McLaren wouldn't stop Fernando Alonso from returning to Formula 1 with a rival team, according to team boss Zak Brown.
Alonso retired from F1 at the end of the 2018 to focus on his pursuit of the so-called 'Triple Crown' of motorsports, which involves winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 Hours and Indy 500.
The Spaniard has already ticked off the first two, but the Indy 500 remains out of reach for now.
However Alonso has always maintained that he could return to F1 in the future if he feels it's right to do so, but with McLaren confirming its driver line-up through 2020, Alonso would have to look elsewhere if that appetite returned.
Brown says, despite Alonso being a McLaren ambassador and working with them on future motorsport activities, they would support his return to F1 with a rival.
"With Fernando he remains an ambassador with McLaren, we’ve got a great relationship with him and we are speaking with him about some racing programmes in the future that are not Formula 1 related," Brown explained in light of recent rumours which suggested the two had parted ways.
"But we are happy for him, if he wants to get back into Formula 1, because we don’t have a seat available to go race for another team, and we will very much support with that if that’s what he wants to do."
Currently Alonso hasn't expressed an interest in returning and is instead believed to be looking at a potential Dakar Rally entry for 2020.