McLaren has announced that it will be racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from the upcoming season. The 2022-23 season of the FIA Formula E World Championship will also mark the start of the Gen3 era, bringing the sport's most advanced and sustainable electric race cars yet, and McLaren is looking to capitalize on this change in generations which will reset every team's progress on the cars. McLaren is making this entry into the sport by purchasing the Mercedes-EQ Formula E team, as the German brand is making its exit from the sport having won both the championships last year. McLaren had already signed an option deal to enter Formula E from the beginning of the Gen3 era, and has completed the move my purchasing the Mercedes-Benz owned team, and the acquisition is expected to complete by the end of this year.
Formula E Gen3 car will make its debut next season.
McLaren has also confirmed that it will be retaining the Mercedes-EQ FE team principal Ian James as the captain of the ship to ensure smooth transition between the two owners. " Today's announcement confirms the next exciting chapter in the development of the team," said Ian James. "Since our inception in 2019, performance, sustainability and adaptability have been the keys to our success".
McLaren Racing started its journey as a Formula 1 team, and later morphed into the McLaren Automotive brand.
"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.
undefinedAccelerating our sustainability journey. We're ready for the challenge ahead! ????⚡ pic.twitter.com/HeZgvGBdjh
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 14, 2022
" McLaren Racing always seeks to compete against the best and on the leading edge of technology, providing our fans, partners and people with new ways to be excited, entertained and inspired," said Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO. "Formula E, like all our racing series, fulfils all those criteria". "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", he added.
McLaren also has race teams in IndyCar as well as Extreme E, apart from Formula 1.
With the addition of Formula E, McLaren will now have a presence in 4 top level racing championships, those being Formula 1, IndyCar, Extreme E, and Formula E. Formula E also joins Extreme E as being the second all-electric championship that the Woking based team will compete in, as the automotive brand is keen on expanding its knowledge in the electric mobility department.
