Sergio Perez throws hat into ring for future Indy 500 run - MotorSportsTalk

Following the announcement of Fernando Alonso’s shock entry to the 101st Indianapolis 500 for 2017, fellow Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez has thrown his hat into the ring for a future run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Alonso confirmed on Wednesday that he would be skipping this year’s Monaco Grand Prix to enter the Indy 500 with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport, giving a boost to this year’s running.

The news has led to a number of his peers expressing an interest in crossing codes and trying out another series, with Lewis Hamilton saying on Thursday that he would like to enter NASCAR’s Daytona 500 one day.

Few have been as receptive as Alonso about the ‘500, but Perez openly said that he wants to enter the famous race one day, most likely when his time in F1 is over.

“I certainly wouldn’t miss Monaco, because Monaco is my favorite weekend on the entire calendar, and normally you have that clash,” Perez said.

“I would like to do some other racing. I certainly have some interest in IndyCar.

“The Indy 500 certainly is one of the best races in the world, so I’d definitely like to do it someday.”

Perez spent his first year in single-seaters racing in America, taking part in the Skip Barber National Championship in 2004 before moving over to Europe and working his way up the ladder to F1.

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”