McLaren is to enter the 2022/2023 Formula E championship following the acquisition of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team.
McLaren Racing will open the next phase of its electric motorsport journey when it enters the 2022/2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from Season Nine and the beginning of the Gen3 era in the pioneering all-electric race series. Formula E will join the McLaren Racing portfolio of Formula 1, IndyCar, Extreme E, and esports.
The decision to enter Formula E follows McLaren Racing signing an option in January 2021 to participate in Season Nine and a period of evaluation, during which time the team entered the Extreme E all-electric off-road series. The move into Formula E not only reflects McLaren's commitment to EV motorsport but the aim to accelerate McLaren Racing's sustainability journey and reach a new, more diverse global audience.
The McLaren Formula E Team will be formed through the acquisition of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, expected to complete later this year, that will see the reigning champion team become part of the McLaren Racing family. Ian James will continue to lead the team, enabling a smooth transition to McLaren following the end of the current season.
Further details on the McLaren Formula E Team programme, including its driver line-up, powertrain supplier, and commercial partners, will be announced in due course.
"McLaren Racing always seeks to compete against the best and on the leading edge of technology," said Zak Brown, "providing our fans, partners and people with new ways to be excited, entertained and inspired. Formula E, like all our racing series, fulfils all those criteria.
"As with all forms of the sport we participate in, Formula E has racing at the centre but will be strategically, commercially and technically additive to McLaren Racing overall. It is also satisfying to provide a home for the class-leading Formula E team that Mercedes has built, which will become a fully-fledged part of the McLaren Racing family. While run separately to our F1 and IndyCar teams, Formula E complements and builds out our EV racing programme alongside Extreme E.
"I firmly believe that Formula E will give McLaren Racing a competitive advantage through greater understanding of EV racing, while providing a point of difference to our fans, partners and people, and continuing to drive us along our sustainability pathway."
"Today's announcement confirms the next exciting chapter in the development of the team," added Ian James, Team Principal, Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team. "Since our inception in 2019, performance, sustainability and adaptability have been the keys to our success. Mercedes-Benz have been the main enablers for this team so far and when we started this journey, we could only have hoped for the results we've achieved to date. The company's clear objectives and technological expertise accelerated our ambitions, and I would like to thank them for being the most supportive owner by helping us to do what we do best: racing. Now, once again, they have been instrumental in securing the right partner to continue our Formula E journey.
"Becoming part of the McLaren Racing family is a privilege: McLaren has always been synonymous with success and high-performance. This is a great moment for all parties involved but, above all, for the people that make up this team. They are what keeps its heart beating. Being able to continue working with them is what I am most excited about.
"I'm very much looking forward for this next chapter for the team and will be a proud member of it in Season 9. Until then, we will be focused on delivering the best results possible as the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, for the remainder of the current season."
The announcement comes a day after Avalanche Andretti Formula E announced that it will join forces with Porsche from the start of Season 9, with the German manufacturer providing the powertrain and other support services under a long-term agreement.
The agreement will bring the Andretti name and Porsche brand together for the first time since 2008 when the late John Andretti carried the Porsche emblem for the Daytona 24 Hours. The manufacturer and family share a storied past which includes a run at Le Mans that saw the father-son pairing of Mario and Michael Andretti as teammates for one of motorsport’s most iconic races.
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