McLaren (FINALLY) Announces Hypercar Program, 2027 WEC Debut Coming
The future of endurance racing is in good hands, and we finally have the premier brands in the world to thank for it.
After years of speculation and heightened by intense rumors from the last handful of months, McLaren finally announced that they're ready to join the Hypercar Party - with their debut coming for 2027.
The announcement came early Thursday morning, headlined by the simple yet very effective declaration of "We're Back."
The signs have been prevalent for months, with multiple racing outlets dropping hints that both McLaren and Mercedes-AMG have never been closer to announcing a legitimate program, and that formal reveals were to be expected sooner rather than later. We're still waiting on Mercedes, and let me tell you it will 100% happen, but now that McLaren is in the fold for the future, it adds another premier brand to the future prototype grid.
Ferrari. Porsche. BMW. Cadillac. Alpine. Toyota. Ford. McLaren. Aston Martin. Peugeot. Hyundai.
It's an absolute embarrassment of riches for fans.
When McLaren racing Boss Zak Brown jumped on the broadcast for the 1812km of Qatar and said out loud that he preferred/desired/will do whatever it takes for him to drag McLaren back to Le Mans and win the damn thing, we should've known then. When we went as far as to say that both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have told him that they want to participate in the race as well, then we really should have known.
@motorsportmediahub Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to RACE at Le Mans? 🤔 #f1 #McLaren #landonorris #oscarpiastri #fyp #cars #racing #carsoftiktok #formula1 ♬ Vivaldi Winter Drill #2 - veneris
McLaren entered the arena with fewer words to their message but it's the same exact sentiment that we heard from Ford in early January when they too announced that they're underway on developing an LMDh machine of their own - it's the allure of conquering Le Mans, and competing at the pinnacle of motorsport. Sitting on the sidelines and watching others take up the battle became too big of a distraction for Ford and McLaren to ignore any longer, and fueled by the desire to repeat as overall wins at the legendary endurance race, they've committed to legitimate programs built from the ground up to back it up.
The landscape of endurance racing is morphing into something that has never been seen before in the sport. Yes, Group C is the Golden Age and what Ferrari, Ford, and Porsche did at Le Mans across the 20th century will always be remembered due to the character, legacy and nostalgia those machines managed to produce. The respect will always be there for those eras of the sport, it all goes without saying.
But by the time 2027 rolls around, the momentum of that freight train coming down the tracks will truly usher in the Diamond Era of the WEC (and IMSA). The top levels of endurance racing has never been healthier, more competitive and more interesting than it's been the last two years, and multiply that tenfold for the next five. Fans of motorsport cars are calloused with multiple scars of seeing their favorite teams, cars or engine makers pull the plug on their operations, leaving them to lament that "it'll never be like the old days."
But in this new generation of competitive balance on the track and the incredible exposure and accessibility for fans to enjoy the sport, there's thousands of new followers being brought into the fold with each passing race. The manufacturers can see the popularity rising and in turn they're committing to the cause.
Enjoy it all, because when this baby gets to 2027 and beyond, we're going to see some serious shit.
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