Laurens Vanthoor joins McLaren's Hypercar program

Laurens Vanthoor will be one of the faces of the big comeback of Mclaren racing en EnduranceThe British manufacturer has officially announced the arrival of the FIA ​​Hypercar World Champion WEC 2024 within its future Hypercar program, expected to compete from 2027.

This announcement comes just days after the unveiling and first shakedown of the McLaren MCL-HY, whose testing program will begin later this May. At 34, the Belgian driver, along with Mikkel Jensen, becomes one of the first two drivers confirmed for this ambitious project developed with the support of the United Autosports team.

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Since the introduction of the Hypercar era, Vanthoor has established himself as one of the leading drivers in the discipline. A three-time winner and five-time WEC podium finisher with Porsche Penske Motorsport, he clinched the world title in 2024 before finishing second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025 alongside Kevin Estre and Matt Campbell after a remarkable performance from start to finish of the competition.

Le Mans remains, in fact, the Belgian driver's admitted obsession. Everything I do today is geared towards an overall victory at Le Mans. », He explains. " We came so close last year that when Porsche Penske Motorsport's WEC program ended, I had to think about which team could give me the best chance of winning. »

After a successful decade at Porsche, Vanthoor has chosen McLaren to write the next chapter of his career. For me, the choice was clear. McLaren is at the top in Formula 1 and IndyCarand I think that will also be the case in WEC He continues.

Still committed to the German manufacturer in IMSAHe will gradually reduce his commitment with the German manufacturer in 2027 by only competing in the Endurance Cup rounds in order to fully concentrate on his WEC campaign with McLaren.

James Barclay, head of the Hypercar program, welcomed this strategic arrival. Laurens brings invaluable experience, speed, and endurance racing knowledge to our new program. From our very first discussions, his obsession with winning at Le Mans was evident. »

With Vanthoor as its figurehead, McLaren is already clearly showing its ambitions: to return to the top of world endurance racing and, in the long term, to aim for another absolute victory at Le Mans more than thirty years after the triumph of the legendary F1 GTR in 1995.

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