McLaren Formula 1 Team are eight-time Constructors’ Champions based in Woking, England, running Mercedes power units and fielding Lando Norris (car #4) and Oscar Piastri (car #81) in 2026. Founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren in 1963, the team has accumulated 183 race victories and featured some of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history.
For 2026, McLaren field Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, widely regarded as the strongest driver pairing on the grid. Norris brings blistering one-lap speed and increasingly mature racecraft, while Piastri combines clinical precision with a cold-blooded approach to wheel-to-wheel combat. Neither driver is content to play second fiddle, creating an internal competition that pushes the team’s development pace.
McLaren’s history reads like a roll call of F1 royalty. Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, and Lewis Hamilton all won World Championships driving for the team. Senna’s rivalry with Prost at McLaren in 1988 and 1989 produced two of the most iconic seasons in the sport’s history. The team’s recent resurgence under Andrea Stella’s leadership, after years in the midfield, restored them to regular race winners and title contenders.
McLaren continue to use Mercedes power units in 2026, a proven and reliable partnership. The Woking factory has undergone significant upgrades in recent years, including new wind tunnel and simulator investments that should pay dividends in the development race that defines regulation-change seasons. The 2026 regulations, with their emphasis on aerodynamic simplification and increased electrical power, present a blank-sheet challenge where McLaren’s engineering depth will be tested.
McLaren are based in Woking, United Kingdom. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July serves as their home race, with the sprint format adding Saturday action and the 15:00 BST start time ideal for live viewing. British fans can check UK time for all session times throughout the season.