Dear papaya fans,
As we line up to race McLaren’s 1000th Grand Prix in Monaco this weekend – we’ll become only the second team to reach this incredible milestone – I wanted to take a moment to recognise our history in motorsport, not just in Formula 1, but across other racing series including IndyCar and the World Endurance Championship. What better moment to reflect on our history, our iconic drivers, our success and the way in which McLaren has helped contribute to the growth of our sport over the years to turn it into the global powerhouse it is today.
When it comes down to it all, it’s always been about the people, starting with none other than our founder, Bruce McLaren. He was a driver, an engineer, a designer, an entrepreneur – the ultimate racer whose legacy lives on today as we continue to embody his racing spirit and his forever forward mindset. I could not be prouder of our people, our team culture, the way we celebrate the highs together and support each other through the more challenging times – and I am sure Bruce would agree.
We also owe enormous gratitude to our fans. Without our Papaya family who shows up every race weekend to cheers us on, there would be no McLaren Racing. I wanted to share some reflections with you about the state of McLaren, of motorsport more generally and the three series we race in.
Starting with Formula 1, what an exciting time this is for the series. To come out of the last couple of years with two Constructors’ Championship wins, and our two drivers fighting for the World Championship down to the very last race of the 2025 season to bring home the trophy, is truly incredible. As we embrace our Papaya Era, our success is testament to what McLaren Racing embodies today: teamwork and a fantastic culture.
Our quest will be to continue to fight for World Championships, to lead the way in how we engage with our global fanbase, to bring our fans closer to the team than ever before. Whether that’s through great digital content, amazing live experiences away from track or at the racetrack – you will see us continue to offer unrivalled experiences for all. Keep telling us what you want to see more of – we truly value your input.
As for the sport itself, what an incredible growth trajectory we have experienced over the past few years. The sport has never been in higher demand – in fact we have demand for more Grands Prix than we can feasibly hold each season. We now have 11 healthy teams, the competition is spectacular, and we continue to lead in pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation.
Of course, with new technologies come many learnings, and we recognise that we need to continue to evolve to ensure we offer the best possible product for the teams, our drivers and our fans. But the pace of development is incredible, and what our engineers deliver week in, week out is nothing short of extraordinary. I have no doubt this technology will keep developing at a fast pace to continue to give our fans super exciting racing, while the drivers will continue to adjust to driving these fastest cars in the world.
We do have one issue I’d like to address though, which I’m sure you’ve read about. Until not so long ago, for some teams to survive in our sport they had to rely on alliances and buy technology from each other, and that served its purpose at the time. But now that the sport is in tremendous health and we have great financial stability amongst the race teams, it is time to move to a state of true independence between teams.
Other than when it comes to power units – which not everyone manufactures – teams should operate entirely independently to ensure total fairness. When it comes to technical, financial or governance related matters, alliances have the potential to cloud things. And at the end of the day, I think you, our fans, want to know that all 22 drivers are fighting each other equally as hard, and that the same rules apply to all 11 teams. Liberty and the FIA have done an outstanding job to grow our sport, we are thriving, so I am confident that this is an area we will now focus on and resolve.
Over in IndyCar, the competition remains awesome and the Indy 500 is one of the most iconic races on the calendar – it provided another spectacular event on track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month and our sights are firmly set on the trophy for next year. Roger Penske is a fantastic advocate for the series, and we have made great strides to grow the sport. I also applaud Fox for coming on board. We needed a great media partner who shared our passion, and we now have that.
I’m happy to see the Penske organisation focus on some of the areas we needed to improve in, such as fully independent officiating and the “push to pass” issue, which were quickly addressed. We have some great new races – Arlington in particular was absolutely brilliant – and a new car coming in 2028. We also doubled down on the commitment from Chevrolet and Honda. I am confident that IndyCar will continue to go from strength to strength, and I’m excited to see what our team has in store for us for the remainder of the season.
In the World Endurance Championship, the ACO and the FIA have created a fantastic set of regulations. The manufacturers have solidified their commitment to the sport and we now have an unprecedented grid with Ferrari, Toyota, BMW, Genesis, Aston Martin, Alpine, Cadillac and Peugeot, plus ourselves and Ford joining in 2027. Not so long ago, Le Mans was won by multiple laps, but today the level of competitiveness is incredible and we have multiple cars chasing the lead with just seconds separating them as they cross the line. The drivers, the brands, the racing in WEC are awesome.
Our 2027 WEC entry has been in the works for two years, in close collaboration with the Automotive business. We’re actively testing, and we’re excited to hit the ground running next year. I, for one, cannot wait.
And this will set us up to repeat something we are the only team to have ever achieved in the history of motorsport: winning the Triple Crown. This means winning the prestigious Monaco GP, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indy 500. This unique challenge presents some awesome opportunities for our team, our commercial partners, and of course to our fans.
I want to take a moment to thank our people for their unwavering commitment to excellence, our shareholders and partners for their incredible support, our fans for choosing papaya. Let’s keep making history together.
We want to be the most exciting racing team in the world. We want to win the Triple Crown in the Papaya Era.
Cheers,
Zak
