McLaren

McLaren Racing Limited is a famous British motor racing team. They race in Formula One as the McLaren Mastercard F1 Team. The team is based in Woking, England, and is part of the McLaren Group.

McLaren is one of the most successful teams in Formula One.

The team was started by Bruce McLaren in 1963. They won their first big race in 1968. Many famous drivers have won championships with McLaren, such as Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris.

In 2026, McLaren celebrated their 1,000th race in Formula One, becoming the second team after Ferrari to do so.

McLaren also races in other types of car competitions. They have raced sports cars and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a special version of the McLaren F1 car. The team plans to return to the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027.

They have also raced in IndyCar, where their Arrow McLaren team has won races. McLaren tried Formula E and Extreme E but left those competitions.

Today, McLaren also competes in Formula One esports and won the championship in 2022.

Background

Bruce McLaren Motor Racing began in 1963 by Bruce McLaren from New Zealand. Bruce was a driver for the British Formula One team Cooper and had won three big races called Grands Prix. He wanted to race in the Australasian Tasman Series but decided to start his own team instead.

Bruce won the 1964 series, but his teammate Timmy Mayer sadly passed away. Later, Bruce worked with Teddy Mayer, who became an owner of the team. The team raced with a British license and moved around England before settling in Woking in 1981. Bruce’s cars had special paint jobs instead of the usual British green color.

Racing history: Formula One

The team started in Formula One constructor racing in 1963 by Bruce McLaren. Their first big win was at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix. Sadly, Bruce McLaren died in a testing accident in 1970. Teddy Mayer then took over and helped the team win their first Formula One Constructors' Championship in 1974. Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt won the Drivers' Championship in 1974 and 1976.

In 1981, Ron Dennis joined the team. This began a very successful time with drivers like Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna winning championships.

The team had some hard times in the 1990s but came back strong in the late 1990s and 2000s with Mika Häkkinen and later Lewis Hamilton. After using engines from Honda and Renault, McLaren switched back to Mercedes engines in 2021. In recent years, the team has done very well, winning the Constructors' Championship in 2024 and the Drivers' Championship in 2025 with Lando Norris.

Racing history: Other series

Outside of Formula One, McLaren found early success in Can-Am racing, winning from 1967 to 1971. They also won at the Indianapolis 500 with drivers like Mark Donohue and Johnny Rutherford. In 2019, McLaren started working with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to race in the full IndyCar Series, and bought most of the team in 2021.

McLaren’s road cars have done well in sports car and endurance racing, including a win at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team plans to return to the top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027. McLaren has also raced in electric series like Extreme E and Formula E to grow their racing presence.

Can-Am

McLaren’s first racing car was the M1, made by the team. Bruce McLaren won races with this car in North America and Europe. In 1965, the M1A prototype was introduced, followed by production models. The M1B came later that year. For 1966, McLaren made the M3, which Bruce and Chris Amon drove. Though they didn’t win titles at first, the M3 helped them later.

In 1967, with the Chevrolet-powered M6A, McLaren won five of six races, and Bruce McLaren won the championship. The M8 in 1968 brought four race wins, and in 1969, the M8B won all 11 races. Peter Revson won the 1971 championship, but by 1972, McLaren shifted focus to open-wheel racing. Their Can-Am success helped fund their Formula One efforts.

American open-wheel racing

USAC (1970–1979)

McLaren first entered the Indianapolis 500 in 1970 with the M15 car, encouraged by tire supplier Goodyear. They didn’t win right away, but kept racing in USAC. By 1972, with the M16 car, Mark Donohue won the Indianapolis 500. Johnny Rutherford joined in 1973 and won in 1974 and 1976. By 1979, McLaren decided to focus only on Formula One.

IndyCar Series

2017 and 2019 Indianapolis 500

On April 12, 2017, McLaren said they would race in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 with Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso driving for Andretti Autosport. Alonso led many laps but had engine problems late in the race. In 2019, McLaren tried again with Alonso but couldn’t qualify because of mechanical issues and a crash during practice.

Full season (2020–)

Main article: Arrow McLaren

In August 2019, McLaren said they would race full-time in the IndyCar Series with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, forming Arrow McLaren SP. Zak Brown said this move aimed to grow the McLaren brand in North America and explore new engineering chances. In 2021, McLaren bought most of the team.

For 2022, drivers Marcus Ericsson and Pato O'Ward returned, with O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist doing well at Indianapolis. In 2023, Alexander Rossi joined as a third full-time driver. For 2024, David Malukas replaced Rosenqvist but was later replaced by Théo Pourchaire after an injury.

Electric racing

Neom partnered with McLaren for their entry into electric motorsport as NEOM McLaren Electric Racing.

Extreme E (2022–2024)

In June 2021, McLaren said they would enter Extreme E in the 2022 season with drivers Tanner Foust and Emma Gilmour. The team, named McLaren XE, was later called NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team. They got their first podium finish by coming second at the Energy X-Prix, with Gilmour becoming the first woman to stand on the podium for McLaren.

In 2023, McLaren kept Foust and Gilmour. Gilmour was replaced after a crash, and McLaren withdrew from a later race due to car damage. For 2024, new drivers Cristina Gutiérrez and Mattias Ekström joined the team. Extreme E later announced cancellations leading to a shift to Extreme H for 2025.

Formula E (2023–2025)

In December 2020, Zak Brown said McLaren was interested in Formula E. In May 2022, McLaren bought the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team and debuted in the 2022–23 season as NEOM McLaren Formula E Team with drivers René Rast and Jake Hughes. McLaren got its first fastest lap and podium finishes that season.

For the 2023–24 season, Sam Bird joined, winning McLaren’s first electric race victory. Due to injuries, Taylor Barnard replaced Bird temporarily and later became a full-time driver. In April 2025, McLaren said they would leave Formula E after the 2024–25 season to focus on the World Endurance Championship.

Endurance racing

In 2021, McLaren looked at rules for entering the FIA World Endurance Championship. On June 19, 2024, CEO Zak Brown said they planned to enter the Hypercar class by 2027. On April 10, 2025, McLaren said they would enter the WEC Hypercar class using LMDh rules, working with United Autosports. On April 24, 2026, the new car was named the MCL-HY.

Customer racing

McLaren has helped customer teams with many racing cars. In the 1960s and 70s, many teams used McLaren cars in USAC and Formula One. The F1 GTR, a racing version of the F1 road car, won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2011, a GT3 version of the MP4-12C was made, followed by versions of the 650S and 720S.

In 2022, McLaren Automotive announced a GT4 model based on the Artura, along with an unrestricted version called the Artura Trophy. In October 2023, McLaren said they would race in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship using the 720S GT3 Evo through customer teams United Autosports and Pfaff Motorsports. McLaren also said they would race in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMGT3 class with United Autosports.

Characteristics

McLaren Racing is mostly owned by the McLaren Group. In 2020, they sold a small part of the team to American investors, and by 2022, this part grew bigger.

After Bruce McLaren passed away in 1970, Teddy Mayer took charge of the team. In 1981, it joined with Ron Dennis' Project Four Racing, and Ron Dennis became the main leader of the team. Over the years, different people and companies have helped own and guide McLaren, including Mansour Ojjeh, TAG Group, DaimlerChrysler, and the Mumtalakat Holding Company.

Since 2004, McLaren has worked from a special building in Woking, England, which has tools like a wind tunnel to help make better race cars.

Sponsorship, livery and naming

Title sponsors

In 1968, the rules for commercial sponsorship of Formula One cars changed. In 1972, Yardley London, a cosmetics company, became McLaren's first title sponsor, and the team raced as Yardley Team McLaren. The car's colors changed to white to match the sponsor's colors. In 1974, Philip Morris signed on as the title sponsor through their Marlboro cigarette brand, though one car kept the Yardley colors for that year. Marlboro's red-and-white branding lasted until 1996, and the team was known by many versions of the Marlboro McLaren name.

In 1997, Philip Morris moved its Marlboro sponsorship to Ferrari and was replaced by Reemtsma's West cigarette brand, with the team racing as West McLaren Mercedes. The cars turned silver and black. By mid-2005, European Union rules banned tobacco advertising in sports, so McLaren ended its partnership with West. In 2006, the team raced without a title sponsor as Team McLaren Mercedes. In 2007, McLaren signed a deal with Vodafone and competed as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. In 2015, McLaren had no title sponsor. Between 2015 and 2017, the team was known as McLaren Honda because of their engine partnership with Honda. After splitting with Honda, the team raced as McLaren Formula 1 Team from 2018 onward. In August 2025, McLaren announced a deal with Mastercard and will compete as McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team starting in 2026.

Liveries

Since 2021, McLaren has used special car designs to work with sponsors and to honor special occasions. In their first race in 1966, McLaren cars were white and green because of a deal with the makers of the film Grand Prix. From 1968 to 1971, the cars were orange, called papaya orange. From 1972 to 2013, the car's colors matched the title sponsors. Since 2017, McLaren has returned to its traditional papaya orange colors.

McLaren has a tradition of keeping the same design the year after a championship win. In 2021, as part of their Gulf Oil sponsorship, McLaren used a special Gulf-colored car for the Monaco Grand Prix. This started a trend of one-time special designs in Formula One. Other sponsors like Vuse, OKX, Google Chrome, and Jack Daniel's also worked with McLaren to create special designs for races.

To celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2023, McLaren revealed a special design for the Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix. This design combined elements from three famous McLaren cars.

Car naming nomenclature

McLaren cars were first named with an M followed by a number. After merging with Project Four in 1981, the cars were called "MP4/x," or since 2001 "MP4-x," where x is the chassis generation. From 2017, after Ron Dennis left the team, the cars were named "MCL" followed by a number. The only exception was the 2023 MCL60, named for the team's 60th anniversary.

Race cars

McLaren has built many race cars, especially for Formula One racing. As of 2025, McLaren builds only Formula One cars. Their most successful car is the McLaren MP4/4 from 1988. This car, driven by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, won many races that year.

Racing results

Formula One results

McLaren is one of the most successful teams in Formula One racing. They have won many races and championships.

Drivers' champions

Eight drivers have won thirteen Drivers' Championships with McLaren:

• Emerson Fittipaldi
• James Hunt
• Niki Lauda
• Alain Prost
• Ayrton Senna
• Mika Häkkinen
• Lewis Hamilton
• Lando Norris

Esports

Season still in progress

Esports Drivers' Champions

Main article: Formula One Esports Series

The following drivers won the Formula One Esports Drivers' Championship for McLaren Shadows:

• Lucas Blakeley

Complete F1 Esports Series results

() (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Season still in progress

American open-wheel racing results

()

1. ^ In conjunction with Andretti Autosport.
2. ^ In conjunction with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
3. ^ In conjunction with Hendrick Motorsports

Race wins

Extreme E results

Racing overview

Racing summary

Complete Extreme E results

(Races in bold indicate best qualifiers; races in italics indicate fastest super sector)

Formula E results