McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been penning some annual thoughts on the state of Formula 1, and with the NTT IndyCar Series season just days away, the Californian has penned his first-ever “State of IndyCar” article, looking at it from the perspective of Arrow McLaren’s three-car effort at Penske Entertainment’s sports park.

Brown began his lengthy letter with some positives he saw in the North American Championship and then began adding constructive suggestions and criticisms.

“IndyCar has made great strides over the past few seasons under Penske Entertainment,” Brown said. “It was great to see the introduction of a new hybrid powertrain this year, and I couldn’t be more excited about the new TV deal with FOX. However, I believe we can do more to take the sport to the next level.

“First and foremost, we need to ensure that racing remains fair, competitive and exciting to continue to attract the best drivers in the world. In addition, it is crucial to improve the fan experience – on track, on TV and via digital platforms. We also need to ensure the financial viability of the championship for all teams. The charter system is a step in the right direction, but much more can be done to take the sport to new heights.

“Next year there will be 17 rounds on the programme: seven road circuits, four street circuits and six ovals. I like the variety, because it challenges both drivers and engineers to adapt to different circuits. However, I see opportunities for further improvements in the calendar.

“The 2025 season finale in Nashville will take place over Labor Day weekend, which strategically avoids overlapping with the start of the NFL season. However, this condenses our championship into just six months. Beyond that, I think we need to look at further expansion within U.S. markets, particularly on the East Coast and in major metro markets. A return to Denver, for example, is long overdue and the absence of Watkins Glen — which disappeared from the calendar a few years ago — still leaves a noticeable hole in the Northeast that we need to try to fill.

“We also need to look at stadiums and convention centres in major markets, because historically they’ve been great places to host races, like Toronto and Long Beach. I think we also need to think about investing in venues. For example, Las Vegas was a major investment by Formula 1, which has led to a significant increase in television and sponsorship deals. So we need to look at investments that will deliver direct and indirect returns.

“Understandably, there has been a huge response to NASCAR’s new multi-year deal to race in Mexico City from 2025, and we’ve seen the tremendous response from the local fans, who will give Daniel Suárez a hero’s welcome. It’s clear to everyone that Pato O’Ward has a huge following there, and IndyCar returning to Mexico would also be a huge success.

“There has been talk about adding international races and that is not a topic we should shy away from. While we have had events in Motegi in Japan and Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast in Australia for many years, I think we would be much better off focusing on more events in big markets closer to the US to strengthen our presence in Canada. Historically, the races we have run in Mexico and Brazil have been extremely popular with fans because they also love IndyCar racing, so when we talk about international expansion, I would prefer to stay within the Americas. I think we will see more growth in big markets closer to home, so let’s focus on the Americas and not get sidetracked. It makes much more strategic sense to focus on those regions, building on our established fan base.

“Non-championship races are a distraction we can do without. Without championship points at stake, these events are merely exhibitions rather than true competitions and really only serve to dilute the competitive nature of the series. We should also eliminate double weekends, as these back-to-back races don’t add much value, reduce the exposure of the series over a 17-race season, and don’t add much for the fans on-site compared to the action they already experience in a standard single-race weekend.”

Brown would like to see changes made to the way IndyCar structures and manages its race weekends.

“The cadence of practice sessions leading into a race weekend also needs to be reviewed,” he said. “Having just one practice session on Friday on street and road circuits is inefficient for teams and limits the opportunity to gather critical data and further refine their lineups. Ensuring a higher level of preparation will ultimately improve the quality of the competition and the overall fan experience.

“While I truly believe that IndyCar is one of the most exciting races in motorsports, we’ve seen a few races this season where fuel-saving races take away the excitement of how different strategies play out. Whether it’s smaller fuel tank capacities for street courses or higher tire degradation, there are a few ways to address this to ensure the racing remains as exciting as it always has been in this series. Tire allocation throughout a weekend also needs to be considered. There’s a better way to balance opportunities for tire strategy with used and slick tires on race day than to almost force teams to sit out half a practice session to save new tires for a race.”