United Autosports is stepping down as McLaren’s representative in the LMGT3 class of the World Endurance Championship for next year to be replaced by Garage 59.
The British Garage 59 squad will field a pair of McLaren 720S GT3 EVOs in the 2026 WEC as United gears up for its graduation to the Hypercar ranks with the marque’s forthcoming LMDh prototype in 2027.
Testing of the new McLaren LMDh, co-developed by Dallara Automobili, is scheduled to begin early in the second quarter of next year.
United team principal Richard Dean said: “It is truly an honour to race in the WEC, so this is not a decision we have taken lightly. But when you have the opportunity to race in Hypercar and form a team with McLaren Racing with the goal to compete for outright victory in the championship, including the Le Mans 24 Hours – something we have worked for, fought for, dreamed of for years – we are going to be doing everything in our power to make it a success.
“I would like to thank WEC for their support and wish Garage 59 and McLaren Automotive the best of luck next season in LMGT3.”
The decision means that United will not mount a full WEC campaign for the first time since joining the series in the LMP2 division for the 2019/20 season.
#95 United Autosports Mclaren 720S LMGT3 Evo: Darren Leung, Sean Gelael, Marino Sato
Photo by: Andreas Beil
It won the title that season with Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson, remaining in LMP2 with the ORECA-Gibson 07 until the class was removed from the WEC ahead of 2024.
United then switched to the new LMGT3 category with McLaren. It was announced in June that the Leeds-based team had been chosen to run its WEC partner’s Hypercar programme under the McLaren United AS banner.
The Hypercar campaign is a McLaren Racing project distinct from one that comes under the remit of McLaren Automotive, which in April was purchased by the CYVN Holdings investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government.
Garage 59 has been chosen by McLaren to take over its WEC entries, which are pending approval by series organisers the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
It was one of the teams in the frame for the McLaren deal ahead of 2024 before it went to United, which is co-owned by Dean and McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown.
Garage 59 is expanding from running the 720S in the GT World Challenge Europe where it has flown the McLaren flag since 2023 and the GT Open International series, which it joined with 720S last year.
Garage 59 McLaren
Photo by: Drew Gibson
It has confirmed it will run tandem campaigns in the WEC and in Europe next year. Team principal Andrew Kirkaldy said: “We are proud to be partnering with McLaren on the world stage.
“Competing in the WEC with two McLaren GT3 cars isn’t just a progression, it’s a statement of intent. We know how intense the competition is in the WEC but we believe we have the people, the infrastructure and the resolve to be competitive from day one.”
Garage 59 is relocating from its current premises in Brackley to a new facility in Northampton as it expands for next season. Drivers have yet to be confirmed by Garage 59 for its 2026 programmes.
McLaren Automotive CEO Nick Collins described motorsport as “intrinsic to the DNA” of the organisation. He added that it hopes to “continue our strong progress and race-winning performance with our new racing partners in 2026”. United took a first WEC class victory for McLaren at the Austin WEC round in September.
Garage 59 was launched in 2016 as the factory racing arm of the McLaren GT operation run by CRS Racing that developed the first two McLaren GT3 racers, the MP4-12C and the 650S.
It took its name from the race number of the McLaren F1 GTR that won Le Mans outright in 1995 with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya.
Garage 59 subsequently ran Aston Martins in 2019-22 after McLaren Automotive took development of the marque’s third-generation of GT3 racer, the 720S, in house. The team is co-owned along with Kirkaldy by gentleman racer Alexander West and former British Touring Car Championship driver Chris Goodwin.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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