Laurens Vanthoor will race for McLaren’s new Hypercar workforce within the 2027 World Endurance Championship whereas remaining below contract with Porsche via the tip of that season.
The Belgian was named because the second driver for the McLaren MCL-HY undertaking on Friday, simply days after its first signing Mikkel Jensen shook down the automobile for the primary time in Italy.
The deal will guarantee Vanthoor will return to the WEC subsequent yr after Porsche’s determination to scale down its 963 LMDh programme left him with no seat on the Le Mans 24 Hours for the primary time since 2017.
Vanthoor will mix his newly introduced WEC duties with a diminished involvement within the IMSA SportsCar Championship, contesting solely the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds as a 3rd driver for Porsche Penske Motorsport.
A press release from McLaren mentioned that Vanthoor’s tenure with Porsche will “conclude” after 2027, the ultimate yr of his contract, probably opening the door for a full-time transfer elsewhere past that time.
“I’ve been lucky to be in the fitting place to win many main sports activities automobile races, however I’ve made no secret that, in recent times, every thing I do is geared in the direction of an total win at Le Mans. I’m not even joking after I say it retains me awake at evening,” mentioned 2024 Hypercar champion Vanthoor.
“We got here so shut final yr and, when the Porsche Penske Motorsport WEC programme ended, I needed to contemplate which workforce on the grid may give me one of the best probability of profitable.
“For me, the selection was clearly McLaren Racing. They’re on the high of their sport in Formulation 1 and IndyCar, and I imagine the identical might be true in WEC. They’re as obsessive about profitable as I’m and, collectively, we’ll do what it takes.
“I’d additionally prefer to thank everybody at Porsche for an unbelievable decade of racing, I’m absolutely dedicated to ending our journey along with extra trophies, and I’m grateful in your help in serving to me to chase my dream.”
McLaren MCL-HY
Picture by: McLaren
The MCL-HY undertaking marks McLaren’s most high-profile foray into sportscar racing for the reason that F1 GT3 beat purpose-built prototypes to win Le Mans on its debut in 1995.
The British model has teamed up with United Autosports to run the 2 manufacturing unit entries, whereas Dallara has been chosen because the official chassis provider.
Vanthoor will play an integral position within the improvement of the twin-turbo V6-powered LMDh racer this yr, whereas preventing for the general GTP title with Porsche in IMSA.
“Firstly, I want to welcome Laurens to McLaren Racing. His expertise, velocity and sportscar racing skillset is an asset to our new McLaren Hypercar workforce,” mentioned McLaren workforce boss James Barclay.
“Once we first began talking it was extremely clear how dedicated and targeted he’s to achieve success at Le Mans and within the World Endurance Championship. This starvation and dedication alongside along with his sportscar racing expertise makes him a terrific match for our new workforce.
“I additionally know and have seen how a lot it means for him to hitch McLaren after a incredible profession with Porsche. We should thank Porsche for enabling Laurens to be a part of our check programme in 2026. In Laurens, they’ve helped develop one of many best sportscar drivers on the planet, and we’re delighted that the chance arose to carry him into the McLaren Hypercar Group.”
Learn Additionally:
We would like your opinion!
What would you prefer to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Group
