From the coming season, the British Garage 59 team will run the two McLaren LMGT3 cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The team replaces United Autosports, which has been responsible for the McLaren entries since the introduction of the class.
Garage 59, owned by Alexander West, Andrew Kirkaldy and Chris Goodwin, plans to field two McLaren 720S GT3 Evo cars. The cars will be supported from a newly refurbished, state-of-the-art team headquarters in Northampton. The team has successfully competed with McLaren in the GT World Challenge Europe for many years and has recorded several victories and podium finishes in the current season.
United Autosports, on the other hand, is withdrawing from the LMGT3 category in order to concentrate fully on McLaren’s LMDh project. From 2027, the team will compete in the hypercar class under the name McLaren United AS and plans to fight for overall victories there, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Voices from the teams
Garage 59 team boss Andrew Kirkaldy described the entry into the WEC as an “important next step” and emphasized the ambition to be competitive right from the start. McLaren Automotive CEO Nick Collins also emphasized the importance of the commitment and announced that the successful collaboration with Garage 59 would be further expanded.
United Autosports Managing Director Richard Dean explained the withdrawal as a strategic decision in favor of the hypercar program, which represents a significant milestone for McLaren.
Outlook
Garage 59 plans to continue competing in the GT World Challenge Europe alongside the WEC. The driver line-ups for both programs will be announced at a later date. With this step, McLaren is continuing its long-term motorsport strategy and at the same time strengthening its preparations for entry into the WEC’s highest prototype class.