Zak Brown has reinforced that Formula 1 remains the central focus for McLaren Racing as the team pursues its ambitious goal of achieving the motorsport triple crown. While McLaren continues to expand its presence across various racing disciplines, Brown emphasized the enduring importance of Formula 1 within the organization’s broader strategy.

McLaren’s Diverse Motorsport Engagements and Strong 2025 Start

Currently, McLaren competes in Formula 1, IndyCar, and Formula E, with plans to enter the World Endurance Championship starting in 2027. The team based in Woking has started the 2025 season strongly, leading the Formula 1 constructors‘ championship by 299 points during the summer break. Drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have played a significant role in this dominance.

The team’s success extends to IndyCar, where Pato O’Ward holds second place in the drivers‘ standings. This multi-series involvement supports McLaren’s goal to maintain competitive strength and expand its fan base across different geographies and motorsport cultures.

Strategic Importance of North America and Racing Series Expansion

Brown highlighted McLaren’s strategic commitment to North America, a market considered vital due to its substantial fan base and economic significance. Before Formula 1’s surge in popularity across the region, McLaren aimed to build a competitive advantage through its IndyCar involvement.

We’re a Formula 1 team, we’re an IndyCar team, currently a Formula E team, and now going to become a World Endurance Championship team, which is Le Mans,

Brown explained on How Leaders Lead With David Novak.

He continued to say that although Formula 1’s profile is growing in North America, McLaren still seeks to outperform rivals in terms of fan engagement and corporate partnerships by having a larger presence in the region.

On entering the World Endurance Championship, which includes the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, Brown noted it as a natural step for McLaren, aligning with other prominent automotive manufacturers.

The World Endurance Championship, which is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we’ve just announced entry into – we’re going to go into it in 2027. That’s where all the automotive sports car manufacturers play. You see our competitors: the Ferraris, the Lamborghinis, the Aston Martins, the Porsches, and it’s a natural racing series for us to really collaborate closely with our automotive business. So that’s why we’re in the World Endurance Championship.

McLaren’s Unique Position in Pursuing the Triple Crown

Zak Brown revealed McLaren’s ambition to complete the triple crown of motorsport by winning the Indy 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1. McLaren remains the only team to have won all three events, albeit in different periods of its history.

This historical achievement forms the foundation of the current triple crown challenge, which seeks to unify McLaren’s diverse racing programs into a single, ambitious objective.

You put those three together, you have what’s called the triple crown, which we’re the only team to have ever won – the Indy 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Monaco Grand Prix. But we did it in different eras, so kind of in different eras of our brand.

Brown also addressed the breadth of McLaren’s racing involvement, noting the unique global opportunities it provides.

We now are the only team in the world racing in those three huge – really the three biggest – racing series. And so that offers us diversity of opportunity with fans, geographies, technologies, and for our corporate partners.

The Broader Impact and Forward Outlook for McLaren Racing

McLaren’s focus on Formula 1 as its core competitive arena, coupled with its strong footing in IndyCar and upcoming participation in endurance racing, underlines a diversified approach that aims to maximize fan engagement and technological development worldwide. The team’s ambition to reclaim the triple crown illustrates McLaren’s desire to deepen its legacy across multiple premier racing disciplines.

As McLaren prepares to enter the World Endurance Championship in 2027, the involvement with leading sports car manufacturers promises closer collaboration with the automotive industry, enhancing McLaren’s racing and business prospects. This multifaceted strategy positions McLaren to remain a major player throughout the global motorsport landscape in the coming years.