McLaren CEO Zak Brown teases British GP showrun in Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell's iconic F1 cars

McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown, is a racer at heart with experience of racing in both formula cars and endurance championships. Falling in line with his love for racing, he teased on social media a possible showrun in Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell's F1 cars at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Andretti is a household name in the United States. He has won four championships and is one of the few drivers to have won in both F1 and IndyCar realms. On the other hand, Mansell has achieved the same feat of winning both series, and won the IndyCar championship in his debut year.

With both drivers having massive legacies, their race-winning winning cars are a part of historical treasure. Zak Brown revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that he was getting a seat fit ready in Andretti's 1979 Lotus and Mansell's 1987 Williams (with which he had won the British GP), for a possible showrun around the Silverstone Circuit in the month of July:

"Starting the season the right way with new seat fits in two of my favourite cars and drivers. Both driven by F1 World Champions and Indycar champs! @MarioAndretti’s 1979 JPS Lotus and @nigelmansell’s 1987 Williams Racing FW11B. Don’t be surprised if you see one of these at this years British GP!"

On the other hand, IndyCar is aiming to establish itself as the leading motorsport series on US soil. NASCAR currently holds this distinction, with F1 in second place.

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Zak Brown gave his honest take on how IndyCar could excel

Zak Brown at the F1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Though NASCAR has a strong grasp over the motorsports market in the USA, IndyCar could regain the advantage that it had decades ago. Fans expect the FOX Sports-IndyCar deal to aid in this process, but Zak Brown reckons much more than the broadcasting deal is required.

The 53-year-old explained that the series needs to grow out of the mere 17 races that it organizes in a year, with the doing-away of the non-championship races (via The Race):

"I think we will see more growth in major markets closer to home so let's focus on the Americas and not get distracted. Focusing on these regions makes much better strategic sense, building on our established fanbase. Non-championship races are a distraction we could do without. With no championship points at stake, these events are merely exhibitions rather than bona fide competitions and really only serve to dilute the competitive nature of the series," Brown said.

While IndyCar has not had great popularity in the past few years, 2025 could be different. Multiple drivers are in contention for breaking all-time records, with reigning champion Alex Palou standing out from the rest.