Sam Schmidt Motorsports

Lore & Background

The team was founded in 2001 after Schmidt's career-ending crash in 2000. After early struggles, Davey Hamilton brought sponsorship for a full schedule, and Canadian businessman Ric Peterson purchased a stake in 2013, forming Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. From 2012 to 2019, the team scored seven wins with Simon Pagenaud and James Hinchcliffe. In 2020, McLaren partnered with the team, and after purchasing a 75% stake in 2021 and the remaining 25% in 2025, the team became fully owned by McLaren. In 2026, the team opened the McLaren Racing Center, a $30 million facility in Indianapolis.

In Their Own Story

The Phoenix sun was already white on the concrete by the time the G-Force rolled out of the shop, its nose low, the single-seater catching the early light like a blade. Sam Schmidt stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching the crew of four — all of them, the whole team — slide the car onto the jack. No radio chatter, no clipboard. Just a nod, a grunt, the hydraulic hiss. The driver climbed in, helmet on, and the engine caught with a sound that was less a roar than a sharp, metallic bark. Out on the track, the grandstands were still empty, the desert heat shimmering off the asphalt in long waves. Sam didn't watch the whole lap. He watched the braking zone, the way the rear stepped out just a touch, and made a note in a small black book he kept in his breast pocket. That was the whole job. Fix the car. Win the race. Do it again tomorrow. The big teams had their wind tunnels and their corporate suites. This was a garage in Arizona, and it was enough.

Reader's Guide

The team has evolved from a single-car operation to a multi-car powerhouse. Key drivers include Simon Pagenaud (2012–2014), James Hinchcliffe (2015–2018), and Pato O'Ward (2021–present). The team uses Dallara chassis and Chevrolet engines. Notable achievements include wins at the Indianapolis 500 (as McLaren entrant in 1974 and 1976) and multiple race victories in the 2010s.

Did You Know?

• Sam Schmidt was paralyzed in a crash at Walt Disney World Speedway in 2000, 14 months before founding the team.
• The team was renamed Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports in 2012 after Davey Hamilton brought sponsorship.
• McLaren won the Indianapolis 500 as a chassis constructor in 1972 and as an entrant in 1974 and 1976.
• The team's 2026 McLaren Racing Center increased its footprint from 33,000 sq ft to 86,000 sq ft.