MCLAREN MAKE WITHDRAWAL DECISION WITH MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT EXPECTED - REPORT

McLaren are one of the most successful and respected teams in F1 history

Reigning F1 Constructors’ Champions McLaren have decided to withdraw from the all-electric Formula E category, it has been claimed.

It comes just weeks after the manufacturer announced plans to enter the World Endurance Championship, featuring the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race, from 2027.

McLaren set to exit Formula E after Le Mans return announcement

McLaren have had a presence in Formula E since rebranding the former Mercedes team ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The team, which is supported by Saudi Arabian firm NEOM, has had limited success since McLaren’s involvement, winning just a single race over the last three seasons.

Sam Bird, a Formula E regular and a former Mercedes F1 tester, and Taylor Barnard are currently racing for the team.

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A report by The Race has claimed that Zak Brown, the McLaren chief executive, informed team principal Ian James that the manufacturer will end their support of the team ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The decision was reportedly communicated at the Jeddah E-Prix in February, an event that took place on a heavily modified version of the circuit which hosted last week’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s decision to withdraw has left James with the task of finding ‘alternative commercial, naming and manufacturer’ partners ahead of the 2026/27 era, which will mark the beginning of Formula E’s so-called ‘Gen4’ era featuring new cars.

The news of McLaren’s expected Formula E exit comes a fortnight after the Woking-based team announced that they will enter the WEC, the top tier of endurance racing, in 2027.

McLaren previously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, with the WEC welcoming a swarm of new manufacturers since the hypercar rules came into force.

McLaren’s F1 rivals Ferrari, Aston Martin and Alpine currently compete in the hypercar class, along with Porsche, Toyota, BMW, Peugeot and F1 2026 entrants Cadillac.

In a statement confirming McLaren’s WEC entry, Brown declared that the team hope to win all three races comprising motorsport’s triple crown – the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500 – in the same year from 2027.

He said: “We’re back to the World Endurance Championship and competing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall win.

“In 2027, we will be entering the Hypercar class – we’re very excited.

“Thirty years ago, we won on our debut at Le Mans, in a car that wasn’t even supposed to race, and that sealed for us being the only team in history to have ever won the triple crown: the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Now, with this exciting news, we’re going to try and win all three of these big races in the same year.

“We’re up for it, we’re ready, we’ll see you at the track.”

McLaren are expected to provide more details of their WEC plans at this year’s Le Mans race in June, with outgoing Jaguar Formula E team principal James Barclay expected to lead the endurance team.

- Oliver Harden

VETTEL BACK ON THE WHEEL FOR PORCHE PENSKE LE MANS TEST

 

Retired four-times Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel is getting back behind the wheel to test a Porsche Penske Le Mans hypercar in Spain next week.

The world endurance team said the 36-year-old, a 53-times grand prix winner who left Formula One at the end of 2022, will drive the Porsche 963 hybrid prototype at the Motorland Aragon circuit as part of a 36-hour test.

The German has already spent time in the simulator as well as carrying out some test laps at Porsche's Weissach test track on Thursday.

"I've always followed other racing series and my curiosity for endurance events encouraged me to just give it a shot," said Vettel, who won his F1 titles with Red Bull and whose last race was with Aston Martin.

"Now I’m excited about the long run in Aragon and I’m looking forward to my time behind the wheel. It’ll definitely take an adjustment and some getting used to but everyone in the team is very open and helps me.

"This will be a new experience for me. We will then see what happens next in this respect -- at the moment there are no further plans for the future."

Vettel, who is outspoken on the environment and has campaigned for renewable energy, said in 2022 that climate change had made him question his F1 job.

Le Mans cars run on 100% renewable biofuel derived partly from wine industry residues.

The Le Mans 24 Hours race is on June 15-16 with Porsche aiming for a 20th outright victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe and the factory team entering three 963 cars with the third lineup as yet undecided.

FORMER F1 CHAMPION BUTTON TO RACE IN WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

USA TODAY Sports 

Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button will drive a Jota Porsche 963 in the World Endurance Championship next year.

Button, 43, is set to race in the world's top hypercar category, which includes the famous Le Mans 24 Hours race.

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LE MANS 24 HOURS: TOYOTA YAPOKONYWA USHINDI NA PORSCHE MWISHONI KABISA

Timu 2 pinzani zilijikuta haziamoni kilichotokea Le Mans 24 Hours...Mashindano ya magari ya Le Mans ni ya masaa 24 na timu ya Toyota na Porsche ni wapinzani wakubwa sana...Kilichotokea ni kwamba timu ya Toyota gari lao lilisimama ghafla wakati wanaelekea kwenye ushindi na baada ya hapo timu ya Porsche haikamini inawapita Toyota mpaka mwisho wa mstari wa ushindi...Toyoya ilikuwa inaendeshwa na Kazuki Nakajima...

Shindano hilo la masaa 24 lilfanyika katika track ya Circuit de la Sarthe...Timu ya Toyota walibaki wameduwaa kwa takriban dakika 40 kwakitoa macho na kutoamini kilichotokea...Toyota wangeweka historia kwa ushindi wa kwanza Le Mans lakini habari ndiyo hiyo...Porsche ni ushindi wao wa 18...Mara ya mwisho walishinda mwaka 2014...Bofya hapa upate habari zaidi.