Will Stevens
- HOME CITY Rochford / U.K
- D.O.B 28 June 1991
A secret weapon within McLaren's armoury of F1 experts, Will plays a pivotal role behind the scenes in our pursuit of performance. A consistent presence at the McLaren Technology Centre in debriefing rooms and the simulator, his speed and technical understanding is invaluable for car development and race weekend set-up.
Having begun his motorsport career in karts in 2003, Rochford racer Will Stevens made the step up to cars with a brief Formula Renault foray in 2008 on the back of European and Asia-Pacific karting titles. He returned to Formula Renault for a full campaign in 2009 and spent three seasons at that level: scoring wins in the UK and EuroCup championships and finishing fourth in the final standings of the latter in 2011.
In 2012, Will moved on to Formula Renault 3.5 and during his second season in the series went toe-to-toe with former McLaren F1 drivers Carlos Sainz, Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. Will ended the campaign in fourth with five podiums to his name and went on to record a brace of wins in the series in 2014. In the same year, he made his F1 debut at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Caterham and he acquitted himself well during a full season in F1 with Manor Marussia in 2015.
A move to sportscar racing in 2016 gave Will the opportunity to show that he was not just adept behind the wheel of a single-seater. Wins soon came in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup. Notable highlights include second place in the LMP2 class in his first attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, followed by victory in the prestigious race just one year later in the GTAM class – finishing two laps clear of his closest rivals.
Will continued to race in the WEC and European Le Mans Series for 2022, finishing first in the LMP2 class with Jota in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in WEC. He also made a return to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car for the first time in seven years when he drove the MCL35M at Portimão as part of our 2022 Driver Development Programme.
