McLaren has announced its entry into WEC's top class for the first time
McLaren
McLaren has announced it will join WEC’s top Hypercar tier from 2027.
Utilising the LMDh formula, the car will have its own specific engine but be based on a Dallara LMP2 chassis and spec hybrid unit.
McLaren famously won the event on its first attempt when entering its F1 road car into the GT class in 1995.
Now McLaren CEO Zak Brown bullishly says the brand wants to win motor sport’s ‘Triple Crown’ – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans – all in the same year.
WE’RE BACK! 🤩@FIAWEC and @24hoursoflemans, see you on track in 2027 🧡#McLaren pic.twitter.com/EvnLhzTpCC
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 10, 2025
“Racing fans, we’re back,” said Brown. “We’re back to the World Endurance Championship and competing for the 24 hours of Le Mans overall win in 2027 we will be entering the hyper Car class.
“We’re very excited. 30 years ago, we won on our debut at Le Mans in a car that wasn’t even supposed to race, and that sealed for us being the only team in the history to have ever won the Triple Crown, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 hours of Le Mans.
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“And now with this exciting news, we’re going to try and win all three of these big races, and in the same year, we’re up for it. We’re ready. We’ll see you at the track.”
Brown’s United Autosports team currently runs McLarens in WEC’s LMGT3, but now the marque will run in the top class for the very first time.
It is thought that squad will run the Hypercar concern, and that Dallara – who already supplies BMW and Cadaillac – will provide the chassis.
McLaren is the latest manufacturer to join a growing championship which already boasts Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Toyota, Peugeot, Aston Martin and, from next year, Hyundai’s Genesis brand, with Ford coming on board from 2027 also.
This season marks 30 years since JJ Lehto, Masanori Sekiya and Yannick Dalmas secured the win for the Kokusai Kaihatsu team in a McLaren F1 GT car against far faster prototypes.
