They decided not to delay the wait too long after generating expectations, which have made this November 3 a historic day for McLaren. After a period of expectation, the British firm has considered that it was the ideal moment to unveil its bet on a project like Extreme E in which they will have a presence from next season, thus expanding the range of disciplines in which they have a representation. But also, with this project, the Woking men not only get fully involved in the electric revolution but also mark a before and after in its history with the signing of its first official driver during the 60 years that they accumulate of trajectory.
McLaren to debut in the electric SUV off-road racing category in 2022, welcomes Emma Gilmour into its ranks to complete a lineup, in which they already confirmed three-time rallycross champion Tanner Foust when they announced their landing at Extreme E. The Woking team will be the tenth on the current grid and the New Zealand team will abandon their role as reserve driver in a structure like Veloce Racing, where they could compete in two tests as a substitute for Jamie Chadwick during the Arctic and Isaldn X-Prix weekends.
The official announcement of this couple took place during the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), and Prince Charles of England was one of those who was able to see in the first person the identity of an SUV that maintains the line of the team and therefore, still showcasing the papaya orange that characterizes McLaren during his career in recent years within the competition. But also, black silhouettes also make an appearance on the body of the car presented by those from Woking, representatively thanks to graphics that depict the locations of the different races that make up the Extreme E calendar in the most spectacular settings around the globe such as the Arctic or the Amazon.
The CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown, wanted to highlight during the presentation the incorporation of Emma Gilmour, “McLaren Racing’s first female driver”, to completer an “exciting lineup of drivers” in his first season in the contest. “He knows what it is to win races and he has proven his worth this year in Extreme E”, highlighted the American leader, to continue citing reasons in favor of a signing that, together with that of a Leena Game who comes to the team as a career engineer, further reinforces the female figure in the British brand: “His thing was that our first driver was originally from New Zealand, where our founder Bruce McLaren was from.”