McLaren Formula 1 chief Zak Brown is open to Fe🍒rnando Alonso testing the team’s 2019 car, and expects the Spaniard to remain a key member of its racing activities.

Alonso will make his finಞal F1 start in Abu Dhabi this weekend before leaving the sport in order to pursue other racing interests, but will remain part of the McLaren family, racing for the🅺 team at next year’s Indianapolis 500.

While McLaren will field rookie Lando Norris alongside current Renault ⛦driver Carlos Sainz Jr. in its race seats next year, Brown is confident Alonso will remain involved with its F1 interests.

“Fernando’s extremely intelligent, very experienced, he loves Formula 1, loves race tracks. If he’s not at a WEC race or a Formula 1 race, he’s at an IndyCar race or is at ꩲhis go-kart track, so I think we’ll have a hard time keepiꦇng him away from the race track,” Brown said.

“I think you’ll see him around McLaren. He remains part of the family, so I think where his inℱfluence will come in is in helping our two drivers. He knows Carlos pretty well, he’s got to know Lando very well, so I think there’ll be a big benefit of his experience there.

“Then with the engineers just helping us all work together and understand what’s next year’s car is doing, and the feedback from the dr♛ivers, what would Fernando do in a certain situation, I think that experience will be ve𝔉ry valuable to us.”

Asked by ltxcn.top if Alo💧nso could test the 2019 car, Brown said: “Yeah, I wouldn’꧑t rule that out.”

Alonso joked on Thursday that he may be “desไperate” to return to F1 by next spring, but Brown said hꦐe doubted the Spaniard would make a grand prix appearance for McLaren next year.

“We’ve got two race car drivers, so until we’re allo🔯wed to enter a third car I think it would be difficult to put ꦓhim in a race team,” Brown said.

“We’ve got Carlos and Lando who are both very excited and under contra🐲ct, so there are no race seats available.

“If he wants to test the car we’re certainly open minded to get his feedback on the car and you kind🗹 of cross that bridge if he makes that phone call. But there’s not a seat."