McLaren make shock signing for the new Hypercar project

Credit: McLaren

Laurens Vanthoor has been one of the strongest forces in sportscar racing since the dawn of the Hypercar regulations. McLaren have signed the previous Champion to race their new MCL-HY in 2027.

Vanthoor has been a Porsche factory driver since 2017 and he joined their Hypercar project in 2023 when Porsche returned to the top class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Porsche left the WEC in 2025 for financial reasons, with one World Championship under their belt.

Vanthoor played a crucial role in winning the 2024 Drivers' Championship with the No.6 Porsche and his teammates Kévin Estre and André Lotterer. The three driver's won two races across the season and sealed the Championship in the final round.

Despite winning his first WEC Championship, a Le Mans victory continues to elude Vanthoor (with exception to a win in the LMGTE class, in 2018). His No.6 car came very close in 2025, as himself, Estre and Matt Campbell drove a flawless race but was unable to overcome the mighty pace of the No.83 Ferrari.

McLaren's only previous Le Mans victory (once again, with exception to 1966 when Bruce McLaren himself won in the Ford GT40 Mk.II) came in 1995 with a privateer, Lanzante, and the fierce F1-GTR. The papaya team have not hidden the fact that their main target for the new MCL-HY is to take Le Mans glory once again - Vanthoor is the perfect pilot to make this happen as a previous winner of the Spa 24h, Nürburgring 24h and Daytona 24h.

Vanthoor reflected on the alignment of his and McLaren's motivation: "I’ve been fortunate to be in the right position to win many major sports car races, but I’ve made no secret that, in recent years, everything I do is geared towards an overall win at Le Mans. I’m not even joking when I say it keeps me awake at night.

"We came so close last year and, when the Porsche Penske Motorsport WEC programme ended, I had to consider which team on the grid could give me the best chance of winning. For me, the choice was clearly McLaren Racing. They are at the top of their game in Formula 1 and INDYCAR, and I believe the same will be true in WEC.

"They are as obsessed with winning as I am and, together, we’ll do what it takes. I’d also like to thank everyone at Porsche for an incredible decade of racing, I am fully committed to finishing our journey together with more trophies, and I am grateful for your support in helping me to chase my dream."

This year Vanthoor is racing full time in the No.6 Porsche in the IMSA. His commitments at Porsche will still be present next year, however they will be reduced. The Belgian driver will be the third driver in the endurance rounds, to provide time for his WEC duties.

Vanthoor joins Mikkel Jensen as the second driver announced for the 2027 McLaren MCL-HY programme.

Written by Benjamin Crundwell