McLaren sells away its racing future in F1 and other series: Why?

11:58, 14 Aug

byNorberto Mujica

McLaren have taken on a peculiar initiative to mark a major milestone: to sell their as-of-yet unraced future.

The occasion? The celebration of the conquest of the three motor racing marquee events: the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 hours of Le Mans.

One small but key detail: McLaren remain the only brand to have won all three, thus achieving the renowned triple crown.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris after McLaren's Hungarian GP win

What will McLaren be auctioning?

The three cars McLaren will be auctioning have not yet seen the race track. One of them won't see any official racing action until 2027, even, which puts on display the British team's tremendous confidence.

The cars in question are the three entrants to the championships McLaren races in: the 2026 F1 McLaren, the 2026 IndyCar, and the 2027 World Endurance Championship Hypercar.

When and where will the auction take place?

McLaren has planned to host the auction during this year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, which marks the end of the 2025 season.

The cars, of course, will not be delivered to their buyers ahead of time, risking valuable secrets to fall into their competitors' hands.

Instead, McLaren will hand over the cars once their pertinent seasons have already been run, i.e. in 2027 for the Formula 1 and IndyCar vehicles, and in 2028 for the WEC Hypercar.

Zak Brown celebrated the attempt to conquer yet again the major motor racing milestone and the initiative in a press release.

“This auction is an extraordinary opportunity to own a piece of racing history and bid for a car that has competed on track before its official launch.

"The Triple Crown is a huge part of our heritage and we are determined to claim it once again as we prepare for our 2027 entry into the World Endurance Championship.

"Not only that, these incredible cars will come with unprecedented VIP access to the team and action on track.”