McLaren outlines conditions to become F1 power unit manufacturer

McLaren has stated the conditions in which it would consider building its power unit to contest the Formula 1 world championship.

McLaren is one of six customer teams on the F1 grid who purchase its engines and other parts like gearboxes from a rival works’ team.

The Woking outfit has twice been supplied power units by Mercedes; once from 1995 to 2014 and its current deal that started in 2021 and runs through to at least 2030.

A proposed return to V8 engines in the future has been met with positivity and could prompt new manufacturers.

McLaren would be interested in an in-house power unit project, but only if costs were reduced.

“I think if you got an engine formula that was financially viable then, yeah, we would consider it and the technology,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown told media including the Sports Business Journal at last weekend’s Indy 500.

“That being said, we couldn’t be happier with Mercedes [High Performance Powertrains], so yeah, if something is presented to us that first financially makes sense, then we’ll have a look at it.”

The new regulations for 2026 have been heavily criticised by fans and drivers alike, prompting F1 to agree in principle a move to change the power unit rules for 2027.

However, the proposed switch to a 60-40 power split would require backing from at least four of the six existing manufacturers on the Power Unit Advisory Committee. 

This has caused a dispute, and led to Max Verstappen renewing his F1 quit threat. 

Despite the much-maligned new rules, Brown is confident that F1’s popularity won’t be impacted.

“No, because - so the racing is great, like if you didn’t hear the drivers and were just watching on TV, the TV product is great,“ Brown said.

“There’s passing, five different leaders in Miami, passes for the lead, so I think the fans watching the race are going, ’That’s a damn exciting race.’

“I think what happened is with any new technology. We already saw it in Miami. We’ve seen the drivers are getting, A, more used it to and, B, the rules are getting more refined. We’ll get them maybe not to a perfect place, but there’s always been rule management, tire management [and] now you have battery management.

“I think it’s to an extreme that the majority of the drivers don’t enjoy it - it’s still racing. ... So I think that will smooth itself out and I think everything in Formula 1 has a magnifying glass of 1,000 on it.”