The British automaker is just one of three makes to win this race on its first try
British manufacturer McLaren has been on a hot streak at the racetrack. In 2024, Papaya’s Formula 1 outfit won its first Constructor’s title since 1998. As of the time of writing, McLaren and its lead driver, Lando Norris, are leading the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, respectively. However, outside Formula 1, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been hinting at a return to another prestigious and gritty motorsports event that would catapult the company to motorsports glory.
WE'RE BACK! 🤩@FIAWEC and @24hoursoflemans, see you on track in 2027 🧡#McLaren pic.twitter.com/EvnLhzTpCC
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 10, 2025
In a short, brief, but very sweet press release issued on April 10, McLaren announced that it will enter the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and its premier, flagship event: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 2027. Echoing Michael Jordan and the conclusion of his first retirement from the NBA nearly 30 years ago in 1995, CEO Zak Brown gave just two words in a statement displayed on its website: “We’re back.”
Previously, Brown hinted about the company’s return to endurance racing for quite a while. In mid-2024, he said that a potential hypercar project was a case of “more when than if.” These small breadcrumbs turned into loaves of bread at the opening race of the WEC in Qatar, as he hinted at “some exciting stuff to talk about” at the 30th-anniversary celebration of its Le Mans win during the race this June.Â
Though McLaren is more well-known as a top-flight Formula 1 team, its association with the 24-hour race spans 30 years. Although McLaren did not win the Driver’s or Contructor’s Formula 1 World Championship in 1995, it was the year that McLaren won an overall victory during its debut outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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A follow-up to a historic victory
A last-minute entry from the factory-backed team won against competitors in much more powerful prototype cars. The famous Ueno Clinic number 59 car that ran in the race was originally a McLaren-owned development chassis named 01R entered at the last minute on behalf of the Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing team. The trio of drivers behind the wheel, Yannick Dalmas, Masanori Sekiya, and JJ Lehto, managed to finish a whole lap ahead of the second-place car, a Courage C34 prototype piloted by F1 and Indy 500 champion Mario Andretti.
Though its 2027 entry may not see the likes of Andretti on the grid at Le Mans, McLaren is up against some stiff and very determined competition when it plans its epic comeback. In the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) category alone, it is up against Toyota Gazoo Racing, Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Vanwall, Isotta Fraschini, Aston Martin, and Ferrari, who took its second consecutive win at last year’s Le Mans.
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The Papaya team will also face some powerful teams in the LMDh class — which competes in the same class at Le Mans and other WEC races. These include Porsche, Acura, BMW, Cadillac, Alpine, and Lamborghini. McLaren’s planned WEC debut comes a year after Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis plans to race in the LMDh class under its Genesis Magma outfit. Additionally, Ford plans to make an epic comeback in 2027, where it seeks an overall 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, a feat it last won in 1969.
The World Endurance Championship is not the only non-F1 motorsports effort in which McLaren is seeking dominance. McLaren F1 reserve driver and Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward is currently second in the IndyCar standings this season, with his teammate Christian Lundgaard not far behind in fourth. Last year, O’Ward had three wins in IndyCar and a second-place finish in the Indianapolis 500.
Final thoughts
Modern racing is hot in the world of sports, and the return of a legendary marque like McLaren to the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans is undoubtedly welcome news to fans. We’ll have to wait and see whether the automaker can replicate the victories of its past and make history once again.