McLaren CEO Zak Brown has revealed that the team have a ‘Plan B and Plan C’ if Fernando Alonso chooses to leave.
Alonso, whose contract expires at the end of the year, has grown frustrated with McLaren’s ongoing lack of competitiveness.
The Woking outfit are looking to seal a divorce from struggling Honda and switch to Renault power for next year, which could convince Alonso to stay.
Yet if the Spaniard feels a long-awaited podium return remains out of reach, he may well move to IndyCar.
Asked what McLaren would do if Alonso jumped ship, Brown replied: “We’ve got another plan.
“He hasn’t signed with us yet, negotiations are ongoing and going very well.
“But you’ve got to have a Plan B and C in the event that you don’t reach an agreement, and we’ve got those plans.”
However, despite an impressive outing in the Hungary test, the team do not view young prodigy Lando Norris as a viable alternative.
Brown says it is likely Norris will race in Formula 2 next year to garner some vital experience before graduating to the top tier.
“Our current plans are to put him in Formula 2,” he said.
“Certainly I think he’s fast enough to be in Formula One, but you need to make sure not to rush things and give him enough experience.
“So he’s definitely our star of the future and I don’t think we’d put him with another Formula One team.”