Shop
McLaren is still evaluating whether it will enter Formula E or the World Endurance Championship.
Originally targeting the end of last year as the point by which it would have made a call on an expanded racing programme, that timeline has slipped.
McLaren last year signed an agreement with Formula E that would guarantee it a berth on the grid once the Gen3 regulations come into effect.
However, the date by which that commitment needed to be made has now elapsed.
The World Endurance Championship has also been flagged as a possible avenue for the team to expand into, having previously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1990s.
No decision has yet been made there either, with CEO Zak Brown having previously conceded the operation would need an engine partner if it were to join the competition.
“I know you’ve asked the question a handful of times,” Brown admitted when asked by Speedcafe.com about the projects.
“I think I keep giving the same answer, and I’m going to give it to you again only because we haven’t made any final decisions!
“We’re very focused on, first and foremost, our Formula 1 team.
“Independently, we of course, acquired an IndyCar team that won a couple races last year, so we need to make sure we continue to improve there.
“And we’ve taken on Extreme E to really have a big focus around sustainability and gender equality, so that certainly has our plateful.”
But while no decision has been made that does not mean it’s an automatic ‘no’ to a potential project, simply that it has to stack up in the broader McLaren business model.
“Le Mans, sports car racing is something that we certainly feel is on brand,” Brown explained.
“For McLaren, it’s something we would like to do, but we need to make sure that anytime we take on a new racing property, that it’s additive to everything else that we’re doing.
“Those two particular series, because of the work we have done in evaluating, we don’t have to make a decision yet.
“We won’t make a decision until we have to make a decision, and if it’s a yes it’s because we’re ready.
“If we’re not ready when we need to make a decision, then it’ll be a no.”
There have been suggestions McLaren could join forces with Mercedes in Formula E.
Brown and representatives of the Mercedes EQ squad met at the start of last year, with talks having continued ever since.
