Grégoire Saucy has secured a full-time drive with the McLaren Hypercar Team for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship season after graduating from the McLaren Driver Development Programme.
The 26-year-old Swiss driver earned the promotion following an impressive season of testing and development with McLaren’s new MCL-HY Hypercar, which will make its WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans debut.
Saucy has been heavily involved in the programme since the MCL-HY first rolled out at Varano, Italy, on 4 May. One of two drivers selected for the initial running, alongside fellow McLaren works driver Mikkel Jensen, he attended all but one of the team’s development tests and also drove the car during its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, alongside then-reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris.
His promotion follows an equally successful campaign in the European Le Mans Series with United Autosports. Saucy and his teammates secured the championship title last month, recording two victories and five podium finishes across the six-round season.
Saucy has built an impressive endurance racing career since dominating the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship with eight wins. He moved into endurance racing shortly afterwards, competing in the WEC in 2024 and 2025 in a McLaren 720 LMGT3 Evo. His performances earned him a place in the McLaren Driver Development Programme and ultimately a pathway to the manufacturer’s new Hypercar project.
“I am over the moon to be given this opportunity,” said Saucy. “When I joined the 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.
“I have 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 for bringing me into the McLaren Driver Development Programme and to James for trusting me with this opportunity.”
McLaren Hypercar Team Principal James Barclay praised Saucy’s progress throughout the development programme, highlighting the role it plays in preparing emerging talent for works-level opportunities: “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,” said Barclay.
“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.”
Saucy’s appointment marks an important step in McLaren’s preparations for its return to top-level endurance racing, with the Swiss driver now set to take on his biggest challenge yet as part of the team’s 2027 WEC campaign.
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