McLaren Racing has named Mikkel Jensen as the first driver for its first season in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class in 2027.
The Danish racer will drive for the McLaren United AS WEC Hypercar Team when the marque joins the top category, 32 years after its famous Le Mans victory with the F1 GTR in 1995.
Jensen began his professional racing career in 2017 and quickly made his mark across global GT racing before moving into prototypes, where he claimed championship titles in both the European Le Mans Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship.
That form led to his selection by Peugeot for its return to Le Mans with the 9X8, with Jensen going on to score multiple podium finishes before departing the brand’s factory stable at the end of last season.
McLaren’s Hypercar programme is being run in partnership with United Autosports, combining the resources of McLaren Racing at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking with the experience of the Anglo-American sportscar operation. The year ahead will see McLaren and United focus on developing the brand’s Dallara-based LMDh Hypercar, with Jensen set to play a key role in that process.
The 30-year-old is currently racing for United Autosports in the Asian Le Mans Series and is due to take part in Daytona’s ‘Roar Before The 24’ test later this week ahead of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener.
Jensen says: “I’m extremely proud to be joining the World Championship-winning McLaren family and excited to be a part of its Hypercar project from the early stages. Stepping onto the boulevard at the McLaren Technology Centre gives me goosebumps – it not only brings to life how much history McLaren has in Formula 1, but the 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR reminds me that we have an incredible endurance story to continue.”
McLaren’s move into the premier category of the World Endurance Championship in 2027 forms a key part of its ambition to win the ‘Triple Crown’ of Le Mans, the Indy 500 and Monaco Grand Prix in a single year. McLaren remains the only manufacturer to have won all three and is aiming to repeat that achievement.
James Barclay, McLaren Endurance Racing’s team principal, says Jensen’s signing represents a major step forward for the programme.
“Announcing Mikkel is another important milestone in the formation of our new Hypercar team,” he says. “He has already proven himself as one of the most competitive and well-rounded sportscar racing drivers in the world and will bring with him a wealth of experience from the Hypercar category.
“We will enter the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans in what will arguably be the most competitive season of all time. We are delighted to have a driver of Mikkel’s calibre, experience and future potential. Like us, he is a true racer and is therefore a great fit with our philosophy on people and culture, which has been integral to McLaren Racing’s world championship-winning success in Formula 1.
“Our World Endurance Championship team is coming together nicely and Mikkel is a fantastic addition.”
Image courtesy of McLaren Racing
