Though Formula E suffered something of a setback at the end of 2020, with announcements from both BMW and Audi that they would cease involvement in the series, it is still garnering interest from major motorsport players, not least McLaren Racing, which says it has signed an option to enter the Formula E World Championship in Season Nine (2022/23).
This is not a confirmation that the team will compete but is part of what it’s calling an “ongoing evaluation of potential new motorsport platforms”. The option provides McLaren with the choice to enter the championship as one of a maximum 12 entries for the 2022/23 season.
McLaren Racing is currently precluded from competing as a team in Formula E while its subsidiary company, McLaren Applied, is the exclusive battery supplier to the series. However, with that contract expiring at the end of the 2021/22 season, the team is free to compete in the championship.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown commented on the development, “We’ve been closely observing Formula E for some time and monitoring the series’s progress and future direction. The opportunity to take an option on an entry, together with the completion of the McLaren Applied supplier contract with the FIA at the end of Gen 2, gives us the necessary time to decide if Formula E is right for McLaren as a future competition platform.”
