McLaren Racing's WEC Hypercar Team Will Be Called 'McLaren United'
The motorsports world's collective eyes are all on France right now for the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. McLaren Racing is taking advantage of that fact, to announce the details of its plan to join the World Endurance Championship in 2027, including its partnership with United Autosports and its decision to participate under the banner of McLaren United, with James Barclay named as team principal. The brand has not yet made any driver announcements.
In 2027, McLaren United will join the WEC field with two entries, No. 95 and No. 59, in honor of the brand's first Le Mans win, which it achieved in its maiden attempt. Rejoining WEC gives McLaren the chance to pull off motorsport's "Triple Crown" — winning WEC's 24 Hours of Le Mans, IndyCar's Indianapolis 500, and Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix — for a second time. McLaren won their first Indianapolis 500 with Johnny Rutherford in 1974, and its first (of 16) Monaco Grand Prix with Alain Prost in 1984; when McLaren took victory in the 1995 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas, and Masanori Sekiya in 1995, it completed the hat trick.
Its LMPh entry will feature a twin-turbo V6 engine designed by McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive, produced and engineered alongside Dallara, with whom the carmaker work closely with on the IndyCar side of McLaren Racing.
McLaren Racing CEO Zac Brown says he's confident that the manufacturer's F1 team and IndyCar teams are at a level that they can focus on winning in a third series. "In my mind, these are the three most important championships in the world, in all due respect to the other championships," Brown told journalists at Le Mans. "They are in line with McLaren's history and brand values and what makes sense to us."
McLaren announced earlier this year that it would be leaving Formula E as the company's focus shifts towards an endurance championship. An expansion to IMSA, while not off the table, will not be pursued until at earliest 2028.
Zac Brown invited James Barclay on as team principal after a long personal history with the leader who brought Jaguar Racing back to success in multiple disciplines, including Formula E and sports car racing. He will join the team in September, following the summer break.
"I've known James a long time," Brown told Road & Track. "I'm a big fan of James. I'm the one that brought him in to be the team principal. I think that he has a wealth of knowledge in a variety of motorsports — certainly Le Mans, sports car racing, and having worked for OEMs in the past."
"He's hungry, ready for a challenge, having had a lot of success in Formula E. He's a racer, he's commercially minded, so he understands all aspects of what it takes to be successful in racing. When you put all of those ingredients together, I think he's a perfect candidate to run the team for us."
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