Jakobsen Confirmed as Final McLaren Hypercar Driver

McLaren Endurance Racing has completed its lineup for its maiden FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with its new MCL-HY Hypercar with confirmation that Malthe Jakobsen will join the manufacturer.

The Dane had been linked for months with a move away from Peugeot to join McLaren, but it was only a week before last weekend’s Monza season finale that it was formally confirmed he would no longer be driving a Peugeot next season.

Jakobsen had been part of the French brand’s lineup for the past two years, taking a podium at Circuit of The Americas in 2025, and served as Peugeot’s test and reserve driver for the previous two seasons.

He enjoyed a rapid rise up the sports car ranks after taking the European Le Mans Series’ LMP3 title with Cool Racing in 2022 when aged 18.

Jakobsen is now the sixth and final driver among McLaren’s roster, where he will join fellow former Peugeot racer Mikkel Jensen, as well as long-time Porsche competitor Laurens Vanthoor, former Cadillac man Alex Lynn, and McLaren Driver Development Program members Leonardo Fornaroli and Gregoire Saucy.

“I am super excited to join the team, it feels unbelievable to be part of this project and this brand, in particular as it competes across WEC, F1 and IndyCar in pursuit of the Triple Crown,” said Jakobsen, who described McLaren’s driver lineup as “impressive.”

“This history of the team, including the Le Mans win in 1995, is so special and it will be an honor to represent McLaren on a global stage.”

McLaren Endurance Racing team principal James Barclay added: “He has already established himself as one of endurance racing’s most exciting young talents, combining impressive speed and consistency with the technical ability that is so important at the highest level of the sport.

“As we continue to build towards our WEC debut in 2027, Malthe is a fantastic addition to our driver lineup and we look forward to seeing him race in the MCL-HY.”

Jakobsen’s Peugeot commitments meant he has not yet driven the MCL-HY but Barclay had previously stated that all six drivers would test together for the first time later this month at Portimao.

The exact combination of drivers across the two cars is yet to be determined and will be finalized following two end-of-year tests in Europe according to Barclay.