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Company type | Private |
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Industry | Automotive |
Founded | 2 December 1985 [1] |
Headquarters | McLaren Technology Centre, , |
Key people | Paul Walsh (Executive Chairman) [2] |
Products | Sports cars |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Owner | Mumtalakat Holding Company |
Number of employees | ![]() |
Subsidiaries | |
Website | group |
McLaren Group Limited is a British holding company based in Woking, England, which is involved in Formula One and other motorsport and the manufacture of sports cars. [5]
The group was founded by Ron Dennis shortly after his acquisition of the McLaren Formula One team in 1981, as the TAG McLaren Group due to a partnership with Mansour Ojjeh's TAG Group. The Formula One team had been established by New Zealander Bruce McLaren in 1963.
McLaren Group was renamed McLaren Technology Group in 2015. In June 2017 it was announced that Dennis had sold his 25% shareholding in the company to the other shareholders, in addition to his shares in McLaren Automotive. The group then merged with McLaren Automotive to form a new company using the previous McLaren Group name. [6]
Bruce McLaren started Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963 and the team first entered Formula One in 1966. [7] Teddy Mayer took over direction of the group following McLaren's death while testing a Can-am series car in 1970. Mayer subsequently led McLaren to their first World Constructors' Championship in 1974 with Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi, who also won the World Drivers' Championship that year.
McLaren Group and all of its companies were later formed by Ron Dennis CBE. These include a diverse number of technology based companies including TAGMcLaren Audio, a high end manufacturer of DVD players and audio equipment (later sold to International Audio Group), Absolute Taste, a London-based catering company notable for numerous celebrities including John Terry and Jenson Button, McLaren Automotive, a high-end luxury sports car manufacturer, Lydden Circuit, a Kent racing circuit and McLaren Applied Technologies- known for its sporting equipment used by Mark Cavendish, Lizzie Yarnold, and others in numerous sports including bicycles and skeletons. McLaren Composites, creators of composites for cars such as the McLaren F1 and Mercedes SLR and even spacecraft parts, was later replaced by McLaren Applied Technologies. The group consists of a large number of companies (and subsidiaries of its companies), some of which are stated below.
Between 1998 and 2011 McLaren built both the McLaren Technology Centre, a new headquarters and factory for the Group, and the McLaren Production Centre, in Woking, England. [8]
In late May 2020, McLaren Group announced the layoff of 25% of its workforce as part of a company restructure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [9]
The group announced in December 2020 that American investment firm MSP Sports Capital had purchased 15% of McLaren Racing, as part of a deal that would see them grow their stake to 33% by the end of 2022. The £185 million investment valued the team at £560 million. [4]
In April 2021, Global Net Lease announced that it had agreed to acquire the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking for £170 million. [10]
The group sold McLaren Applied to Greybull Capital in August 2021. [11]
McLaren originally entered Formula One in 1966 under its founder Bruce McLaren. However, in 1970 he died in a crash. The team was saved by Teddy Mayer, who helped the team win their first Constructors and Drivers titles. After Mayer, Ron Dennis took over the McLaren Racing team and worked for the company until 2018. However, at the beginning of the 2009 season, Dennis handed over the F1 department to Martin Whitmarsh so Dennis could focus on expanding McLaren overall, and especially in the road car market. [12]
In 1966, McLaren suffered with reliability with their Ford 4.2-litre engine, and only scored one point after changing to a Serenissima V8. In 1967 they tried two different BRM engines. For the 1968 season they switched to Cosworth Ford engines. These continued to 1983, apart from a couple of Alfa Romeo examples, and then the TAG-Porsche turbo came in. This was the start of the MP4 cars, and the first entire carbon-composite chassis.
Honda engines took over in 1988, and then in 1993 the MP4/8 had a Ford HB engine. The next year was a Peugeot V10, and then the Mercedes era began in 1995, ending after the 2014 season.
The team's first F1 race win occurred in 1968 when Bruce McLaren won the non-championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch driving a McLaren M7A Ford. Later that year the team scored its first Grand Prix win when Bruce McLaren took the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps. By the end of the season Denny Hulme had won two further Grands Prix—in Italy and Canada (the team's first 1-2 finish in a World Championship race). Emerson Fittipaldi won the F1 world championship in 1974, and McLaren also took their first constructor's title at the same time. The 1976 title was taken by James Hunt, and then there was a gap until 1984. Then, Lauda took the title, and Prost took it the next two years running. The team took the constructor's title in 1984 and 1985.
In 1988, the McLaren MP4/4 had a very successful year. Not only did Senna win the title, but the car won 15 out of 16 races, and, apart from just 27 laps, led every single lap during the year. Prost won in 1989, and then left for Ferrari after clashing with Senna. Senna also won the title for McLaren in 1990 and 1991.
The partnership between McLaren and Mercedes began in 1995 with McLaren choosing to use Mercedes engines. McLaren and Mercedes announced their intention to part ways in November 2009 as Mercedes had bought the debut-season driver and constructor winning team Brawn. It was re-branded as Mercedes Grand Prix. Ron Dennis said one reason McLaren and Mercedes parted ways was because of his "ambitious plans to turn McLaren into a car manufacturer." Dennis insisted that in the "21st century to survive in F1 you need to have more than just a team". However Mercedes continued to supply engines to McLaren until 2014. [12]
Vodafone's title sponsorship deal, which began in 2007, ended at the finish of the 2013 season. In 2014, the team's official title was McLaren Mercedes. In 2015, the team, under a new partnership with car manufacturer Honda changed its official title to McLaren Honda. In 2018, the team was powered by Renault, becoming McLaren-Renault until 2020, when the team switched from Renault back to Mercedes.
In 1992 McLaren began producing its first road car, the McLaren F1, which had many similarities to its F1 car. In total, 106 were produced from 1992 to 1998, and even though it has been out of production for 22 years, it remains the fastest naturally aspirated supercar ever. There are still few production cars with a higher top speed. Among those that are faster are the Koenigsegg Agera R, Bugatti Veyron, SSC Ultimate Aero, Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, the Koenigsegg One:1, and the Bugatti Chiron. In September 2009 McLaren announced the successor of the McLaren F1 was to be the upcoming McLaren P1. Dennis said that parting ways with Mercedes was a "win-win situation for both sides". [12] McLaren also produced the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren with Mercedes as a joint project.
Former subsidiaries of McLaren Group are:
Name | Description | Current status | Details |
---|---|---|---|
Team Bahrain McLaren | A UCI World Tour cycling team operated as a joint venture with the Kingdom of Bahrain. [13] | Active | McLaren joined the partnership for the 2020 Team Bahrain McLaren season, however later withdrew from the partnership at the end of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [14] and the team still runs as Team Bahrain Victorious |
McLaren Cars | Produced the McLaren F1 | Merged into McLaren Automotive | Founded in 1985 [15] and released the McLaren F1 in 1992. Between 1994 and 2010, McLaren Cars was registered as a 'dormant company', before the founding of McLaren Automotive in 2010. McLaren Automotive replaced McLaren Cars in 2010. The new company was originally separate from the existing McLaren companies to enable investment in the new venture, but was brought together in July 2017 after Ron Dennis sold his shares in McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group. |
McLaren Applied | Technology company working in different performance areas | Active | Founded in 1991 as McLaren Composites. Changed its name when merged with TAG Electronics. The company is best known for building the McLaren F1 and Mercedes SLR structures and supplying major parts for Beagle 2. In 2021 McLaren Group sold the company to Greybull Capital. [16] |
TAG Electronic Systems | Electronics Company | Closed | Merged with McLaren Composites to become McLaren Applied |
McLaren Advanced Vehicles | Founded to focus on breaking the land speed record. | Closed | Abandoned after the success of the Thrust SSC. |
McLaren Electronic Systems | Developed and manufactured automotive control systems and components for motorsports | Reorganised as a division of McLaren Applied Technologies | Became a brand of McLaren Applied Technologies |
TAG McLaren Audio | Electronics Manufacturer | Active | Manufactured hi-fi, CD player, DVD player, and other electronics. Sold to International Audio Group and renamed Audiolab |
Lydden Circuit | A racetrack near Dover in Kent | Active | Purchased the track in 1991. In 2008, British Rallycross Champion and FIA European Rallycross Championship runner-up Pat Doran obtained the lease for the circuit from McLaren and later became the owner. |
McLaren Animation | A CGI animation studio originally created to develop Tooned . [17] | Reorganised as a division of McLaren Marketing | Launched in 2012. Was later merged with McLaren's other television-related businesses into McLaren Marketing. |
Ron Dennis initially owned all of McLaren after buying out the remaining original shareholders after Bruce McLaren's death. In 1983 he offered Mansour Ojjeh the chance to purchase 50% of the team, with McLaren becoming a joint venture with Ojjeh's TAG Group. In 2000, after supplying engines to the team through its Mercedes subsidiary for five years, Daimler AG exercised an option to buy 40% of the TAG McLaren Group. Dennis and Ojjeh each retained a 30% share. [18]
In August 2006 it was reported that Daimler was considering acquiring the remaining 60% of the McLaren Group. [19] However, it was announced in January 2007 that the Mumtalakat Holding Company had purchased 15% each from both Dennis and Ojjeh. [20] In November 2009, Mercedes bought Brawn GP (renaming it Mercedes GP) and announced that McLaren would buy back Daimler's 40% share of the group over a period of two years. [12] [21] [22] The shares were divided evenly between the remaining shareholders, with the Mumtalakat Holding Company owning 50% and Dennis and Ojjeh each owning 25%. [23]
Dennis had stepped down as CEO of McLaren in 2009, handing over the reins to Martin Whitmarsh, but returned to his post in 2014 under the condition that he would seek investment to take a controlling interest in the company. [24] His attempts to do so ultimately failed, and in November 2016 he lost a court case against his fellow shareholders that saw him suspended from his position as chairman. [25] Dennis' contract with McLaren expired in January 2017, and in June 2017 it was announced that he had agreed to sell his remaining shares in both the McLaren Technology Group and McLaren Automotive. [26] McLaren Automotive then became a subsidiary of the McLaren Technology Group, merging the shareholding of the two companies and seeing the group revert to its original McLaren Group name. [27]
In May 2018, it was announced that Canadian businessman Michael Latifi had purchased approximately 10% of the group with an investment of £200 million. [28] This left the shareholding at: Mumtalakat Holding Company 56.4%, TAG Group Limited 14.32%, Nidala (BVI) Limited (Michael Latifi) 9.84%, Favorita Limited 5.78%, Perlman Investments Limited 5.77%, McKal Holdings Ltd 5.24%, Acanitt Limited 2.65%. [29] In 2024, Mumtalakat bought 100% of the company. [30]
McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known as a Formula One chassis constructor, the second-oldest active team and the second-most successful Formula One team after Ferrari, having won 185 races, 12 Drivers' Championships, and eight Constructors' Championships. McLaren also has a history in American open wheel racing as both an entrant and a chassis constructor, and has won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) sports car racing championship.
The Mercedes-Benz Group AG is a German multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading car manufacturers. Daimler-Benz was formed with the merger of Benz & Cie., the world's oldest car company, and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in 1926. The company was renamed DaimlerChrysler upon the acquisition of American automobile manufacturer Chrysler Corporation in 1998, and was again renamed Daimler AG upon divestment of Chrysler in 2007. In 2021, Daimler AG was the second-largest German automaker and the sixth-largest worldwide by production. In February 2022, Daimler was renamed Mercedes-Benz Group as part of a transaction that spun-off its commercial vehicle segment as an independent company, Daimler Truck.
Ian Gordon Murray, is a South African-British designer of Formula One racing cars for Brabham and McLaren and the McLaren F1 high-performance road car. Founder and CEO of Gordon Murray Design and Gordon Murray Automotive, he has subsequently designed and built a number of sports cars and a variety of other automotive vehicles.
Ross James Brawn is a British Formula One managing director, motor sports and technical director. He is a former motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal, and has worked for a number of Formula One teams. Teams with Brawn in an essential role have won eight constructors' championships and eight drivers' championships in total. Serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams, he earned fame as the "mastermind" behind Michael Schumacher's seven world championship titles. He took a sabbatical in 2007 and returned to F1 for the 2008 season as team principal of Honda.
Sir Ronald Dennis is a British businessman and an Official British Business Ambassador for the United Kingdom. He is best known for his former role as owner, CEO, chairman and founder of McLaren Group. Dennis was removed from his McLaren management roles in 2016 but remained a director of the company and a 25-per-cent shareholder until June 2017, when his 37-year association with the company ended.
John Edward Barnard, is an English engineer and racing car designer. Barnard is credited with the introduction of two new designs into Formula One: the carbon fibre composite chassis first seen in 1981 with McLaren, and the semi-automatic gearbox with shift paddles on the steering wheel, which he introduced with Ferrari in 1989.
McLaren Automotive is a British luxury automotive manufacturer based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The main products of the company are sports cars, which are produced in-house in designated production facilities. In July 2017, McLaren Automotive became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the wider McLaren Group.
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TAG Group (Holdings) S.A. is a private holding company based in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. The name 'TAG' is an acronym of Techniques d'Avant Garde. The company generates revenue through its various subsidiaries that offer products and services in the business aviation, motorsports, hospitality, consumer products and real estate industries.
McLaren Applied is a British technology and products company. Capabilities include design, development, manufacture and test of electronic, mechanical, electrical and software products. The company is focused on four industries: motorsport, automotive, transport and mining. McLaren Applied was formerly a part of McLaren Group and since 2021 a fully independent company, which owned by the private investment firm Greybull Capital.
Mansour Akram Ojjeh was a French Saudi Arabian-born entrepreneur who owned a part of TAG, a Luxembourg-based holding company with interests worldwide. Ojjeh was the CEO of TAG, which owned 14.32% of the McLaren Group, whose assets include McLaren Automotive and the McLaren Formula One team since the 1970s and 2000s.
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The McLaren MP4/2 was a Formula One car produced by McLaren for the 1984 season. An iteration of it, the MP4/2B, was used in the 1985 season, and a slightly updated version, the MP4/2C, raced in the 1986 season for McLaren. It was closely based on the MP4/1E model that was used as a test car, used in the final races of 1983.
The McLaren MP4/8 was the Formula One car with which the McLaren team competed in the 1993 Formula One World Championship. The car was designed by Neil Oatley around advanced electronics technology including a semi-automatic transmission, active suspension, two-way telemetry, and traction control systems, that were developed in conjunction with McLaren shareholder Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG). It was powered by the 3.5-litre Ford HBD7 V8 engine and was the first McLaren to feature barge boards. The McLaren MP4/8 was also first Ford-powered McLaren car since McLaren MP4/1C in 1983.
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Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains is a Formula One engine manufacturer, owned by Mercedes-Benz.
Patrick Allen Lowe FREng, known as Paddy Lowe, is the founder and CEO of the fossil-free synthetic fuel company Zero. A former motor racing engineer and computer scientist, he spent 32 years working in Formula One, serving as Chief Technical Officer at Williams Racing, Executive Director (Technical) at Mercedes Formula One team and Technical Director at McLaren. He was involved with cars that won 12 World Championships and secured 158 race wins. He left Formula One in 2019 and co-founded Zero in 2020.
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