In motorsport, three races stand out above all others in terms of global prestige – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Together, they constitute the sport’s coveted ‘triple crown’, and McLaren is the only racing team to have conquered them all. When it joins the FIA World Endurance Championship’s headlining Hypercar category, the iconic British brand will be bidding to do so again...
It was confirmed earlier this year that McLaren – whose 720S LMGT3 Evo model has contested FIA WEC’s LMGT3 division since the class’ inception last year, tallying a pair of podium finishes to-date – will graduate to the championship’s top-tier in 2027, with its Hypercar to be powered by a V6 twin-turbo engine designed by McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive, and produced and engineered alongside Dallara.
The new prototype was revealed to the public for the first time ahead of the 93rd edition of Le Mans earlier this month, with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown explaining the rationale behind the move and extolling the appeal of the world’s premier endurance racing series.
“This has been in the works for a while, but timing is everything in the world of motorsport and the current regulations in FIA WEC I think have been extremely well-received – the car count proves that,” he stated. “Not only is it an awesome grid of cars, but it brings the right cost-containment too, which is why we are seeing such resounding support. The sport is in great shape.
“Dating back to Bruce McLaren’s days, McLaren Racing has a great history of competing in multiple championships. We are the only team ever to have won the triple crown, and we would certainly like to do that again [this time in a single season]. Our Formula 1 team is doing pretty good at the moment, as is our IndyCar team. In my mind, these are the three most important championships in the world and they align with McLaren’s brand values, so to have all three series as part of our racing portfolio is very exciting.
“At the same time, [endurance racing is] a totally different discipline to Formula 1 or IndyCar. In all these big championships, the front of the field is the best-of-the-best, so we know it’s going to be a tall order – when you look at the other teams out there and how long some of them have been on the grid, you see how difficult this championship is.”
One feather in McLaren’s cap ahead of its Hypercar debut is the arrival of outgoing Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E Team Principal James Barclay to steer the project. Brown clearly has full confidence in his new appointment.
“We’re very excited to have James join us after the summer break,” the American enthused. “He comes with a wealth of racing experience and knows how to win FIA championships.
“I think all Team Principals are about bringing the right people in, getting them to work well together and selecting the right drivers – and ultimately, James will have total responsibility for the performance of our FIA WEC programme. My view is that I work for the racing teams; the racing teams don’t work for me. My job is to give them the resources, the tools and the support they need to be successful, and I know that is James’ philosophy as well.”
The plan is for the company’s Hypercar – which will be run by McLaren Automotive’s competition partner, United Autosports – to hit the track during the first half of 2026. United CEO Richard Dean says his team is more than ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
“We’ve been preparing for this opportunity for a number of years, in anticipation of getting the green light,” the Yorkshireman acknowledged. “When we started out, United had a plan to be here, but we’ve always strived to win in everything we’ve done before taking another step. We’ve been very successful in that, and I firmly believe we deserve this chance.
“We’ve recruited well over the years with results in mind, but also with the desire to make sure we’ve got a structure that is Hypercar-ready so that when the time came, it would be a natural step-up. It’s incredibly exciting. Zak sets the standard in terms of expectations and work ethic, and we’ll try to be the very best partner we can and win with passion – just like McLaren.”
Watch FIA WEC live or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app – your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don’t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.
