Insight: How McLaren is Building its Return to Top Tier Sports Car Racing
McLaren's WEC Hypercar program with United Autosports is gathering momentum, writes Stephen Lickorish...
There’s no denying that McLaren as a motorsport brand is riding the crest of a wave at the moment. After finally ending a 25-year wait for Formula 1 constructors’ championship glory in 2024, Lando Norris ensured there was a double title success for the Woking team last year. Over in IndyCar, Pato O’Ward has established the Arrow McLaren squad as a regular frontrunner. And now it is attempting to add another successful program to its portfolio with a return to the top tier of sports car racing for the first time since the mid-1990s.
James Barclay is the man tasked with leading McLaren’s bid to add to its overall victory in 1995 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And he is someone who knows what it takes to build successful motorsport operations.
Barclay was involved in the Le Mans-winning Bentley Speed 8 program at the marketing and PR capacity as well helping get the Continental GT3 program green-lighted before spearheading Jaguar’s entry into Formula E, developing the Big Cat into a perennial title contender. He was then head-hunted by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown to lead the brand’s Hypercar entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship for 2027 – but it is not a task he is undertaking alone.
One of the early announcements following the official confirmation of McLaren’s LMDh-based prototype was that the manufacturer would be partnering with United Autosports to operate the as-yet-unnamed cars.
Given Brown co-founded the United squad, this was hardly the most surprising news of 2025. However, beyond the American’s link between the two companies, it is a deal that makes sense as it enables McLaren to tap into United’s sports car prowess, which includes a multitude of LMP2 titles.