F1 boss Zak Brown gives his verdict on IndyCar taking races international - “I’m not a fan”

McLaren F1 CEO Zak Brown has disagreed with IndyCar's recent attempts at an international expansion. IndyCar CEO Mark Miles recently revealed that he was in discussions with Supercars about IndyCar potentially headlining the Adelaide 500.

Though Miles didn't have any timeframe in mind, Brown, who also runs IndyCar team Arrow McLaren, wasn't enthused about the idea. In an interview with Speedcafe, the 53-year-old addressed this development, saying:

"I’m not a fan of IndyCar going outside of the Americas. I know it’s Aussie [readers] here, and I love Aussie, and I’ve got a Supercar team, and I love the F1 race in Aussie, and I’ve got an Australian driver, so it has nothing to do with Australia, but IndyCar needs to grow its own market before it starts going international outside of America."

The last time American open-wheel racing traveled to Australia was in 2008. IndyCar held a non-championship exhibition race at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in 2008. That is exactly how Mark Miles plans to reintroduce international races - with no additions to the regular season.

"What we are going to try to do is have some international events that we can tie together in the offseason," the IndyCar and Team Penske CEO said via Indy Star.

However, Zak Brown isn't on board with the idea, as his vision of IndyCar's future is poles apart from Miles'.

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Zak Brown suggests key locations for IndyCar's American expansion

F1 Grand Prix Of Singapore - Source: Getty

IndyCar has been America's topmost open-wheel racing series since its inception. In its 100+ year history, the series has briefly raced on European circuits, including England's Rockingham Speedway, Brands Hatch and the German Lausitzring.

However, it always returned to its nest in North America, encountering less friction. So before any more ambitious international attempts fail, Zak Brown has urged the series to cover more of America. He said via Speedcafe:

"It’s got to be relevant which country we’re talking about when we don’t have a race in the northeast in America. That needs to be our priority before we start [looking overseas]."

Even if IndyCar were to go ahead with international expansion, Brown believes South America would be a good market to tap into.

"I just don’t love the idea of IndyCar straying away from America, specifically North America. But if you wanted to, then get into Mexico and Brazil and then Americas. So that’s my personal opinion," the McLaren CEO added.

In September this year, ahead of IndyCar's season finale, Zak Brown penned an online note via McLaren's website. Even then, his main suggestion for IndyCar was a further expansion on the East Coast - in Denver and New York's Watkins Glen. A move to Mexico also seemed brilliant to him, considering McLaren's Mexican driver, Pato O'Ward's popularity there.