McLaren has officially revealed its WEC hypercar in a testing livery, which will hit the track for the first time this month, one year after the British team announced its hypercar programme at 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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| Photo by Mclaren |
McLaren shared the first images of its brand-new MCL-HY today, which will be seen on track for the first time this month as part of its testing programme. The prototype is expected to be homologated in the winter. Testing duties will primarily be handled by former Peugeot hypercar driver Mikkel Jensen, who will lead the development programme. McLaren development drivers Grégoire Saucy and Richard Verschoor, along with United Autosports driver Ben Hanley, will also be part of the testing programme.
The MCL-HY will run in a traditional orange livery inspired by the historic McLaren M6A from the 1960s. The car is set to make its full competitive debut next season, marking McLaren’s first attempt to secure its second overall victory at Le Mans since 1995, when the iconic McLaren F1 GTR took the win.
“Years and months in the making and here we are, revealing the MCL-HY to the world,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
“McLaren Racing now has three race cars ready to contest the biggest motorsport series in the world; Formula 1, IndyCar and WEC. This means McLaren, its partners and fans can challenge for the Triple Crown of Monaco GP, Indy500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans together – a unique cross-series story that sets us apart.”
Built to LMDh regulations, the MCL-HY will feature a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis from Dallara, powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 producing a maximum of 520 kW.
However, McLaren is not the only manufacturer set to enter the World Endurance Championship next year — the other is the American brand Ford. Two legendary names with rich motorsport histories will join the fight for one of the most prestigious victories in racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe — the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Despite the current WEC season having only just started, this is exactly why no motorsport fan should miss next season.