McLaren has one of the most diverse racing portfolios in motorsports with teams in Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula E, and plans to return to the World Endurance Championship, so if one of their drivers wants an opportunity to try their hand at something, like, oh, say, the Indianapolis 500, then there aren't many teams better equipped to facilitate that.
However, one of their Formula 1 drivers, Oscar Piastri, wants nothing to do with the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
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Piastri was doing an interview with ESPN during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, and the interviewer started asking him a question about how Fernando Alonso — a former McLaren F1 driver who is now with Aston Martin — competed in the Indianapolis 500, and wanted to know if that would be something the Aussie was interested in.
However, before the question was even over, Piastri was shaking his head.
"No, not for me," the current World Drivers Championship leader said. "I mean, firstly, my dream and goal has always been to race in Formula 1, so I'm very happy with where I am. But, also, those guys are crazy."
Piastri said that the high speeds, the walls right on top of you, and the fact that you have to put so much trust in the other 32 drivers in the field aren't things he's very fond of.
"Crashing an F1 car at the speeds we go hurts, add another 20, 30 miles per hour average speed — well, not even average speed," he said. "They're going basically 20 miles an hour quicker than our top speed as the average speed. SO it's not a matter of if (a crash) is going to hurt, it's how much it's going to hurt.
"I'm very happy with my F1 car, with my F1 circuits, and I'm very happy to be watching the Indy 500."
Well, you've got to appreciate the respect Piastri has for Indy drivers, but if it's not for him, it's not for him.
Way back in the day, the Indianapolis 500 was part of the Formula 1 calendar, but these days, a lot of Formula 1 drivers seem to get a little anxious about it for the same reasons that Piastri talked about.
However, there have been quite a few Indy 500 winners just over the last decade who have made the transition from F1 to IndyCar, like Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato, and Marcus Ericsson.
This is to say it can be done, and done well.
Maybe someday he'll change his mind, but I think the way things are going, Piastri is going to be in F1 for a long, long time.
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