McLaren makes new WEC driver announcement as MCL-HY hypercar breaks cover
McLaren is one of the most successful and respected teams in F1 history
McLaren has announced the signing of Belgian racer Laurens Vanthoor ahead of its first season in the World Endurance Championship in 2027.
It comes after the team carried out its first test with the new MCL-HY hypercar earlier this week.
McLaren MCL-HY completes shakedown ahead of 2027 WEC hypercar entry
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McLaren announced last year that it will enter the hypercar category of the WEC from the 2027 season.
The Woking-based team’s return to the highest tier of endurance racing will see McLaren compete in all three races – the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours – that make up the so-called triple crown of motorsport.
Upon the unveiling of the MCL-HY earlier this week (below), McLaren described the car as completing ‘the final piece of an ambition that McLaren is uniquely placed to contend for.’
Mikkel Jensen, of Denmark, became the first driver signed to McLaren’s WEC team in January after a four-year stint with Peugeot’s hypercar project.
McLaren has announced that Vanthoor, 35, has become the latest addition to the team’s WEC roster.
The Belgian arrives at McLaren having competed for Porsche in the hypercar category between 2023 and 2025, claiming three victories with the most recent occurring in Austin last year.
Vanthoor said: “I’ve been fortunate to be in the right position to win many major sports car races, but I’ve made no secret that, in recent years, everything I do is geared towards an overall win at Le Mans.
“I’m not even joking when I say it keeps me awake at night. We came so close last year and when the Porsche Penske Motorsport WEC programme ended, I had to consider which team on the grid could give me the best chance of winning.
“For me, the choice was clearly McLaren Racing. They are at the top of their game in Formula 1 and IndyCar and I believe the same will be true in WEC.
“They are as obsessed with winning as I am and, together, we’ll do what it takes.
“I’d also like to thank everyone at Porsche for an incredible decade of racing.
“I am fully committed to finishing our journey together with more trophies, and I am grateful for your support in helping me to chase my dream.”
McLaren completed its first test with its 2027 hypercar, the MCL-HY, in Italy earlier this week.
The test was carried out at the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti, close to the headquarters of chassis supplier Dallara, with the car appearing in an orange test livery inspired by the M6A raced by founder Bruce McLaren in Can-Am.
Jensen was at the wheel of the MCL-HY for the shakedown with McLaren development drivers Gregoire Saucy and Richard Verschoor – as well as Ben Hanley, attached to the United Autosports team owned by McLaren chief executive Zak Brown – also set to be involved in the test program.
Jensen said of the car’s first test: “The McLaren hypercar feels great.
“We went through all our run plan: mainly system checks, making sure gearbox, engine, all the system, a lot of software on the car, was working well.
“Now [we are] getting [into] more detail into how we can optimise the car. It’s been a great day.
“A lot of fun driving the car for the first time, so a lot of work from here to be ready for next season.”
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James Barclay, the team principal of McLaren’s endurance program, added: “The team here have been working absolutely flat out.
“We wrote this date down over a year ago. We said we wanted to be out on track for the first time at the start of May and, just after 9:00 this morning, we left the pitlane and fired up the IC engine and did our first laps.
“A milestone moment for us as a team, a historic moment for us at McLaren returning back to the top tier of sportscar racing.
“2026 is the year we test and develop the car, we get our team ready to go and face world class competition in the World Endurance Championship and, of course, the oldest motor race in history, the Le Mans 24 Hours. We can’t wait.
“A big year ahead but we are just getting started.
“We don’t underestimate how difficult it’s going to be, but we have a fantastic starting point, the team are hugely motivated and we have a car which we hope will help us realise our dream of getting ourselves back in the top tier of sportscar racing and back onto that podium.”
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