McLaren has ended years of speculation by confirming it will enter the World Endurance Championship’s top class in 2027.

The 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours winners will build a car to compete in the series’ Hypercar class.

McLaren confirmed the news in a brief statement quoting McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, saying simply: “We’re back.”

The Formula 1 constructors’ champions are the latest grand prix team to expand into the top flight sportscar class. Ferrari, Aston Martin and Alpine already compete in WEC.

WEC stands to have 11 different manufacturers competing in its top class by 2027. McLaren will be one of three manufacturers to join the championship at that point along with Ford, who announced their plans in January, and Hyundai, which will compete with its Genesis brand. Ford will also join F1 next year through its involvement in Red Bull’s power unit programme.

McLaren will go up against existing manufacturers including Porsche, BMW, Toyota, Peugeot and Cadillac. The latter will also enter F1 next year.

McLaren won the Le Mans 24 Hours 30 years ago

WEC’s eight-round season began at the Losail International Circuit in February. Its calendar includes the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours, which McLaren won with a version of its F1 road car driven by JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya.

With the announcement of their WEC programme, McLaren is now active across four major series. Its F1 team ended a 26-year wait for a world championship last year and is currently leading the constructors’ and drivers’ standings, the latter headed by Lando Norris. It won the first two grands prix this year.

McLaren also has a three-car team in IndyCar, where its driver Pato O’Ward lies second in the standings. It is similarly competitive in Formula E, where Taylor Barnard is second in the standings after the first four rounds. All three of McLaren’s existing teams will be in action this weekend: F1 in Bahrain, IndyCar in Long Beach, California and Formula E in Miami, Florida.

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