Just what is McLaren? To the untrained eye, McLaren is most well known globally as the iconic Formula 1 team with 12 World Driver Championships and 8 World Constructor Championships making them the second most successful team in F1 history behind Ferrari. Many race fans from America recognize not only their Formula 1 history, but their entry into the NTT IndyCar Series as Arrow McLaren where they ran their first full time season in 2020. If you’re a car nerd like myself, you may have first heard of McLaren thanks to their sleek and iconic road cars.
In the United States, especially to NASCAR fans, the McLaren name has been thrust into their world as 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson made his attempt at “The Double” (running the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day) racing for Arrow McLaren in their No. 17 Hendrickcars.com entry in 2024 and will repeat the attempt again for the team in 2025.
But regardless of where you first heard the name McLaren, they have become an instantly recognizable name in the automotive and motorsport landscapes over the decades, even becoming the only team to complete the Triple Crown of Motor Racing, winning the Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Monaco Grand Prix.
(Header Image Credit: Joe Skibinski)
Automotive
McLaren’s road car program was started in 1985 as McLaren Cars and in 1992, the legendary racing name introduced the now legendary road car, the McLaren F1. The F1 was produced from model years 1993-1998 with a total of 106 units built. In 1998, a modified version of the car broke the Guinness Book of World Records production car speed record by exceeding 240 mph (386 km/h). In 2011 the manufacturer was rebranded as McLaren Automotive and introduced their first road car in over a decade with the 12C sports car and they haven’t looked back since. McLaren Automotive has seen the introduction of dozens of variations of their sports cars, many even seeing motorsport variants of several of the models.
Extreme E
NEOM McLaren is one of the more oddball forms of racing that McLaren participates in. Most motorsports fans see McLaren being synonymous with open wheel racing. Extreme E is an electric off road racing series where teams race in the harshest environments on earth while insisting on diversity. Each team features and male and female driver. McLaren’s participation in the series started in 2022 and has resulted in three podium finishes for the team.
Formula E World Championship
McLaren announced in 2022 that they had acquired Mercedes-EQ and would begin competition in the 2022-2023 season. In 2024, series veteran Sam Bird scored McLaren’s first ever EV race win. In the two full season’s the team has competed in the Formula E World Championship, the team has scored three podium finishes as well as four Pole Awards.
NTT IndyCar
Between 1970 and 1979, McLaren competed in IndyCar, even winning 3 Indy 500s before pulling out in 1979 to focus on the Formula 1 World Championship. In its history in the sport, McLaren has 25 wins including the Indy 500s, a runner up finish in the championship and 75 Podiums. McLaren joined the NTT IndyCar Series in its current form in 2020 and increased their stake in 2021 when McLaren Racing purchased a 75% stake in Arrow McLaren SP. Since then, Arrow McLaren has scored 12 race victories with drivers such as Simon Pagenaud, James Hinchcliffe and Patto O’Ward. In 2024, Arrow McLaren and NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports ran a 4th car for 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson at the Indy 500 and announced his return for 2025.
Formula 1 World Championship
The McLaren Formula 1 Team was founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, debuted at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix and scored their first win in 1968. Since 1966, McLaren has won 9 Drivers Championships and 12 Constructors Championships, sweeping both in 1974 for their first titles. Over the years McLaren has won 189 Grand Prix and scored 524 Podiums with names including Hunt, Prost, Lauda, Hamilton and Senna. In 2024, McLaren won their first title since 2008 by winning six Grand Prix and scoring 13 Podiums to win the 2024 Constructors Championship.
Future Endeavors
McLaren Team Principal Zak Brown joined NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast, “The Dale Jr. Download” in 2024. During his interview, Brown mentioned a potential future endeavor of McLaren’s partnership with NASCAR’s most successful team, Hendrick Motorsports. He brought up the idea of a potential future entry into the NASCAR Cup Series. Potentially an entry into a future Daytona 500 running what would essentially be a fifth HMS car for the race.
