NASCAR champion Kyle Larson has expressed his desire to test a Formula 1 car with McLaren, aiming to measure himself against the sport’s top talents. Larson, known for his versatility across various racing disciplines, has been a hot topic since boldly claiming he could outperform three-time F1 champion Max Verstappen in the right conditions.
While the idea of Larson driving a McLaren F1 car isn’t confirmed, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has hinted that it could be a possibility in the future. Brown recently revealed that discussions have been held about giving Larson a chance to drive one of the team’s cars, possibly in an open test after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Kyle Larson and his F1 Ambitions
Larson’s interest in Formula 1 comes from his deep-seated desire to see how he stacks up against some of the sport’s biggest names, such as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion believes that an open test session, where other F1 drivers are on the track, would provide the best measure of his abilities.
“I would love to do it for sure, and it sounds like hopefully, down the road, I’ll get to,” Larson said in a recent appearance on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “I would rather do it in one of those open test deals after Abu Dhabi when other drivers are on the track, too. That way, you have a gauge of where you stack up.”
However, Larson acknowledges that he doesn’t have the required FIA super license needed to compete in official sessions, making it uncertain if this test will come to fruition. He currently races full-time in NASCAR’s Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports and recently participated in the Indianapolis 500 with Arrow McLaren’s IndyCar team, further building ties with McLaren.
A Chance to Prove Himself
More into the Larson vs. Verstappen topic, earlier this year, the American driver drew attention when he claimed to be a better all-around driver than Verstappen:
“I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,” Larson said of three-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, according to FloSports. “There’s no way he can get into a sprint car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There is no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol.
“There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element.
“That’s what gives me ease and confidence that, like, I know I’m better than him. Maybe not in an open-wheel IndyCar or Formula 1 car, but that’s one discipline. I think I would beat him in everything else. You can quote that.”
Despite the controversy, Larson remains keen to put his words into action by testing an F1 car in a competitive setting.
“It would be fun to do it with Oscar [Piastri] or Lando [Norris] or whoever,” Larson said. “But I would love to strap in with 19 other cars out there and really see where I’m at on the speed charts. Obviously, I don’t think I’d be the best, but I’d hope to not be last.
“I think that would show how good American oval racers are, or if I was really bad then it would just show how bad we are,” he added.
Cross-Disciplinary Racing
The NASCAR-to-F1 switch is extremely rare, with no drivers making a successful direct transition. McLaren’s past driver swaps, such as Jimmie Johnson’s test in Bahrain in 2018, show a precedent for NASCAR drivers testing F1 machinery. Additionally, Brown hinted that a driver exchange might involve Oscar Piastri getting behind the wheel of a NASCAR in the future.
“Oscar knocked on my door a little bit about his excitement around NASCAR,” said Brown. “If we were to do something with Kyle and one of our F1 drivers, it would probably be Oscar.”
As Kyle Larson eyes his potential F1 drive, his desire to compete against the world’s best is clear. Whether or not the test happens, Larson’s ambition to cross over to the pinnacle of European motorsport is sparking talk among motorsport fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
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