McLaren will take over the Mercedes team after the end of the current season and enter its own racing team in Formula E
Formula 1, IndyCar and Extreme E are not enough for McLaren! Starting next season, the tradition-rich racing team will also enter Formula E and will provide its own team in the electric racing series at the start of the Gen3 era. This was officially announced on Saturday morning.
McLaren will take over the Mercedes team, which had already decided to leave the series before the current season. Team boss Ian James will continue to run the racing team under the McLaren banner to ensure a smooth transition after the end of the current season.
Further details about the driver line-up or the powertrain supplier are not yet known and will be announced later. In 2021/2022, the racing team will race with Stoffel Vandoorne and reigning Formula E champion Nyck de Vries.
“McLaren is always striving to compete with the best and be at the forefront of technology to provide new opportunities for our fans, partners and employees to be excited, entertained and inspired,” said Managing Director Zak Brown. “Formula E, like all of our racing series, meets all of these criteria.”
We are pleased to announce that our team will continue to compete in the 2022/2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and the beginning of the Gen3 era as part of McLaren Racing. pic.twitter.com/SrfLG0sKES
– Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team (@MercedesEQFE) May 14, 2022
“It is also satisfying to give a home to the class-leading Formula E team built by Mercedes, which will become a fully-fledged part of the McLaren family,” Brown continued. “Formula E, while run separately from our Formula One and IndyCar teams, complements and builds on our EV racing programme alongside Extreme E.”
“I firmly believe that Formula E will give McLaren a competitive advantage by deepening the understanding of electric car racing, while providing a unique selling point for our fans, partners and employees and moving us further along our sustainability journey.”
Meanwhile, for team principal Ian James, becoming part of the McLaren family is a “privilege”, as he says. “McLaren has always been synonymous with success and high performance. This is a great moment for everyone involved, but especially for the people who make up this team. They are the ones who keep its heart beating. Most of all, I look forward to continuing to work with them. “
Accelerating our sustainability journey. We’re ready for the challenge ahead! ⚡ pic.twitter.com/HeZgvGBdjh
– McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 14, 2022
For the team to remain in its current form is very important to him, says James, who thanks Mercedes for their time and support so far. “The company’s clear goals and technological know-how have accelerated our ambitions,” he points out. “Now, once again, they have been instrumental in finding the right partner to continue our Formula E journey.”
McLaren had already secured a right to enter Formula E in January and has now pulled its option after an evaluation period.
With the recently announced re-entry of Abt, this means that twelve teams will once again be competing in Formula E in the 2022/23 season.
