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BARCELONA, SPAIN Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren F1 Team MCL35 Renault in the Pitlane during Day One of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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BARCELONA, SPAIN Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren F1 Team MCL35 Renault in the Pitlane during Day One of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
McLaren as a racing company have had a rich lineage of motorsport achievements. Aside from their main functionality that is Formula 1, they have had a presence in competitions such as IndyCar, Can-Am, and Formula E.
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Their dominance in the 80s and 90s are stories that F1 enthusiasts relish, and fans of the team want to see them restore those glory days. So, while the Surrey-based team have an idea of expanding competitively across other racing events, their focus remains on F1.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown stated, “Formula 1 is the most important activity in the McLaren World. In general, the clear focus is always on Formula 1.” (translated via Google Translate)
All roads lead to improving our commitment in Formula 1, said Brown
“We have successfully added the IndyCar to our program in order to also cover the North American market for our partners. We were able to get the title sponsor of our IndyCar team, Arrow Electronics, to work with us in Formula 1 as well.”
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McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown and Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Racing Point talk in a press conference during practice for the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Andy Hone/Pool via Getty Images)
McLaren re-entered IndyCar through an alliance with Schmidt Pearson Motorsports, and now compete as the ‘Arrow McLaren SP.’ The team enjoyed decent success with five podiums in their debut season as joint-owners in 2020.
“All roads lead to improving our commitment in Formula 1. WEC and Le Mans are interesting for us, but it has to be the right time, the right place and the right resources. …]”
“We want to make sure that we can invest everything in Formula 1 before we tackle other programs,” concluded Brown.
McLaren showed incredible zest en route to achieving P3 in the 2020 Constructors’ battle
The Woking-based outfit have been making some strides since 2017. But it was not until 2020 that they fully came into their own and held the edge in a tightly contested midfield fight.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 13: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren F1 Team MCL35 Renault during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
Their innovation in combination with a tactical mind in Andreas Seidl and a young driver pairing in Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris counted for a lot. The latter’s understanding was one of the key reasons they achieved such tremendous success last year.
Therefore, one only wonders what more can the ‘Orange Team’ conjure up in 2021, as Daniel Ricciardo gets on onboard. For sure, they will be aiming for more podiums and the rare race win, as they aim to make their way back to the top.
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