McLaren recently revealed that it had completed the acquisition of a controlling 75 per cent stake in the Arrow McLaren SP Indy Car team.
Initially announced in August, it formalises the Indy Car team to become part of the McLaren Racing organisation.
McLaren Racing CEO Zac Brown will chair a five-person board, which comprises two additional McLaren Racing appointees and the previous team owners, Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson.
Since McLaren revealed its original partnership with the team formerly known as Arrow Schmidt, Peterson Motorsports results have improved significantly.
The McLaren marque has a rich history in Indy car, with McLaren drivers taking a total of 28 victories in the 1970s, including three Indianapolis 500 wins and two championships. The works squad pulled out at the end of the 1979 season.
‘That first chapter of our IndyCar story ended in 1979, but our core values of racing in the elite competition didn’t. Formula 1 has been a mainstay, but further sports car projects have continued alongside, including a Le Mans 24 Hours victory with the McLaren F1 GTR in 1995.’
‘After nearly 40 years away, the pull of a return to Indy Car proved too great. A racing team thrives on competition, and we move fearlessly forward towards the next big test.’
They returned 38 years later for the 2017 Indy 500 with Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso behind the wheel, who led 21 laps before his engine gave way. The Spaniard took one more shot at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in 2019 but could not qualify.