McLaren announced earlier this year that it will return to the World Endurance Championship in 2027 with a brand-new hypercar program. The British racing team will participate with an LMDh vehicle developed in collaboration with Dallara. Although no drivers have been assigned yet, CEO Zak Brown can reveal that both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have expressed interest in participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The move to the WEC represents a significant expansion of McLaren’s racing activities. In addition to Formula 1 and IndyCar, the team will also be active at the highest level of endurance racing. Naturally, there is much speculation about who will be behind the wheel of the new hypercar. Could the Formula 1 duo Norris and Piastri be considered? CEO Zak Brown tempered those expectations. “I don’t think they can participate in the hypercar program,” he stated during a media moment in Montreal. “But I have spoken to them about Le Mans. They would both love to drive one of our cars.”
Interest in Le Mans is high among several Formula 1 drivers, but the reality of the busy race calendar leaves little room for excursions to other classes. For example, this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans coincides with the GP of Canada and next year with the GP of Barcelona. This seems to rule out participation for Piastri and Norris. “It’s well known that the schedules are challenging, with all the extensive programs of the different racing classes,” Brown confirmed. “If you move one date, the problem simply shifts to another race. I wouldn’t want to be the one to set up those calendars,” he joked.
Calendar Clashes
The American hopes that different racing organizations will better coordinate with each other in the future. “I believe that Formula 1 is doing everything it can to avoid coinciding with Le Mans,” he continued. “Next year, the Canadian GP already coincides with the Indy 500, but hopefully, that only happens once every five years. In the case of Le Mans, there is a real determination to avoid clashes.”
Within McLaren, Brown also wants to guard against overload by participating in too many racing classes. “After this season, we’re stepping out of Formula E, so we’re not active in more than three series at the same time,” he explained. “This creates space. Moreover, each branch operates independently – the Formula 1 team works separately from the IndyCar team, and the same will apply to the WEC project. In Indianapolis, nothing is lacking – everyone is dedicated and professional.” According to Brown, the real pressure is not on the technical departments, but on the support services. “It mainly demands more from our commercial, financial, and HR teams,” he concluded. “But then you just scale up. I’m not worried about that. Your timing just has to be right, and you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew.”
