McLaren Racing confirmed it will enter the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2027, marking a major return to top-level endurance racing more than three decades after its legendary Le Mans 24 Hours victory.
The WEC announcement was made on 10 April from the McLaren team’s Woking headquarters, with CEO Zak Brown delivering the message in typically punchy fashion: “We’re back.”
Brown added in an official statement: “A lot comes into play when you make a decision like this – how we’re doing in Formula 1, our IndyCar team, our Automotive business – and things have really never been better, so the timing is definitely good.
“With the rules that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the World Endurance Championship and IMSA have come up with, everyone has voted with their cars and look at the field – it’s amazing with all the manufacturers, the drivers, the competition. This is a very exciting time in endurance racing...” declared the McLaren boss.
They will join the WEC Hypercar category, adding its name to a growing list of manufacturers embracing the global endurance platform. The move echoes the team’s historic triumph at Le Mans in 1995, when the McLaren F1 GTR famously won the 24-hour race on debut, securing the marque’s place among motorsport’s Triple Crown winners.
Founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren, the racing outfit has since built an illustrious record, claiming 21 Formula 1 world championships, 191 Grand Prix victories, three Indianapolis 500 wins, and that iconic Le Mans triumph.
With the addition of WEC to its racing commitments, the team will soon compete across six major series. It currently fields teams in:
- Formula 1, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri;
- INDYCAR, with Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel and Christian Lundgaard;
- Formula E, under the NEOM McLaren banner with Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard;
- Extreme E, through the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team;
- F1 Academy, supporting rising female talent in motorsport.
McLaren’s announcement continues the resurgence of manufacturer-led WEC and sets the stage for a highly anticipated Le Mans comeback in 2027.
McLaren joins Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis and automotive heavyweight Ford in confirming its addition to the FIA WEC Hypercar grid in the coming years.
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