McLaren Racing announces Mikkel Jensen as first WEC driver

Mikkel, who will represent McLaren Racing’s official entry, named the McLaren United AS WEC Hypercar Team, started his professional racing career in 2017 and quickly had success around the world in various GT categories. He also embarked on his prototype racing journey, taking Championship wins in the European Le Mans Series and IMSA Sports Car Championship. This success saw the young star selected by Peugeot for its return to Le Mans and he went on to secure podiums in each full season of the new WEC Hypercar category.

The team, which combines the skill sets and expertise of McLaren Racing based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking with the hugely successful sports car racing outfit United Autosports, will spend the upcoming season working on the development of the McLaren FIA Hypercar.

Mikkel, who will have a significant role in this development programme, is currently racing for United Autosports in the Asian Le Mans Series and will travel to Daytona’s ROAR Before The 24 test later this week, ahead of the IMSA season-opener next weekend.

Mikkel Jensen said:

“I’m extremely proud to be joining the World Championship-winning McLaren family and excited to be a part of its Hypercar project from the early stages. Stepping onto the boulevard at the McLaren Technology Centre gives me goosebumps – it not only brings to life how much history McLaren has in Formula 1 but the 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR reminds me that we have an incredible endurance story to continue."

McLaren Racing will return to the front-running class of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship in 2027, 32 years after winning the race on its event debut in 1995. It will be the final jewel to be added to McLaren Racing’s ‘Triple Crown’ campaign, which also includes Formula 1’s iconic Monaco Grand Prix and IndyCar’s blue riband Indy 500. As the only manufacturer ever to have won the Triple Crown, McLaren is aiming to recreate this feat in what could be the most competitive era in each of the three series.

James Barclay, McLaren Endurance Racing’s Team Principal said:

“Announcing Mikkel is another important milestone in the formation of our new Hypercar team. He has already proven himself as one of the most competitive and well-rounded sportscar racing drivers in the world and will bring with him a wealth of experience from the Hypercar category.

We will enter the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans in what will arguably be the most-competitive season of all time. We are delighted to have a driver of Mikkel’s calibre, experience and future potential. Like us, he is a true racer and is therefore a great fit with our philosophy on people and culture, which has been integral to McLaren Racing’s World Championship-winning success in Formula 1. Our World Endurance Championship team is coming together nicely and Mikkel is a fantastic addition.”

Introduced in 2022, the FIA Hypercar class has grown rapidly, featuring a grid of the world’s leading high-performance manufacturers. Its technical regulations provide enough design freedom to ensure that McLaren Racing’s forthcoming prototype - set to be revealed later this year - will excite both McLaren fans and customers alike.

In fact, in a first-of-its-kind collaboration, McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive are creating a customer track variant of the Hypercar – codenamed Project: Endurance. With an inclusive two-year track programme, Project: Endurance provides a rare opportunity to own and master a Le Mans Hypercar. The programme also offers unprecedented immersion into the development process and the chance to witness history as McLaren makes its Hypercar debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027.