Grégoire Saucy is stepping up to the big leagues, named as the fifth member of McLaren's driving sextet for their debut season in the top-tier of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It is a massive step for the young Swiss racer, who returns to the series after a season’s absence to face the biggest challenge of his career.
Saucy is no stranger to putting in the work. After dominating the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship with eight victories, he wasted no time making his mark in endurance racing. Across 2024 and 2025, he raced in the FIA WEC LMGT3 category behind the wheel of a McLaren 720S Evo. That stint included finishing runner-up in Qatar, less than half-a-second shy of glory, alongside four other near-misses on the rostrum. Those eye-catching performances caught the attention of the famous British brand, landing him a spot in their Driver Development Programme.
In that developmental role, the 26-year-old got straight to work on the striking papaya prototype. He took part in testing and development of McLaren’s new MCL-HY Hypercar, hitting the track for its rollout at Varano in Italy back in May alongside fellow works driver Mikkel Jensen. Saucy went on to attend all but one of the team’s development tests, even driving the Hypercar on its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed alongside reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris.
“I’m over-the-moon,” Saucy enthused of his elevation to Hypercar factory driver status. “When I joined McLaren Hypercar Team for its development season, I hoped it might lead to a full-time race seat, but I knew there was a great deal of experienced talent in the driver market. I stayed focused, worked hard and adapted quickly to the MCL-HY, and I’ve loved every second with this team – the standards are incredibly high, the people are supportive and the atmosphere is fantastic. I cannot wait to continue this journey. Thank you to Zak [Brown – McLaren CEO] for bringing me into the McLaren Driver Development Programme and to James [Barclay – Team Principal] for trusting me with this opportunity.”
Alongside his Hypercar duties, the rising star has been busy dominating elsewhere. He put together a highly impressive campaign in the fiercely-disputed European Le Mans Series in 2026 with McLaren’s partner team, United Autosports, securing the LMP2 title last month courtesy of two wins and three further podium finishes from six rounds in the FIA WEC feeder championship.
When the lights go out, Saucy will join Mikkel Jensen, 2024 FIA World Endurance Champion Laurens Vanthoor, current Cadillac ace Alex Lynn, reigning FIA Formula 2 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli, and one more yet-to-be-named driver in the McLaren Hypercar line-up. McLaren Team Principal James Barclay believes Saucy’s speed, commitment, and adaptability make him an ideal fit for the ambitious project.
“Grégoire’s promotion is exactly what the McLaren Driver Development Programme is designed to achieve – identifying exceptional talent, supporting that development and creating a genuine pathway to a works race seat,” Barclay explained. “He has impressed us throughout the MCL-HY test programme with his pace, methodical approach within the team and his progress over the intensive testing schedule. He has earned this opportunity, and we are excited to see him take the next step in his career with McLaren.”
