Ahead of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season which gets underway in Qatar on Saturday 2nd March, McLaren Automotive and its Racing Partner United Autosports revealed their two 720S GT3 EVO cars yesterday.
McLaren will be competing the 2024 WEC with the 720S GT3 EVO in the new LM GT3 class. There is an eight-race calendar this season that includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will be the first time McLaren have competed in this historic endurance race since 1998, when they won their debut race 29 years ago with the iconic #59 F1 GTR.
This year will in fact be the first time that McLaren will be contesting all three of motor racing’s Triple Crown of races in the same season, having previously claimed Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 victories.
The liveries of the two 720S GT3 EVO cars, which are numbered #59 and #95 in recognition of the Le Mans win for the #59 car in 1995, are a nod to iconic the McLaren liveries of the past and are consistent with this season’s Formula 1 and IndyCar livery designs.
The livery of the 2024 McLaren-United Autosports WEC car is divided into three sections in a chevron formation. As you can see from the photographs, the front of the car transitions from satin black into a high gloss black with the McLaren Papaya at the rear of the car as well as on the rear wing and aerodynamic dive planes on the nose. It is also used as a differentiator on the side mirrors and windscreen strip of the #59 car.
A six-driver line-up has now been confirmed for the season. The #59 car will be driven by Swiss Gregoire Saucy, Briton James Cottingham and Brazilian Nicolas Costa, while the #95 car will be driven by Japan’s Marino Sato, Chilean driver Nico Pino and Briton Josh Caygill.
Michael Leiters, CEO, McLaren Automotive, commented:
“We are proud to present the 720S GT3 EVO in conjunction with our Racing Partner United Autosports ahead of our WEC debut in Qatar with an exciting driver line-up. Racing is intrinsic to the McLaren brand and the WEC is the perfect arena to demonstrate the performance capabilities of our supercar engineering programmes. We are also pleased to celebrate our victory in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans with our livery, which is a hugely important part of McLaren history.”
Richard Dean, CEO, United Autosports, added:
“This is a proud moment, unveiling the new look of McLaren on its return to Le Mans and the WEC. The design has racing heritage at its core, harking back to the 1995 Le Mans winner, while being – unmistakeably – part of the current McLaren family. It’s an exciting addition to the 2024 McLaren line-up, complimenting the Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E designs; they look like winning cars, and we have big ambitions.”
The 2024 WEC season consists of eight rounds that includes the European circuits of Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, before heading to Sao Paulo in South America and Texas in the United States. The teams then head over to Japan ahead of the final round in Bahrain in November.
For more information on the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, please visit: www.fiawec.com.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers, professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs courtesy of McLaren Automotive
Be the first to comment