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The dust may have settled on our 60th birthday celebrations, but we believe 2024 will also be a year for the ages.

Why's that, you ask? Excitement is building at MTC, and we will soon hit the track for the start of our Formula 1 and INDYCAR campaigns. Our electric racing teams have already whetted our appetite with two rounds of Formula E in Mexico and Saudi Arabia and two rounds of Extreme E in Saudi Arabia.

With new changes and new faces being added to our roster of world-class drivers, here’s why you should be excited for 2024.

1. A sixth season of Lando

It feels like only yesterday that Lando was an apprentice to Fernando Alonso, soaking up all the expertise he could take in before moving to a race seat in 2019.

Five years on from his F1 debut in Melbourne, Lando has not only become our talisman but now has a place on the top table of Grand Prix drivers.

A first win is on the cards after an excellent 2023, where Lando finished on the rostrum seven times, helping us secure fourth in the Constructors' Championship.

His growth as a driver has earned him a promotion to senior driver, whilst his evolution has helped him become one of the most consistent drivers over one lap and in the race.

Lando’s performance in Brazil in particular was awe-inspiring as he kept world champion Max Verstappen honest throughout before finishing a respectable second.

What’s better, our relationship will continue for a little while longer, as Lando decided over the winter of 2024 to stay put at McLaren by signing a new multi-year deal, keeping him at the team for several more years to come.

2. Sophomore Oscar

How do you silence the noise around you? Simple, show the world you have what it takes to make it big in F1 by producing several eye-catching performances.

Although he had plenty of miles under him and an impressive junior record, which included back-to-back F2 and F3 championships, Oscar headed into his maiden Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain unsure of what Formula 1 had in store.

But Oscar’s 2023 season was one of the finest by a rookie in recent history, with two podiums, including a second place in Qatar, a third in Japan, and a second-place finish in the Sprint in Belgium. Qatar was also the site of what could be the first of many race wins for Oscar, as he took pole in the Sprint Shootout before overcoming Verstappen to win the Sprint.

His calmness showed throughout 2023 as he was able to fight with the best in the sport without fear, helping him gain further confidence.

Heading into 2024, Oscar will look to add more silverware to his trophy cabinet and add the title of Grand Prix winner to his glittering resume after a superb learning year.

3. The return of the Chinese Grand Prix

China, we’ve missed you. After five years away, it's time to return to the Shanghai International Circuit, located in the Jiading District of China’s commercial capital, for the 20th anniversary of the Chinese GP.

Shanghai’s a real test for the drivers, with a mixture of medium to high-speed corners throughout the lap and a long back straight, perfect for bold overtakes.

We have a good record in China, too, with three victories, two from Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and 2011 and one from Jenson Button in 2010.

The last time we visited China was in 2019, when F1 celebrated the historic milestone of its 1000th Grand Prix, of which McLaren have won 183. Sadly, we couldn’t add to our tally as Lando’s race was compromised on Lap 1, whilst Carlos Sainz came home 14th in the second McLaren.

With an entirely new generation of cars and the Sprint format, all 10 teams will arrive in China with little data to work with and only one practice session, guaranteeing a shakeup of the grid for Sunday’s race.

4. Sprints get a makeover

F1’s Sprint races have continuously stirred the emotions of fans, with the non-stop action of the shortened-races gripping them to their seats.

Since their introduction in 2021, F1 has steadily increased the number of Sprints each year from three to six, meaning fans get more racing per season.

There are some changes to the Sprint calendar for 2024, with Miami and China hosting a Sprint for the first time, whilst Austin and Qatar will hold their second, Austria their third and Brazil their fourth.

The Sprint race has been moved to Saturday morning before Qualifying, whilst the Sprint Shootout now takes place on Friday afternoon after first practice.

The change means fans can enjoy the exhilarating nature of Qualifying and the Sprint without missing any of the action.

5. Trust the process

After completing his first full season at the helm, Team Principal Gavin Ward is hoping to take Arrow McLaren to the next level.

Gavin was promoted from Racing Director to Team Principal in October and has spent his first 16 months in charge re-shaping and re-defining the team, actioning his plan to turn us into consistent title challengers.

These changes included our switch from a two-car to a three-car team, the acquisition of Andretti Autosport’s current Indianapolis headquarters – which offers the team nearly triple the space – from 2025 onwards, and a 30% increase in the size of our team, with multiple key hires.

Gavin oversees a three-car line-up packed with personality, from the colourful and quick Pato O’Ward, the dry-witted and intelligent Alexander Rossi and our newest signing, 22-year-old David Malukas – a speedy, social-media savvy American.

David arrives at Arrow McLaren after two successful seasons at Dale Coyne Racing, where he finished on the rostrum for two consecutive years on the 1.25-mile oval at World Wide Technology Raceway. However, he will unfortunately have to wait for his debut with Arrow McLaren after undergoing surgery on his left wrist, which will keep him out of action for an estimated six weeks following the removal of his stitches on February 22. His temporary replacement will be announced in due course.

Pato and Alexander will begin their second year as teammates aiming to build on their combined tally of eight podiums in 2023. On the back of a strong off-season, they’re also confident of making a return to the top step after we endured our first winless season since 2020.

6. Kyle goes for the jackpot with The Double

In the 107 years of the Indianapolis 500, several drivers have attempted to compete in the 500 in the afternoon before taking over an hour’s flight to participate in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The first driver to attempt The Double was the late John Andretti in 1994, finishing 10th at Indy before flying to Charlotte for the 600, where he suffered a crankshaft failure on Lap 220.

Nine attempts at The Double have been made since, but none have translated into victory. We’re hoping to change that. This year, we’ve teamed up with legendary NASCAR outfit Hendrick Motorsport to field 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson in the Indy 500 before he goes on to race in the Coca-Cola 600.

As well as his impressive stock car credentials, Kyle’s fast in multiple categories, winning the Daytona 24 Hours with Tony Kanaan, now Arrow McLaren’s Sporting Director. He’s also a dab hand at midget car racing and is a two-time winner of the Chilli Bowl, the discipline’s answer to the Monaco Grand Prix.

Testing has already begun in preparation for the month of May, where Kyle will go against the clock to secure a slot in the 33-car field and then try to create a slice of immortality.

7. A slew of anniversaries to commemorate

Forty years ago, McLaren ruled the F1 roost, with Alain Prost and Niki Lauda dominating the series courtesy of the legendary MP4/2 powered by the iconic TAG-Porsche engine.

Alain took the season opener in Brazil before Niki replied with victory in South Africa. From the San Marino Grand Prix onwards, the pair traded wins for the rest of the year, with Niki winning his home Grand Prix for the first time despite gear selection problems.

Niki needed to finish second to claim the title at Estoril but gave himself plenty to do from 11th on the grid, and with Alain taking the lead from Lap 7, the Austrian needed some luck to win the title. With 18 laps to go, he got it. As Nigel Mansell, running second, spun off, promoting Niki into the position he needed to win his third and final title by just half a point.

2024 will also mark two major 50th anniversaries: In 1974, we won the F1 Drivers' and Contructors' Championships for the first time, with Emerson Fittipaldi at the wheel, whilst Johnny Rutherford won the first of our two Indy 500 victories as a constructor. 

Sadly, 2024 also marks the 30th anniversary since we lost Ayrton Senna on 1 May at Imola, robbing F1 of one of its most extraordinary talents. The mercurial Brazilian won his three world championships driving our cars and is still widely remembered by all McLaren, with a statue of the great Brazilian in his driving position sitting proudly in the lobby of MTC.

8. An all-new lineup in Extreme E

NEOM McLaren have a new look for its tilt at the 2024 Extreme E championship – and we don’t just mean the car’s new livery.

Cristina Gutiérrez and Mattias Ekström have joined the team for this season. While both have incredible CVs boasting wins across circuit racing, rallying, and rallycross, crucially both are leading names in Extreme E. Gutierrez was champion in Season 2. At the same time, Ekstrom came within a lap of taking the Season 3 crown last December.

Season 1 was about learning something wildly different to what McLaren knows well. Season 2 was about building on that experience and refining processes as we established ourselves in the series. Now, with a championship calibre driver pairing, will it be third time lucky for the team in Extreme E?

The team is arguably in the best shape it's ever been in and expectations are higher than ever, but we got off to a flying start in the season opener in Saudi Arabia. Second place in Round 1 in Saudi Arabia marked our best start to a season in Extreme E, while a Redemption Race win in Round 2 was a welcome result after a day of battling technical issues. And with a Redemption Race win now awarding as many points as fourth in the Grand Final, we head to the next round firmly in the championship hunt.

9. Second season in Formula E

It’s a similar story on the circuit racing side of NEOM McLaren Electric Racing’s operation. With the team’s first Formula E season in the books, we will be looking to build on this with a solid sophomore campaign.

For our second season, rapid youngster Jake Hughes has been joined by Sam Bird, who arrives as the most experienced driver in the series’ history.

Three points scoring finishes from the first three rounds of the season represents a strong start to the season so far, with each driver going into the enforced early season break (brought about by the cancellation of the Hyderabad E-Prix) with a best finish of fourth so far – fourths that could have been rostrum appearances were it not for Formula E’s ultra-competitive field.

Sam proved the team’s pace with a forceful charge through the top 10 to almost spoil the podium fight in the first Diriyah E-Prix, while Jake did the same a day later, coming within a whisker of adding to the MTC’s bustling trophy case.

10. Calendar changes in Formula E

This year’s Formula E season was set to be the longest to date before the return to India was called off on the eve of the new season. But even without the round in India, the 16-round calendar still includes a gruelling run of nine races in 11 weeks in the middle of the campaign.

It’s not just about the number of races, though, but where they’ll take place. The 2023/24 season will feature more permanent circuits than ever before, adding a new layer of intrigue to the street racing-based series.

Mexico City and Portland in the United States make a welcome return – the latter after a popular first visit last year – Joining them will be Misano in Italy, and Shanghai China, both of which will host two full championship rounds apiece. Monaco is also back, giving McLaren a perfect opportunity to add to its legacy as the most successful Formula 1 constructor in the principality.