McLaren to enter Formula E via Mercedes team buyout

Jamie Woodhouse
Lewis Hamilton leads Lando Norris on a lap. Miami May 2022

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton leads the McLaren of Lando Norris on a lap. Miami May 2022

McLaren has confirmed that it will be joining Formula E from the 2022-23 season after agreeing a takeover of the Mercedes team.

An entry into Formula E has been under consideration at McLaren for some time, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown saying back in February of 2022 that a decision would be made in the next few months that followed.

And that decision has now arrived, McLaren confirming that they will purchase the Mercedes Formula E team, a deal expected to be completed “later this year”, with their entry from next season coinciding with the introduction of Formula E’s new of Gen3 car.

“McLaren Racing always seeks to compete against the best and on the leading edge of technology, providing our fans, partners and people with new ways to be excited, entertained and inspired,” said Brown.

“Formula E, like all our racing series, fulfils all those criteria.

“As with all forms of the sport we participate in, Formula E has racing at the centre but will be strategically, commercially and technically additive to McLaren Racing overall. It is also satisfying to provide a home for the class-leading Formula E team that Mercedes has built, which will become a fully-fledged part of the McLaren Racing family.

“While run separately to our F1 and IndyCar teams, Formula E complements and builds out our EV racing programme alongside Extreme E.

“I firmly believe that Formula E will give McLaren Racing a competitive advantage through greater understanding of EV racing, while providing a point of difference to our fans, partners and people, and continuing to drive us along our sustainability pathway.”

Ian James, the current team boss of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, will remain in that role once the outfit transitions to McLaren.

“Today’s announcement confirms the next exciting chapter in the development of the team,” he said.

“Since our inception in 2019, performance, sustainability and adaptability have been the keys to our success. Mercedes-Benz have been the main enablers for this team so far and when we started this journey, we could only have hoped for the results we’ve achieved to date.

“The company’s clear objectives and technological expertise accelerated our ambitions, and I would like to thank them for being the most supportive owner by helping us to do what we do best: racing. Now, once again, they have been instrumental in securing the right partner to continue our Formula E journey.

“Becoming part of the McLaren Racing family is a privilege: McLaren has always been synonymous with success and high-performance. This is a great moment for all parties involved but, above all, for the people that make up this team. They are what keeps its heart beating. Being able to continue working with them is what I am most excited about.

“I’m very much looking forward for this next chapter for the team and will be a proud member of it in Season 9. Until then, we will be focused on delivering the best results possible as the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, for the remainder of the current season.”

 

Mercedes won the 2020-21 Formula E Teams’ Championship, while Nyck de Vries was crowned Drivers’ Champion that season in a double-title triumph for Mercedes.