Mercedes Engines Return to McLaren Racing Beginning 2021
New Mercedes-AMG engine contract replaces outgoing agreement with Renault for McLaren, will last through 2024 F1 season.
Once upon a time, after Honda left McLaren (and everyone else) as its Formula One engine builder, the crew from Woking, England paired up with Mercedes-Benz for its needs. The relationship delivered a constructors’ championship to the team, plus three driver’s championships: two for Mika Häkkinen in 1998 and 1999, and one for Lewis Hamilton in 2008, his first-ever.
In the 2015 season, though, McLaren re-upped with Honda, hoping to relive past glories when the late Ayrton Senna brought home win after win. The romance didn’t last, and Honda was out once again by 2018, when Renault took its place behind the driver. According to The Drive, though, the French will soon exit the position, which will be filled by none other than Mercedes-AMG beginning in 2021.
“This agreement is an important step in our long-term plan to return to success in Formula 1,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown in a statement. “Mercedes is the benchmark, both as a team and a power unit, so it is natural we would seek to secure a relationship with the company for the next phase of our journey.”
As reported by Italian publication F1 Analisi Tecnica during the 2017 season, McLaren wanted to boot Honda for Mercedes-AMG for the 2018 season forward, which Affalterbach was down for, on the condition Woking could cut ties with Japan. It did, but because of how everything panned out, McLaren signed a deal with Renault in the end, giving the company time to figure out what to do for the 2021 season and beyond.
“We are delighted to welcome McLaren back to the Mercedes-Benz racing family with this new power unit supply agreement,” said Mercedes-Benz Motorsport chief Toto Wolff. “Although the two brands share a prestigious history, this new agreement is all about looking to the future and beginning a new era of power unit supply for the years ahead.”
Mercedes-AMG itself has had a grand time in Formula 1, racking up win after win, and a total of five double back-to-back championships thus far for the constructor and its star driver, the aforementioned Hamilton. It’s no wonder why McLaren would like some of that magic to rub off on them in a couple of years.
“2021 will be an important milestone for us as we continue our fight back to the front,” said McLaren Racing team principal Andreas Seidl, “so it is vital that we have the key elements in place now to enable us to prepare for the new era of the sport. We look forward to renewing our Mercedes relationship from 2021 onwards.”
The 2021 season will also be the first year of the new design regulations for Formula 1 cars. As The Drive notes, the cars will have 18-inch wheels on all corners, and simplified aero. No one could write a better new beginning for the relationship between McLaren and Mercedes if they tried.
Photos: McLaren Racing
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