F1 Daily
The story of McLaren
Bruce McLaren’s creation
New Zealander Bruce McLaren founded his team in 1963 and entered Formula 1 in 1966. He won the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix in a car bearing his own name. After his death testing a Can-Am car in 1970, the team continued under Teddy Mayer, winning its first drivers’ and constructors’ double with Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974. James Hunt’s dramatic 1976 drivers’ title followed.
An engineering powerhouse
Ron Dennis’s Project Four merger reshaped McLaren in 1981, when the carbon-fibre MP4/1 helped set a new technical direction. TAG-Porsche power brought titles with Niki Lauda and Alain Prost; Honda engines then supported the celebrated Prost–Ayrton Senna rivalry. Mercedes-powered championships followed with Mika Häkkinen in 1998 and 1999, and Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
The papaya revival
A difficult Honda reunion from 2015 preceded a return to Renault and then Mercedes power. Investment in people and infrastructure under Zak Brown and Andrea Stella helped Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri restore McLaren to constructors’ champion status in 2024 and 2025. Mastercard became the naming partner for 2026. Sponsor and engine labels have changed, but McLaren remains the same constructor identity.
