McLaren name set to disappear from Formula E

The McLaren name looks set to disappear from Formula E next year with a new-look, team name and fresh investment needed for the entry to continue into the Gen4 era from the end of 2026 onwards.

The Race learned at the Jeddah E-Prix in February that McLaren CEO Zak Brown gave notice to team principal of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, Ian James, that it would not continue into Gen4 and that alternative commercial, naming and manufacturer partnerships would need to be sourced.

The Formula E team is known to be already putting together a fresh package with a registered manufacturer and also talking to key potential investment groups to continue for Gen4.

The McLaren FE team was created from the previous Mercedes EQ entry in 2022 and entered the Gen3 era with majority backing from Saudi Arabian ‘future city’ initiative NEOM.

That structure also involved an agreement for the entire Gen3 rules-set with Nissan, which is the manufacturer partner for the team, supplying the powertrain.

The deal with title partner NEOM is known to have been until 2026 with an option to continue for a further four years. It is believed that option will not be taken up, which in turn has led McLaren to switch focus to a Le Mans hypercar programme.