McLaren has confirmed the identity of the fifth member of its driving sextet for its maiden campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s top-tier next year, as Grégoire Saucy returns to the series following a season’s absence to take on the biggest challenge of his burgeoning career.
The young Swiss racer is no stranger to success. After dominating the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship with eight victories, he went on to make an immediate impact in endurance racing.
In 2024 and 2025, Saucy contested FIA WEC’s LMGT3 category behind the wheel of a McLaren 720S Evo – finishing runner-up in Qatar, less than half-a-second shy of glory, and narrowly missing the rostrum on four other occasions – with his eye-catching performances in the production-based class resulting in recruitment to the famous British brand’s Driver Development Programme.
In that role, the 26-year-old has participated in testing and development of McLaren’s new MCL-HY Hypercar, taking to the track for the striking papaya prototype’s rollout at Varano in Italy back in May in company with fellow works driver, Mikkel Jensen.
Saucy has since attended all but one of the team’s development tests and drove the Hypercar on its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed alongside reigning Formula 1 World Champion, Lando Norris.
“I’m over-the-moon,” enthused the Jura native of his elevation to Hypercar factory driver status. “When I joined McLaren Hypercar Team for its development season, I hoped it might lead to a full-time race seat, but I knew there was a great deal of experienced talent in the driver market.
“I stayed focused, worked hard and adapted quickly to the MCL-HY, and I’ve loved every second with this team – the standards are incredibly high, the people are supportive and the atmosphere is fantastic. I cannot wait to continue this journey. Thank you to Zak [Brown – McLaren CEO] for bringing me into the McLaren Driver Development Programme and to James [Barclay – Team Principal] for trusting me with this opportunity.”
In parallel with his McLaren Hypercar duties, the rising star has enjoyed a highly impressive campaign in the fiercely-disputed European Le Mans Series in 2026 with McLaren’s partner team, United Autosports, securing the LMP2 title last month courtesy of two wins and three further podium finishes from six rounds in the FIA WEC feeder championship.
He will join Jensen, 2024 FIA World Endurance Champion Laurens Vanthoor, current Cadillac ace Alex Lynn, reigning FIA Formula 2 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli and one more yet-to-be-named driver in McLaren’s Hypercar line-up, with Barclay opining that Saucy’s speed, commitment and adaptability make him a perfect fit for the ambitious project.
“Grégoire’s promotion is exactly what the McLaren Driver Development Programme is designed to achieve – identifying exceptional talent, supporting that development and creating a genuine pathway to a works race seat,” he explained.
“He has impressed us throughout the MCL-HY test programme with his pace, methodical approach within the team and his progress over the intensive testing schedule. He has earned this opportunity, and we are excited to see him take the next step in his career with McLaren.”
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