James Barclay has a sizeable task on his hands over the upcoming 12 months. As Team Principal of the new McLaren United AS Hypercar programme, it is his role to ensure the renowned British marque hits the ground running when it joins the FIA World Endurance Championship’s top-tier in 2027. It is, he admits, ‘a career-fulfilling moment’.
Just over three decades on from its iconic victory on its debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the F1 GTR, McLaren will return to the international pinnacle of the long-distance discipline next season for the first time in 29 years.
Former Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E Team Principal, Barclay – who led the ‘Big Cat’ to the electric single-seater series’ Season 10 Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles, and was previously part of Bentley’s Le Mans-winning assault back in 2003 – has been entrusted with taking the helm. The Briton is under no illusions about the level of responsibility resting upon his shoulders.
“It was going to take something very special to make me leave where I was and it was a hard decision to make, but to join McLaren in this golden era of endurance racing was a unique opportunity,” he reflects. “Sportscar racing is in the company’s DNA.
“I was watching Le Mans in 1995, which is embedded in my memory as a motorsport fan, and I was lucky enough at Bentley to work alongside Derek Bell, who talked about his McLaren years. There’s an incredible lineage here, and when you walk in the door, there’s a magic in the air, an excitement.
“I’ve been really fortunate to be given the opportunity to build teams from scratch before, and it’s an absolute honour that I get to do that again. The role of a Team Principal is like conducting an orchestra – putting the right people in the right roles with the right resources to do their jobs. I’ve learnt how to do things well and what doesn’t work so well, and I’m extremely competitive, motivated and driven for what lies ahead.
“At Jaguar, I talked about writing new chapters, and it feels very much the same here. It’s a huge responsibility, but one for which I’m very excited. The challenge from a competitor’s point-of-view of taking on some incredible manufacturers is a career-fulfilling moment.”
Indeed, with no fewer than eight major automotive marques in the FIA WEC Hypercar field in 2026, and both McLaren and Ford set to join the fray next year, the sport is in rude health and arguably more competitive than it has ever been. That only adds to the importance of the forthcoming months, as Barclay continues to build what he describes as ‘an incredibly complex train set’, to ensure that when the team’s prototype racer first hits the track – with May the current target – everybody is ready to go.
Following an early focus on simulator work and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) – and with the in-house powerplant having already completed its first laps on the dyno – aerodynamic and engine development is now the primary topic for McLaren alongside chassis partner, Dallara and operational partner, United Autosports, with a ‘comprehensive’ testing plan in the pipeline. Bit-by-bit, the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.
“The challenge is always making sure you pull together a great team,” Barclay acknowledges. “The great thing about this programme is we’re bringing together two fantastic groups. United’s pedigree in sportscar racing is incredibly strong, and we’re blending what they can bring in terms of operating the team, the mechanics, the sporting side, the logistics, the processes and procedures – all of those elements that are critical to success – with the benefits that McLaren bring.
“Culturally, it’s a great fit – here at McLaren, we’re racers, and at United, it’s exactly the same. The two sides are incredibly integrated – it’s a very close working relationship, and fundamentally, it’s one team. We’re all focused on the same thing and have a very similar mindset, which is to go racing and do the best job we can.
“We have a broad talent pool and some really great people in the team, who bring a wealth of diverse skillsets from different championships. We’ve got a fantastic group forming with Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E experience, and from a benchmarking perspective, there’s an extra tailwind that winning world championships in F1 and fighting for the IndyCar title brings as we pull everything together.
“There’s a big learning curve to go through – for anybody coming into Hypercar at the moment, it’s going to be incredibly challenging, but on the flipside, if you can be successful in this era, it will mean even more.
“At McLaren, we let our racing and our results do the talking, but we have to be humble. It would be foolish to say we’re going to win straightaway – that’s a very big ask. We need to do our homework this year, take every opportunity to learn, grow and build as a team and take stock of where we are after testing and development. Our philosophy is to keep putting one foot in front of the other – test, learn and go again – to ensure we turn up in 2027 as best-prepared as we can be.
“It’s a really exciting time for the sport and a great opportunity to go racing in this era – it’s going to be fantastic!”
