Silver Arrows vs Auto Union

Lore & Background

McLaren is best known as a Formula One chassis constructor, the second-oldest active team and the second-most successful Formula One team after Ferrari, having won 205 races, 13 Drivers' Championships, and 10 Constructors' Championships. McLaren is one of only three constructors, and the only team, to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport (wins at the Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Monaco Grand Prix). The 2026 Chinese Grand Prix marked McLaren's 1000th Grand Prix entry, making them the second constructor after Ferrari to reach this milestone. The team currently uses Mercedes power. Its partnership with Honda from 1988 to 1991 produced four consecutive Constructors' Championships; the team won 15 of 16 races in 1988. Founded by Bruce McLaren in 1963, the team made its Grand Prix debut at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix, won its first Grand Prix at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix, and took its first Formula One championships in 1974. Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris have won Drivers' Championships with McLaren. Champions Denny Hulme, Jody Scheckter, Keke Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, and Jenson Button also drove for the team at one point during their careers. The team's most recent titles were secured in 2025.

In Their Own Story

The mist clung to the Nürburgring's treacherous Eifel mountains, obscuring the trees as the roar of supercharged engines shattered the morning silence. Rudolf Caracciola leaned into his Mercedes W25, the silver paint gleaming dully through the fog, feeling the familiar vibration of the straight-six engine beneath him. He knew he was not alone; somewhere ahead, the distinct, guttural bark of an Auto Union V16 echoed off the canyon walls. As they crested the Adenau bridge, the world narrowed to a strip of asphalt and gravel. Caracciola saw the flash of red—no, it was silver now, the new livery of Auto Union blending with his own. It was Hans Stuck, pushing the limits of the mid-engine monster, the car dancing on its rear tires as he braked late into the tunnel. The gap closed in an instant, a dance of steel and fire where one mistake meant death. They emerged from the fog side-by-side, two German giants locked in a duel that would be whispered about for decades, before the war stole them both away.

Reader's Guide

McLaren also has a history in sports car and endurance racing, with a modified McLaren F1 road car winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995. The team is set to reenter the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027 with an LMDh entry, the McLaren MCL-HY. The team has also had experience in American open wheel racing as both an entrant and a chassis constructor, and has won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) sports car racing championship. Their current IndyCar entry, Arrow McLaren, has won 10 races since its takeover of Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2020. McLaren has previously entered the electric motorsports Formula E and Extreme E, though they achieved less success there than their other ventures and ended up pulling out of both. McLaren also participates in Formula One esports, in which they won the 2022 championship.

Did You Know?

• McLaren is the only team to have completed the Triple Crown of Motorsport (wins at the Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Monaco Grand Prix).
• The team won 15 of 16 races in 1988 with drivers Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
• McLaren's 1000th Grand Prix entry was at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, making them the second constructor after Ferrari to reach that milestone.
• The team's most recent Drivers' Championship was won by Lando Norris in 2025.