McLaren commits to long-awaited 24 Hours of Le Mans return

McLaren will enter the Hypercar class in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027.

In a short statement, McLaren CEO Zak Brown simply said: “We’re back.”

It marks a return to the top of sports car racing for the first time in more than two decades.

The marque last competed at Le Mans in the top class in 1998.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the team’s 1995 win with the McLaren F1 GTR led by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas, and Masanori Sekiya.

That year, the team occupied four of the top five positions.

McLaren already competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship, albeit in the lower LMGT3 division with United Autosports.

Details of McLaren’s Hypercar entry are scant, although Brown hinted at the possibility of entering the IMSA SportsCar Championship too.

“A lot comes into play when you make a decision like this – how we’re doing in Formula 1, our IndyCar team, our automotive business,” Brown told BeIN Sports.

“And things have really never been better, so the timing is definitely good.

“With the rules that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the World Endurance Championship and IMSA have come up with, everyone has voted with their cars and look at the field.

“It’s amazing with all the manufacturers, the drivers, the competition. This is a very exciting time in endurance racing.”

McLaren will join Ford and Genesis as Hypercar future entries in the FIA World Endurance Championship.