the media, especially in light of McLaren’s participation in the IndyCar series.

The Indy 500, which is regarded as the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, has often proven to be a desirable event for drivers from other motorsport disciplines. Particularly, McLaren’s Formula 1 drivers have a higher chance of participating in the racing showpiece, considering the team owns a franchise in the IndyCar series—Arrow McLaren.

Sharing his thoughts on the possibility of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri racing in the famed oval race, the 53-year-old, via media outlet The Race, stated that such a scenario is unlikely in the near future.

“Our F1 guys [Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri] wouldn't do it. You've got the whole month. So the week before, conflict. I think they all recognize it's a place you can hurt yourself. And so I think the Formula 1 team would take the view there's no upside to the Formula 1 team; you're putting your world championship drivers at risk.”

Indeed, driving in the Indy 500 often presents scheduling conflicts for F1 drivers, as it typically coincides with the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix. F1 drivers who have taken part in the Brickyard showpiece during their active years in the sport—like Fernando Alonso, who previously participated in the Brickyard event in 2017, 2019, and 2020—missed a few races on the F1 calendar while attempting to pursue a personal motorsport Triple Crown: the Indy 500, Monaco Grand Prix, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Lando Norris spoke about having rally racing testing

Lando Norris earlier addressed speculation linking him to a rally car testing session. The 25-year-old was rumored to have participated in an off-road racing test, which was subsequently attributed as a significant factor behind his improved form.

Norris, however, was quick to dispel talk about him racing in rally events. Speaking to the media during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in April, as quoted by RacingNews365, he stated:

“I really wanted to come in here and say, 'Yeah, it's true', but it's not. I said a couple of years ago, I'm not allowed. Zak [Brown] doesn't let me drive rally cars, probably for a good reason, but I've said many times I would love to.”

“…I have a lot of respect for rally drivers. They are definitely crazy and slightly insane, but I would love it because it's a very different aspect compared to what I do now.”

"But it's still driving, it's still cars and all those things—probably a bit more on the dangerous side—so I don't know how much I would love it. But it's another thing in my life that I would love to tick off at some point, get to experience and have a go, so hopefully that can become a headline at some point and can become the truth."

Zak Brown’s reluctance to allow Lando Norris to participate in rally racing is not without reason, especially considering the incident that played out with Robert Kubica ahead of the commencement of the 2011 F1 season. The former Williams Racing driver was involved in a near-fatal crash while testing a rally car in the Italian town of Andora.

The Polish driver suffered severe injuries, including a near amputation of his right forearm, following a hard collision into a barrier at high speed.