Zak Brown reveals why MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi rejected McLaren's Indy 500 offer

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has revealed why Valentino Rossi rejected his offer to compete with the team in the 2026 Indy 500. In July this year, over a month after the 109th Indy 500, Brown had teased a "mega" and "unreal" rookie signing for next year's race.

However, he hadn't revealed the name of the prospect, and it was under wraps for months. On November 13, McLaren's IndyCar team, Arrow McLaren, announced that it had signed former IndyCar champ and Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay for its fourth entry, which meant Zak Brown's rookie prospect had rejected the offer.

After the announcement, AP News' Jenna Fryer revealed that the rookie signing that Brown had teased was nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing champion (including seven MotoGP championships) Valentino Rossi. When the McLaren CEO was asked about it ahead of F1's Las Vegas GP, he said (via AP News):

"I spoke with Valentino. He loves the Indy 500, he loves big events, is up for oval racing. But he is pretty focused on WEC and just wants that to be his priority. He recognized the level of commitment required and concluded he probably couldn't do WEC and Indy properly, so we'll keep talking."

Valentino Rossi with McLaren F1 Team principal Andrea Stella at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Valentino Rossi was spotted in the McLaren F1 garage this year during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend in Imola. He also crossed paths with current F1 championship leader Lando Norris when the McLaren star attended the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix in September.

Rossi retired from MotoGP in 2021 as a legend of the sport. He currently drives in the World Endurance Championship for Team WRT in the LMGT3 class. He has earned five podiums since joining the team and the series in 2024 and harbors the desire to compete in the GTP class.

Zak Brown's 4-word reason for signing Ryan Hunter-Reay for Arrow McLaren's Indy 500 bid

Ryan Hunter-Reay at the IndyCar Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Zak Brown also shared the reason behind signing Ryan Hunter-Reay to pilot the team's fourth Indy 500-only entry next year. RHR brings a wealth of experience to Arrow McLaren, especially having won both the big prizes IndyCar has to offer - the championship in 2012 and an Indy 500 victory in 2014.

In his last two Indy 500 outings with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, he DNFed each time. However, at the 109th running of the race this year, Hunter-Reay was in contention for his second victory if it wasn't for a late mechanical failure on his No. 23 Chevrolet.

When Zak Brown was asked how RHR became the final choice for Arrow McLaren, he replied:

"Because he can win."

Arrow McLaren will continue with its full-time IndyCar lineup of Pato O'Ward, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel in 2026.

Edited by Yash Kotak