McLaren will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans is 2027 and CEO Zak Brown admits he would ‘love’ to sign a driver whose F1 career is ‘numbered’ to race with them in WEC.
The Woking outfit have competed in a host of championships since Bruce McLaren founded McLaren back in 1963. McLaren also made history by securing the overall win at Le Mans on debut in 1995 with the F1 GTR. But they have not competed in the top category since 1998.
But McLaren announced in April that they will join the top category of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Hypercar class, in 2027. The move will also see McLaren target the Triple Crown of the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indy 500.
Zak Brown would ‘love’ Fernando Alonso to drive for McLaren at Le Mans in 2027
McLaren already have a presence in the WEC with United Autosports, which Brown co-owns and co-founded, fielding their LMGT3 class entries. But Brown has now stated that he would ‘love’ to have Fernando Alonso at the wheel of a McLaren when they go to Le Mans in 2027.
Brown still holds Alonso in very high regard after their time working together for McLaren in F1, from the former’s appointment in 2018 to the latter’s departure at the end of that term. Alonso also left McLaren to race in the WEC for Toyota and scored two overall Le Mans wins.
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The two-time F1 champion also won the top WEC class title, which was the LMP1 class then, in the 2018/19 Super Season. And Brown thinks it would be great to sign Alonso to drive for McLaren in the 2027 WEC season as his days in Formula 1 for Aston Martin are ‘numbered’.
“Fernando is one of the best,” Brown said, via quotes by Formule1. “I know that because he has worked for us.
“He is an incredible athlete and although his days in Formula 1 are soon numbered, we have already announced that we will return to Le Mans. It is a race that he has already won, and I would love to see him behind the wheel of a McLaren again.”
Could Fernando Alonso form an all-F1 McLaren line-up at Le Mans with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri?
Brown may yet get his wish to sign Alonso for McLaren’s top-class Le Mans return in 2027 as the 43-year-old is out of contract for Aston Martin beyond the 2026 F1 season. Additionally, Aston Martin are offering Max Verstappen a five-year, £1bn contract to move from Red Bull.
Aston Martin will have to see either Alonso or Lance Stroll, the son of the team’s billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, leave to make room for Verstappen. But Aston Martin also made the brand’s Hypercar debut in the 2025 WEC campaign, so could put Stroll in a Valkyrie one day.
However, should Brown prove able to tempt Alonso to race for McLaren at Le Mans in 2027, he could form a part of an all-F1 line-up after claiming Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri would also ‘love’ to race at the Circuit de la Sarthe before confirming McLaren’s return to Le Mans.
“I think we are very open-minded. Who doesn’t want to win Le Mans?” Brown said back in February, via RACER. “I’ve talked to Lando and Oscar about it, and they’ve said they’d love to go race Le Mans. That’s cool, right? I think all these motorsports converging are great.”
