Zak Brown admits Fernando Alonso’s Indy 500 failure was the biggest mistake of his career. Zak Brown labels Fernando Alonso's Indianapolis failure the worst experience of his life.

Brown: “My biggest mistake was Fernando Alonso failing to qualify for the Indy 500”

Over the course of his extraordinary motorsport career, Fernando Alonso has achieved almost everything a driver could dream of. The Spaniard won two Formula 1 world championships in 2005 and 2006, added victory at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, and came within touching distance of completing one of motorsport’s rarest achievements: the Triple Crown.

Only Graham Hill has officially completed that feat, which consists of winning the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500. Fernando Alonso already has victories in Monaco, where he triumphed in 2006 and 2007, as well as Le Mans success. The only missing piece remains Indianapolis.

The 2019 disaster

Fernando Alonso has competed in the Indianapolis 500 on three occasions: 2017, 2019 and 2020. However, his attempts with McLaren in 2019 and 2020, during his temporary absence from Formula 1, proved especially frustrating.

The lowest point came in 2019, when the Spanish driver failed even to qualify for the iconic American race — a major embarrassment not only for Fernando Alonso, but also for McLaren.

Zak Brown’s biggest regret

For McLaren CEO Zak Brown, that painful episode remains the single biggest mistake of his professional career: “Especially in the beginning, there were huge obstacles,” the American executive explained, speaking after another Indianapolis 500 campaign in which McLaren’s strategy work impressed, despite Pato O’Ward finishing fourth.

“I made plenty of mistakes along the way, and I don’t mind admitting that. I used to tell the team: ‘Making mistakes is fine, as long as you don’t make the same one twice,’ because that’s how you learn.

“Probably my biggest mistake — and everyone saw it — among many mistakes, was failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 with Fernando Alonso, which at the time was the worst experience of my life.

“But I’m actually very proud of it. That sounds strange, but it’s because of how we handled it. We learned from that experience. I took responsibility for it. It was my fault because I didn’t put the right parts in place, the right people in place. I didn’t trust my instincts. I let myself down in terms of everything I claim to stand for. I’m almost glad it happened, because I won’t allow that mistake to happen again.

“Since then, we’ve finished second twice at the Indianapolis 500, and we’ve even crashed while leading. I remember when we failed to qualify, some people asked, ‘Is this the end for you?’ In racing, when you crash, you repair the car, understand why it happened, and go straight back out. That’s what racing is about. So yes, it was definitely a hard blow.”

For Zak Brown, one of the darkest moments of his leadership journey ultimately became one of the most important learning experiences in McLaren’s rebuilding process.