Fernando Alonso's participation in the Indy 500 is "very important" for McLaren's partnership with Formula One engine supplier Honda, according to the team's executive director Zak Brown.
Alonso will skip the Monaco Grand Prix later this month to drive at the Indy 500 in an Andretti Autosport car running under the McLaren-Honda name. The opportunity was partly born out of the F1 team's dire start to the season, which has seen Alonso become increasingly frustrated with the performance and reliability of his car's Honda's power unit.
So bad was the situation at the start of the year that McLaren explored the possibility of a switch to Mercedes power, but in recent weeks has reiterated its commitment to Honda.