Papaya dreams: Brown teases Le Mans run for F1 stars

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has revealed that Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have expressed a strong interest in competing at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours at some point in the future.

Brown, speaking at the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season opener in Qatar this week, hinted at McLaren's growing ambitions in sports car racing, with a potential Hypercar entry on the horizon.

And for the McLaren chief, the idea of Team Papaya’s dynamic duo swapping their F1 cockpits for endurance glory at La Sarthe this isn’t just idle chatter; it’s a dream with legs.

“I love the old school racing — the Mario Andrettis, Dan Gurneys, they ran in different formulas,” Brown told WEC TV.

“Now with how big the sport is corporately, you get into manufacturer conflicts, sponsor conflicts, calendar conflicts, and that’s why I loved racing with Fernando (Alonso) so much. Whether it’s Le Mans, Indy or Dakar, he just wants to race.

“But I think we are very open-minded. Who doesn’t want to win Le Mans? I’ve talked to Lando and Oscar about it, and they’ve said they’d love to go race Le Mans. That’s cool, right? I think all these motorsports converging are great.”

Triple Crown Ambitions

McLaren's history at Le Mans, particularly the manufacturer’s 1995 victory with the F1 GTR, adds to the allure of a potential return to the top class. This year’s edition will mark the 30th anniversary of that triumph.

“We love sports car racing,” commented Brown. “We’re the only team to have won the ‘Triple Crown,’ It’d be cool to go for it again. We’re impressed with the rules, the competition.”

The Triple Crown—Monaco, Indy 500, Le Mans—is McLaren’s holy grail, and Brown’s itching to polish it anew. The LMGT3 entries are a start, but he’s got bigger fish to fry.

“It’s fair to say that LMGT3 was us dipping our toe back in the water. It’s a fantastic class but it would certainly be nice to see a couple of other McLarens also at the top of a different leaderboard,” he confirmed.

June’s shaping up to be a big month. “I always get excited in June. Le Mans is a must-attend,” he said, picking France over the clashing Montreal Grand Prix without a second thought.

“It’s a bummer it conflicts with the Montreal Grand Prix this year. But I can tell you I’ll be in France, not Canada. That’s a priority for us, with a nice display in the Le Mans Museum and hopefully we have some exciting stuff to talk about this year.”

A Hypercar announcement, perhaps? Brown’s coy, but the tease is electric.

Timing Is Everything

Brown’s been mulling this for a while. “We have certainly been reviewing it for quite some time and like what we see,” he said, weighing a potential McLaren’s juggly act across F1 and IndyCar.

“We just need to look at how we are doing in Formula 1 and IndyCar. I don’t think the timing has ever really been better.

With F1 firing on all cylinders and IndyCar holding steady, the stars might just align for a Le Mans push.

“I think it’s clear what we would like to do. We’d love to go for the overall win in Le Mans and our other teams are very healthy,” Brown concluded.

For Norris and Piastri, it’s a tantalizing prospect—a chance to etch their names alongside McLaren’s 1995 heroes.

Brown’s vision ties it all together: a nod to the past, a leap into the future, and two drivers raring to trade sprint laps for a 24-hour marathon.

As June nears, the motorsport world’s watching—will Team Papaya roll out the Hypercar red carpet? If Brown’s vibe is anything to go by, Le Mans better brace itself for a papaya onslaught.

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