Papaya Rules: The Rise to Le Mans
McLaren have just unveiled their new Hypercar, the McLaren MCL-HY, which is set to compete in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The car is expected to undergo an extensive testing program throughout 2026 before its official homologation during the winter.
For now, McLaren will only use the papaya orange and black livery during testing. Whether this color combination will also be used next season has not yet been confirmed. The design is inspired by the legendary McLaren M6A. The car was built by Bruce McLaren himself back in 1967, when he also won the now defunct Can-Am championship with it. The M6A was also the very first car to feature the iconic papaya colors that are now closely associated with the McLaren brand.
The car is powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 engine combined with a hybrid system, producing a total output of up to 520 kW. With a weight of 1,030 kg and an excellent power-to-weight ratio, the car is expected to achieve great success in endurance racing.
McLaren will field two cars run by United Autosports, giving the team space for six drivers in total. The 2024 Hypercar World Driver Champion, Laurens Vanthoor, is becoming McLaren Racing’s factory driver and will be taking one of those seats. Mikkel Jensen, a former driver for Peugeot, will drive alongside him. Drivers from the McLaren Development Programme will also be involved, specifically Grégoire Saucy, Richard Verschoor, and Ben Hanley, all of whom currently compete in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 category.
McLaren has a long history in endurance racing, and the brand famously secured overall victory at Le Mans back in 1995. The win came during one of the most challenging editions of the race, achieved with the McLaren F1 GTR driven by Yannick Dalmas, J. J. Lehto, and Masanori Sekiya.
However, it is worth noting that McLaren is already competing in WEC today. The brand currently races in the LMGT3 category in partnership with Garage 59, fielding two McLaren 720S GT3 entries. Over the previous two years, their partner team was the already mentioned United Autosports, but the team will withdraw at the end of this season in order to fully focus on the Hypercar category. The team, co-founded by Zak Brown, is also considered one of the most successful teams in the LMP2 category in both the European Le Mans Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The new McLaren Hypercar could possibly also appear in IMSA in the upcoming years. Zak Brown originally spoke about an entry in 2028, but according to the latest reports, it will most likely not happen before the 2030 season.
The McLaren MCL-HY will also receive a sister car, as McLaren is simultaneously developing a track-only version which will be named the McLaren MCL-HY GTR. This version will produce up to 720 horsepower, although it will not use a hybrid powertrain. The first customers are expected to receive the car as early as next year.