LONDON (Reuters) - Bob Fernley, who was appointed last year to run McLaren's Indianapolis 500 effort, has left the team after double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for next weekend's race. Fernley, who had previous involvement in North American racing, had warned back in November that McLaren faced a major challenge. McLaren are three-times Indy 500 winners -- in 1972 providing a car for Mark Donohue as a private entry and in 1974 and 1976 as a works entry with Johnny Rutherford -- but their return was beset with problems. Former Indy 500 winner Gil De Ferran, McLaren's Sporting Director, on Sunday apologised to Alonso, fans and sponsors for the failure. "In my 35 years of racing, this is the most painful experience I've ever had, but we are racers," said the Brazilian.

Source: The Star May 20, 2019 17:48 UTC