McLaren

McLaren Racing Limited is a famous British motor racing team that competes in Formula One as the McLaren Mastercard F1 Team. Based in Woking, England, the team is part of the McLaren Group and has a rich history in racing. McLaren is one of the most successful teams in Formula One, with 203 race wins, 13 Drivers' Championships, and 10 Constructors' Championships.

Founded by Bruce McLaren in 1963, the team won its first Grand Prix in 1968 and has since seen many famous drivers win championships with them, including Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris. In 2026, McLaren celebrated its 1000th Grand Prix entry, becoming the second constructor after Ferrari to reach this milestone.

Besides Formula One, McLaren has also competed in sports car and endurance racing, with a modified McLaren F1 road car winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team plans to return to the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027. McLaren has also been involved in other racing series, including IndyCar, where their Arrow McLaren team has won 17 races since 2020. Although they tried Formula E and Extreme E, they did not achieve the same level of success and later left those competitions. Today, McLaren also competes in Formula One esports and has won the championship in 2022.

Background

Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was started 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 a different series called the Australasian Tasman Series but decided to create his own team when he disagreed with his old team's plans.

Bruce won the 1964 series, but his teammate Timmy Mayer sadly passed away during practice for a race. Later, Bruce teamed up with Teddy Mayer, who became a big part owner of the team. The team raced with a British license and moved around a few places in England before settling in Woking in 1981. Bruce’s cars didn’t use the usual British green color but had special paint jobs instead.

Racing history: Formula One

The team began as a Formula One constructor in 1963 by Bruce McLaren. Its first win came at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix. After Bruce McLaren passed away in a testing accident in 1970, Teddy Mayer took over and led the team to their first Formula One Constructors' Championship in 1974, with Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt winning the Drivers' Championship in 1974 and 1976. In 1981, Ron Dennis joined and the team saw its most successful era with drivers like Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna winning championships.

The team faced challenges in the 1990s but returned to success in the late 1990s and 2000s with Mika Häkkinen and later Lewis Hamilton. After some ups and downs, including periods with Honda and Renault engines, McLaren returned to Mercedes engines in 2021. Recent years have seen strong performances, with the team achieving significant milestones, including 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, dominating from 1967 to 1971. They also achieved victories at the Indianapolis 500 with drivers like Mark Donohue and Johnny Rutherford. In 2019, McLaren began working with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to compete in the full IndyCar Series, eventually purchasing a majority stake in 2021.

McLaren’s modified road cars have also succeeded 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 participated in electric racing series like Extreme E and Formula E, entering these competitions to expand their racing presence.

Can-Am

McLaren’s first racing car was the M1, designed and built entirely by the team. Bruce McLaren won races with this car in North America and Europe. In 1965, the M1A prototype was introduced, leading to production models. The M1B followed later that year. For the 1966 Can-Am Series, McLaren created the M3, which Bruce and Chris Amon drove. Though they didn’t win titles initially, the M3 set the stage for future dominance.

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 allowed total domination with all 11 races won. Peter Revson won the 1971 championship, but by 1972, facing stronger competition, McLaren shifted focus to open-wheel racing. Their Can-Am success provided financial support for 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. Although they didn’t achieve immediate success, they continued to compete in USAC races. By 1972, with the M16 car, Mark Donohue won the Indianapolis 500. Johnny Rutherford joined in 1973 and won in both 1974 and 1976. However, by 1979, McLaren decided to focus solely on Formula One.

IndyCar Series

2017 and 2019 Indianapolis 500

On April 12, 2017, McLaren announced they would participate in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 with Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso driving for Andretti Autosport. Alonso led many laps but faced engine problems late in the race. In 2019, McLaren planned to enter again with Alonso but failed to qualify due to mechanical issues and a crash during practice.

Full season (2020–)

Main article: Arrow McLaren

In August 2019, McLaren announced they would compete full-time in the IndyCar Series with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, forming Arrow McLaren SP. Zak Brown explained that this move aimed to promote the McLaren brand in North America and explore new engineering opportunities. In 2021, McLaren purchased a majority stake in the team.

For the 2022 season, drivers Marcus Ericsson and Pato O'Ward returned, with O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist achieving strong results 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 announced they would enter Extreme E in the 2022 season with drivers Tanner Foust and Emma Gilmour. The team, initially named McLaren XE, was later rebranded as NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team. They achieved 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 retained 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 announced McLaren’s interest in Formula E. In May 2022, McLaren acquired 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 achieved its first fastest lap and podium finishes during the 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 announced they would exit Formula E after the 2024–25 season to focus on the World Endurance Championship.

Endurance racing

In 2021, McLaren reviewed regulations for a possible entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship. On June 19, 2024, CEO Zak Brown announced plans for a Hypercar class entry by the 2027 season. On April 10, 2025, McLaren confirmed they would enter the WEC Hypercar class using LMDh regulations, collaborating with United Autosports. On April 24, 2026, the new car was named the MCL-HY.

Customer racing

McLaren has also supported customer teams with various 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 developed, 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 announced plans to compete 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 confirmed participation in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMGT3 category 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. This partnership was the longest in Formula One at the time.

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. They added red to their design and changed silver to chrome. In 2007, McLaren signed a seven-year deal with Vodafone and competed as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. This was set to last until 2014, but the partnership ended after the 2013 season. In 2015, McLaren had no title sponsor and faced losing more money in 2016. 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. The sponsorship is worth $100 million per season and will last until the mid-2030s.

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, and this design was also used for races in the Indianapolis 500 and Can-Am series. 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 and not changing it much during successful periods. 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 to honor their Triple Crown achievement. This design combined elements from three famous McLaren cars: the papaya color of the M16C/D that won the 1974 Indianapolis 500, the white of the MP4/2 that won the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, and the black of the F1 GTR that won the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Car naming nomenclature

McLaren cars were first named with an M followed by a number, sometimes with an extra letter for the model. After merging with Project Four in 1981, the cars were called "MP4/x", or since 2001 "MP4-x", where x is the chassis generation. "MP4" originally meant "Marlboro Project 4," showing the team's name and its main sponsor. After changing sponsors in 1997, "MP4" was said to mean "McLaren Project 4." 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 almost every race that year.

Racing results

Formula One results

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

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