Formula E
McLaren: No decisions on FE or WEC programmes until early ’22
Zak Brown does not expect McLaren to make a call on a potential entry into either Formula E or the World Endurance Championship until the early months of 2022.
Luke Smith
Edited: Dec 13, 2021, 9:18 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
McLaren announced in January that it had signed an option for a future entry in Formula E for the start of the Gen3 rule cycle in 2022-23.
The British marque has also been evaluating a possible return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans by entering the WEC with a programme in the new LMDh class.
These programmes would complement McLaren's existing presence in series outside of Formula 1, including IndyCar and Extreme E, with an entry to the latter being announced back in June.
McLaren Racing CEO Brown gave an update on McLaren's considerations for a move into either Formula E or WEC on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, saying he did not expect a decision before the end of the year.
"Realistically it will probably creep into Q1 of next year, which technically we're comfortable with," said Brown.
"What's been driving our timeline is if we were to enter [is] the technical preparation that would need to be done to be prepared.
"We've done enough work on both series to be comfortable with the timeline moving a bit.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
"The reason the timeline is moving is we're just not in a position to make a decision yet. We need to be comfortable where we're at with our IndyCar, Formula 1 and Extreme E teams.
"We've just completed our first couple of days of testing in Extreme E. We're ramping up for a third car [for the] IndyCar series in '23.
"So I think it's going to be early in Q1 before we make any final decisions."
Brown said back in June that McLaren's option on a Formula E entry "goes until the end of the year", with the Gen3 regulations set to come into force after the upcoming season that starts next month.
Brown has also explored the possibility of McLaren making a return to Le Mans and planning a factory sportscar programme for a number of years.
McLaren famously won Le Mans in 1995, and could join a series of manufacturers in the LMDh category, with Brown previously calling the regulations "very appealing".
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Mortara tops final day of Formula E pre-season testing for Venturi
Next article China dropped as Formula E reveals 2022 calendar update
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1 Jul 22, 2025
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 19, 2023
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1 Feb 18, 2023
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
McLaren
What's behind Oscar Piastri's split with Mark Webber – and what it means for his F1 career
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 d
What's behind Oscar Piastri's split with Mark Webber – and what it means for his F1 career
Malthe Jakobsen completes McLaren's WEC Hypercar driver line-up
WEC
WEC 3 d
Malthe Jakobsen completes McLaren's WEC Hypercar driver line-up
Latest news
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
59 min
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
2 h
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
The Kimi Antonelli you don't know: Inside the Mercedes garage with F1's new world champion
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
3 h
The Kimi Antonelli you don't know: Inside the Mercedes garage with F1's new world champion
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe