"That would be so cool" - NASCAR champion Kyle Larson hopes McLaren boss Zak Brown can let him test an F1 car

NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400
Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 10, 2021 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Across all motorsports around the world, there is a certain curiosity among drivers to drive an F1 car at least once in their career. While this reciprocates among Formula 1 drivers as well, NASCAR's Kyle Larson expressed his wish to test with McLaren in Formula 1.

The 30-year-old was the NASCAR Cup Series Champion in 2021 and was recently picked to drive for McLaren in the Indy 500 series.

When asked if he had talked to Zak Brown (CEO of McLaren) about driving a Formula 1 car on Race's IndyCar podcast, Larson said:

"No, not yet. As of right now, I’m just hoping to get passes to the Vegas f1 race! That’s kind of all I care about. I would love to [test an F1 car] I just haven’t mentioned anything to him yet."
"But yeah, maybe that’s something I have to wager, I guess, to him but that would be so cool if I could get the chance to just test an F1 car."

His expectations do not stop at just testing a Formula 1 car, though, as Larson hopes to race in the sport sometime in the future. He added:

"But honestly if I could race in Formula 1 someday that would be unbelievable. It’s probably not realistic but heck, who knows? I mean I would love to and that would be a cool opportunity."

How much are F1 drivers related to IndyCar?

Both IndyCar and Formula 1 have their history, but for a long time, there have been many drivers who have achieved a lot in both sports. The biggest success story is considered to be Jacques Villeneuve. The Canadian won the IndyCar championship in 1995 and also managed to win the Formula 1 world championship in 1997 with Williams.

At the same time, Mario Andretti is regarded as one of the best drivers of all time because of the different sports he took part in. He has been a part of F1, IndyCar, NASCAR, Le Mans, and more. He is also the most recent American to win a championship in Formula 1 in 1978. Although Andretti is no longer a part of the sport, his legacy in Formula 1 does not end there.

His son, Michael Andretti's team Andretti Autosport, has teamed up with General Motors to make their official entry into Formula 1. While it is yet to be confirmed by the sport's authorities, they are expected to be a part of the grid from 2026 at the earliest, when the new engine regulations kick in.

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