McLaren and Andretti involved together once again at Indy?

©Indycar

40

The McLaren-Andretti Autosport partnership which ran Fernando Alonso at this year's Indy 500 could return to the Brickyard next year.

The American outfit joined forces this week with McLaren boss Zak Brown's United Autosports company to buy the Walkinshaw Racing Supercars, and Michael Andretti hinted at the possibility of working once again with McLaren in the future.

"There’s still a good chance that McLaren can be at Indy with us next year, so we’ll see," Michael Andretti told Motorsport.com.

"Zak is trying to get his house in order a little bit, but the plan is to do things together in the future, hopefully at Indy."

'Starting from zero each year' detrimental to Honda - Alonso

Brown said he was open to the prospect although there was no specific mention of Fernando Alonso's involvement as the Spaniard has yet to commit to McLaren in F1 for 2018.

"IndyCar remains of interest to McLaren," Brown confirmed.

"We had an outstanding experience with Andretti Autosport and we continue to explore ways to continue our involvement.

"[But] 2018 is around the corner and we are very focused on F1 right now."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.