McLaren have announced that they will race in Formula E from the 2022/2023 season onwards, having acquired the Mercedes-EQ outfit. Having previously signed an option to compete in the ninth season of the electric series in January 2021, the move has now been confirmed. The McLaren Formula E Team will arrive into the category for the beginning of the Gen3 era, and the squad will be formed through the acquisition of the Mercedes team, who had confirmed their intention last summer to leave Formula E at the end of the current Season 8. Further details, including driver line-up and powertrain supplier, will be announced in due course. However, Ian James, current Team Principal at Mercedes-EQ, will continue to lead the team to ensure a "smooth transition" to McLaren.
Brown: Formula E complements McLaren's EV racing programme
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, has explained the company's reasons for wanting to join Formula E. "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," Brown said in a statement. "Formula E, like all our racing series, fulfils all those criteria. As with all forms of the sport we participate in, Formula E has racing at the centre but will be strategically, commercially and technically additive to McLaren Racing overall. "It is also satisfying to provide a home for the class-leading Formula E team that Mercedes has built, which will become a fully-fledged part of the McLaren Racing family." The Formula E outfit joins McLaren's range of racing ventures, and Brown believes that it will fit well with the team's other pursuits. "While run separately to our F1 and IndyCar teams, Formula E complements and builds out our EV racing programme alongside Extreme E," Brown added. "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."
Where do the team currently stand in Formula E?
For now, the team will continue as the Mercedes-EQ outfit until the end of the current Formula E season, and they will be hoping to maintain their momentum going forwards. Stoffel Vandoorne currently leads the Drivers' standings, while teammate Nyck de Vries sits in P8. Mercedes-EQ also hold P1 in the Teams' championship as things stand, with a further 10 races still to go in Season 8.
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