In its debut season in the electric category, after buying Mercedes, McLaren will have power trains supplied by the Japanese carmaker. The expected announcement was made official this Thursday (23)
Starting with the 2022/23 Formula E season, the ninth of the category and first of Gen3 - the third generation of cars, which promises to be the most efficient and powerful in history - McLaren will compete with Nissan engines. As announced on Thursday (23), the Woking-based team has signed an agreement with the Japanese manufacturer for the supply of powertrains.
The talks between Nissan and Mercedes have been going on since the beginning of the year. When the German team announced it would no longer be a factory team, negotiations continued. Eventually, McLaren - last May - made official the purchase of Mercedes, incorporating its respective structure.
As expected, the agreement between McLaren and Nissan will be valid throughout the Gen3 Era - until 2026, therefore. Nissan was waiting for the official registration of the Woking squad in Formula E to make the partnership official.
"As we are shaping the team for its first season as McLaren in Formula E, we are naturally looking for the best partnerships and opportunities on all fronts - with the technical aspect being one of the key areas. Nissan has proven its knowledge, skill and commitment over the past four seasons in Formula E and, entering the Gen3 era, we are fully confident that the collaboration will bring great success to both parties. This will be a true partnership that will boost the team's performance and the development of Nissan's powertrain technology," McLaren group CEO Zak Brown said in an official statement.
"We are proud to announce this multi-year contract with a great motorsport brand like McLaren. Our partnership begins next season with the exciting new Formula E Gen3 regulations, which will take the performance of all-electric race cars to incredible new heights. At Nissan, we are in Formula E not just to race, but also to show a diverse range of spectators how impressive, powerful and efficient our electric vehicles are. And our collaboration with McLaren will give us even more opportunities to accelerate the development of our technology and show it to fans around the world," added Tommaso Volpe, Nissan boss.
After buying Mercedes and entering Formula E, McLaren, it is worth remembering, now has an even more varied motorsport portfolio. The traditional British team is already present in categories such as Formula 1, Indy and Extreme E, and also competes in eSports.
Ian James, Mercedes' boss in Formula E, will remain at the helm to allow for a smoother transition. Other details, such as driver duos, for example, have yet to be announced - and McLaren announced in the official note on Thursday that both team members, as well as sponsors in the electric category, will be "announced in due course."
Formula E returns in two weekends, on July 2, for its tenth round of the season in Marrakesh, with full coverage byGRANDE PRÊMIO.