McLaren Automotive and its Racing Partner United Autosports are set to make a bold statement in their second season of FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) competition. As they gear up for the 2025 campaign, the team has revealed a refreshed livery for their two McLaren 720S GT3 EVO cars, alongside an updated driver line-up. This season carries special significance, marking the 30th anniversary of McLaren’s historic debut victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
A Legacy of Excellence: Honouring the 1995 Le Mans Victory
The McLaren-United Autosports WEC team continues to campaign with race numbers 59 and 95, paying homage to the McLaren F1 GTR that clinched victory at Le Mans in 1995. Last season, McLaren’s GT3 EVO cars demonstrated race-winning pace in their debut WEC season, securing a front-row lockout in qualifying at Bahrain and a podium finish in Brazil. With a top-ten finish in the championship standings, the team now aims to build on these strong foundations and push for championship glory.
Striking New Livery: A Bold Evolution
For 2025, McLaren-United Autosports has refined its livery, incorporating more of McLaren’s signature Papaya colour. The refreshed design accentuates the aerodynamic strengths of the 720S GT3 EVO, with the hood, splitter, and rear wing now proudly adorned in Papaya. The side profile features a Papaya door blade, complemented by matching lower bodywork that highlights airflow towards the rear diffuser. Aerial views of the car showcase the aerodynamic teardrop cabin shape, a hallmark of McLaren Automotive’s design philosophy.
A Stronger Line-Up for 2025
The team enters the new season with an enhanced driver roster, blending experience and emerging talent. Briton James Cottingham and Swiss driver Gregoire Saucy return to the #59 car, now joined by Frenchman Sébastien Baud, who impressed in his WEC debut season with a podium finish in Bahrain.
In the #95 car, Japanese driver Marino Sato partners with two accomplished racers—Briton Darren Leung and Indonesian Sean Gelael. Leung, a WEC race winner and former British GT Champion, brings a wealth of GT racing expertise, while Gelael enters his fifth WEC season, having secured four race wins and twice finishing runner-up in the championship.
The Road to Championship Success
The 2025 WEC season kicks off in Qatar on February 28, followed by rounds at iconic circuits such as Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, and Le Mans. The championship then heads to Sao Paulo and Texas before concluding with races in Japan and Bahrain. With a stronger line-up and a refined McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, McLaren-United Autosports aims to build on its impressive debut season and contend for the championship title.
Richard Dean, CEO, United Autosports, expressed his confidence in the team’s ambitions: “It is a very special year to be racing with McLaren in the WEC and our 2025 livery celebrates that. This season is about building on strong foundations, winning races, and going for the championship title, and we are doing that in a car that is proudly, unmistakably McLaren.”
Michael Leiters, CEO, McLaren Automotive, echoed this sentiment: “Now that we have proven the McLaren GT3 EVO’s speed and endurance at the highest level of competition, we enter the new season confident of competing for the WEC title with our Racing Partner United Autosports. Racing is in the DNA of all our supercars, and the WEC, with the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans at its heart, is the ideal competitive environment for them. We are excited for what we can deliver on the track this year.”
With a revitalized livery, an elite driver line-up, and a hunger for success, McLaren-United Autosports is poised for an electrifying 2025 WEC season, ready to challenge for top honours on endurance racing’s biggest stage.
