McLaren Chief Reveals F1 Driver Interested in NASCAR – ‘Knocked on My Door’

Moments after admitting that he’s trying to get Kyle Larson into a test behind the wheel of his McLaren F1 car, the team’s CEO Zak Brown has further admitted that his own Oscar Piastri is interested in Larson’s motorsport home: NASCAR.

Talking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, the American businessman stirred excitement and speculation as he dropped the Australian’s name into the conversation.

Brown has been vocal about his aspirations to see McLaren make an impact in NASCAR, starting with potentially taking part in the prestigious Daytona 500. He is serious about this possibility, having already established a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, which is known for its dominance in NASCAR.

“I’d like to have a relationship with [Rick Hendrick’s] team forever because they’re awesome,” Brown said.

Oscar Piastri, currently in his second year in F1, has admitted his interest in stock car racing. Eager to follow in the footsteps of fellow F1 drivers like Kimi Raikkonen and Kamui Kobayashi, who themselves transitioned to stock car racing, the Australian’s enthusiasm for NASCAR is now known.

“Oscar seems to be [the driver for Daytona 500]. I mean they both love to drive everything. But Oscar’s kind of knocked on my door a little bit about his excitement around NASCAR. So I think if we were to do something with Kyle and one of our Formula One drivers, it’d probably most likely be Oscar.”

I have plenty of questions regarding the potential line-up for McLaren’s entry at the Daytona 500. Will it be Piastri taking the wheel, or could it be one of the American open-wheel stars from Arrow-McLaren? There’s also the possibility of Lando Norris, another McLaren F1 driver, stepping up to the challenge.

Daniel Ricciardo, a veteran Australian F1 driver, could complicate this a little further. Ricciardo, known for his historical interest in NASCAR—having once driven Dale Earnhardt’s 1984 Chevy Monte Carlo—could also be a potential driver for this seat.

While currently uncertain about his contract extension with VCARB’s F1 team beyond the end of this season, he has often teased a switch to NASCAR.

“Would I like to compete? Yes and no,” he said. “I also know that it’s not what I grew up doing, and I would probably get smoked so like, I don’t know if I need that, but I would love to experience it.”

Currently, Ricciardo is flying into 2025 without a contract. And with his seat being eyed up by Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson, it may even be this weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix where the future of Ricciardo in this sport is confirmed to be coming to an end. After struggling to keep up with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, it would come as no surprise.