AUSTIN, Texas – Ending months of rumors and speculation, McLaren CEO Zak Brown confirmed Friday that the iconic marque will not field a full-time IndyCar Series entry next season.

McLaren has been toying with the possibility of fielding an Indy car on a regular basis ever since Fernando Alonso’s scintillating debut at the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, where he qualified fifth and led 27 laps before a blown motor ended his chances at contending for the victory.

Brown paid a visit to the IndyCar paddock in June during the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader at Belle Isle Park, while Alonso completed a road-course test in September at Barber Motorsports Park, piloting an Andretti Autosport chassis without Honda branding onboard.

Despite all of their efforts at potentially making a deal happen, however, Brown said the timing just wasn’t right to jump in the deep end of the pool at this juncture.

“As far as the IndyCar Series, we have made the decision to not compete on a fulltime basis in 2019,” Brown told reporters at Circuit of The Americas. “We are simply not ready yet and we are very focused on Formula One, so we won’t be doing that in 2019. We do have a desire to do it though, as I have mentioned before, in the near future.”

Alonso announced Aug. 14 that he would not return to F-1 competition next season. However, he will complete the 2018-19 World Endurance Championship ‘Super Season’ with Toyota, and his future plans appear likely to include an Indy car in some capacity due to his desire to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

The Spaniard has two wins in the Monaco Grand Prix and added an overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this summer, leaving the Indianapolis 500 as the final jewel in the crown for Alonso to capture.

Brown noted that McLaren’s participation in the 103rd running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is undecided at the present time, and that a decision on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway would not be made until after the conclusion of this year’s F-1 calendar.

“As far as the Indy 500 is concerned, it remains of interest to us,” Brown said. “That will be a decision that ultimately we will tackle in the off-season, and I think it is something that Fernando would like to do as well. Right now though, we are still focused on F-1.

“Until we get a little bit of fresh air, we will remain focused on that.”