McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been teasing the British team’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2019, when the current LMH regulations were still being negotiated. It seems like the will they, won’t they saga would stretch into perpetuity as the outfit returned to IndyCar and expanded to Formula E. Now it’s finally over, as McLaren announced on Thursday that it will enter the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027.
The exact timing of the announcement caught many off-guard. It’s been 30 years since the McLaren F1 GTR triumphed in its debut outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During a visit to the WEC season-opener in Qatar, Brown stated McLaren would have a display at the French endurance classic in June to celebrate the anniversary. It would have made sense to do a reveal at Le Mans. Instead, the CEO decided to channel his inner 1995 Michael Jordan with a brief and succinct press release:
“1995. Legendary Le Mans victory. Triple Crown glory.”
“Ready to make our mark on the world endurance stage once again.”“Hypercar. 2027 World Endurance Championship.”
“Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing said: ‘We’re Back.'”
McLaren is back
McLaren will be joining a cavalcade of manufacturers currently in or preparing to enter the top class of endurance racing: Acura, Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ford, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota. There are more factory programs than total teams in Formula 1. It’s doubtful that all 12 of McLaren’s potential competitors will survive until 2027, but it’s just an example of the current fervor to be involved in sports car racing.
McLaren is riding a high tide competitively right now. Last season, its F1 team won its first World Constructors’ Championship in 26 years. The team is leading the standings again this year, and Lando Norris holds a one-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship over Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen. McLaren is on the doorstep of being an elite team on the IndyCar front. Pato O’Ward is second in this year’s standings and had a three-win 2024 season alongside a runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500. Hopefully, McLaren can ride this high tide all the way to France in 2024.
