McLaren is one of the oldest and most successful teams on the current F1 grid. The team has won 12 drivers’ and nine constructors’ World Championships throughout their long stint in the sport. While they were rather weak within the midfield in recent years, the team took off in 2024 and clinched the Constructors’ title. They are dominating this season again, with a clear lead in both championships for the first time in almost two decades. Oscar Piastri currently leads the drivers’ standings.
Despite their long history in Formula 1, however, McLaren does not make their engines. It is one of the most luxurious automobile brands in the world, yet they are dependent on others for their power unit in Formula 1. Mercedes currently has the team under contract. The German manufacturer has shared a long history with the team; however, they had split a few years ago as MCL partnered with Honda.
But Mercedes has been the engine supplier for McLaren since the 2021 season. The brand is known for its powerful and reliable engines. Moreover, the partnership has also been extended till the 2030 season, meaning McLaren will continue to use their engines under the new regulations as well.
McLaren F1’s history of engine suppliers
Bruce McLaren debuted in the sport back in 1966 at Monaco. This was the inception of Bruce McLaren Racing, which would later be turned into the sports car brand. The team used Ford-Cosworth DFVC engines between 1968 and 1982. These engines helped the team clinch its first Formula 1 victory in 1968. The partnership switched to TAG Porsche and Honda in the 1980s. This was the golden period for McL as they had iconic drivers, including the likes of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. The powerful engines helped them dominate the grid for many years. But the brand withdrew from the sport at the end of the 1992 season.
The team then tested engines from Ford and Lamborghini for two years. However, the unreliability saw them switch to Mercedes. This was the start of the long partnership between the two brands. McLaren saw iconic drivers like Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard clinch victories. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton also debuted on the same engine in 2007 and won the championship in 2008. However, the team switched back to Honda in 2015.
But the Honda engines were extremely weak after their long hiatus in Formula 1. The cars suffered from a massive power loss, hindering any chances to perform consistently. They then switched to Renault for three years between 2018 and 2020, before switching back to Mercedes in 2021.
The Mercedes engines have given the team the most advantage in recent years. With their extremely powerful car and the German brand backing their engines, McLaren leads the championships in the 2025 F1 season.
