McLaren’s 2027 WEC plan: Barclay on Saucy and Fornaroli

McLaren wants to fight for podiums and victories when it makes its World Endurance Championship Hypercar debut in 2027, but team principal James Barclay is refusing to predict results before the MCL-HY has raced.

Speaking at a press conference attended by Formula Live Pulse alongside newly confirmed driver Grégoire Saucy, Barclay outlined the final stages of testing, the thinking behind his driver line-up and the challenge of catching established rivals.

Two tests remain before the end of 2026, with Portimão next on the schedule later in November. McLaren also has one driver still to announce before completing its six-person squad.

Ambition tempered by a steep learning curve

Barclay made clear that McLaren’s investment, recruitment and driver choices are intended to put the team in contention for wins. He was equally clear that its reputation provides no shortcut.

Asked whether McLaren could afford a humble approach, he replied: “Absolutely, because anything else is arrogant in this level of competition, right?”

His concern extends beyond the car’s basic speed. Established teams have accumulated years of experience with software, control systems, tyre preparation and race operations at WEC circuits. McLaren must develop that understanding while bringing new driver combinations together.

Barclay identified getting tyres working quickly on out-laps and managing them over a stint as particular challenges. Testing provides preparation, but cannot reproduce every lesson rivals have already learned in competition.

“If we run at the same pace, we’re not going to catch up,” he said of the team’s development effort.

Saucy earned his place through testing and racing

Saucy’s promotion to McLaren’s 2027 Hypercar line-up follows his involvement from the programme’s first rollout at Varano and a title-winning European Le Mans Series LMP2 season with United Autosports.

For Barclay, the decision depended on more than qualifying speed. McLaren assessed Saucy’s feedback, long-run performance and ability to work within a factory operation with a larger engineering staff.

His race performances supplied further evidence, particularly his efficiency in traffic, overtaking and handling of cold tyres. Barclay also highlighted his pole position at the Portimão ELMS title decider as an example of delivering under pressure.

Saucy said reaching Hypercar had been his objective when he moved into endurance racing. The opportunity to develop the MCL-HY was a route towards that goal, but a race seat was never something he could assume.

“I mean, that was my goal,” Saucy said. “I was working hard the whole year.”

He credited United Autosports and McLaren’s Driver Development Programme with helping him improve his physical and mental preparation, engineering relationships and approach to working with team-mates.

Barclay explains when Fornaroli entered the picture

Asked by Formula Live Pulse co-founder Ciara Gillan when McLaren had earmarked Leonardo Fornaroli for Hypercar, Barclay explained that the Italian had been on his radar before their current partnership.

He had previously worked with Fornaroli during a rookie test with his former team and had been impressed by his talent and response to pressure. Fornaroli’s progression through consecutive F3 and F2 title campaigns reinforced that assessment.

After Barclay joined McLaren and Fornaroli entered its development programme, Hypercar became a potential destination, depending on how his Formula 1 opportunities developed.

The eventual agreement gives Fornaroli a WEC race programme alongside his continuing McLaren F1 role.

Barclay sees recruiting the reigning F2 champion as a positive for the championship itself: evidence that young drivers regard Hypercar as an attractive place to race against world-class opposition.

Choosing the right mix for each car

Barclay was also asked what matters when selecting the exact driver combinations. His starting point is outright performance, followed by the balance of personalities within each crew.

Calmness, leadership and a more aggressive racing instinct can each be valuable at different moments. The task is to combine those qualities with qualifying pace and the ability to negotiate traffic throughout an endurance race.

“If you have three lions, sometimes that can be very challenging as well,” he said.

McLaren has a clear idea of its combinations but intends to use the remaining European tests to finalise them. Running three drivers per car is its default approach, with Barclay pointing to the consistency that shared preparation can build before Le Mans.

Final validation before the 2027 debut

McLaren has used the same development car throughout testing, prioritising validation before expanding to two-car running. The next phase is intended to bring together all six drivers and both cars.

Barclay said the MCL-HY is largely where it needs to be ahead of homologation, with no fundamental aerodynamic or powertrain changes envisaged. The remaining work centres on fine-tuning, driveability, aerodynamic balance and validation, while software development will continue after racing begins.

He also advocated an evolution of the current formula for future regulations, preserving the commercial viability that has attracted manufacturers while avoiding excessive cost and complexity.

For now, the immediate priority is completing the car and turning a collection of drivers, engineers and specialists into a race team. Portimão and the final European test will help settle the crews that take McLaren into its first Hypercar season.