F1 News
Brown admits McLaren were "unprepared" for Alonso's Indy 500 attempt
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has conceded that McLaren’s failure to qualify for the Indy 500 was their own fault and believes that the team should have prepared better for the race.
Fernando Alonso crashed out on ‘bump day’, when he could only set the fourth fastest time of the bottom six, being knocked out by Kyle Kaiser, racing for the minnow Juncos Racing.
It was a humiliating day for McLaren, and Brown told the Associated Press: “I don’t think we came into this arrogant, I think we were unprepared. We didn’t deserve to be in the race and it’s our own fault.
“It’s not like we showed up and gave our best. We defeated ourselves.”
Brown admits that the team should’ve put more focus on the Indy attempt, adding: “I should have been closer to Indy but I could never compromise Formula One.
“At 9:01 in the morning when we weren’t on track at the first test, that’s when we failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.
“We didn’t ring the fire alarm quick enough because we could have recovered after the first test.
“I am angry at myself because I was uncomfortable all the way up to the first test and I should have followed my instinct to get more involved.”