McLaren Is Selling Its 2026 F1 Car And An Indy 500 Car Before They Even Hit The Track
It's believed to be a first for an F1 team
One of my life goals is to own a Formula 1 car. I have no clue what I'd do with it. Probably just let it sit somewhere, considering you can't drive them since it takes a team of people to fire up the engine.
I'd probably just sit in it and make F1 car noises.
Out-of-commission F1 cars and cars from other racing series from seasons past come up for sale pretty often, and you can find auctions to bid on if you are so inclined.
However, McLaren is doing something that hasn't really been done before. It is selling its 2026 Formula 1 car before it has even turned a single lap.
According to Racer, the idea is to pay tribute to McLaren, having accomplished racing's Triple Crown over the years by winning the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and Le Mans. The team's CEO, Zak Brown, announced the auction this week at Monterey Car Week.
The way it will work is in December at the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi (by which point, McLaren will have likely locked up both championships), the auction will take place with buyers able to buy a 2026 McLaren F1 car driven by either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.
Additionally, Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward's car, which will race in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500, and a McLaren LMDh hypercar that will be used for McLaren's debut season in the World Endurance Championship season will also be for sale.
Oscar Piastri drives the McLaren MCL39, the team's 2025 car, a show car version of which will be given to whoever buys its 2026 car. (Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The F1 car will not be delivered to the buyer until 2028, but the buyer will be leased a 2025 show car until his or her car is ready.
It's a really interesting idea, and it will be intriguing to see how much McLaren gets for it.
Usually, race cars sell for different amounts based on the story behind them or how successful they were. While McLaren is in the midst of a massive season, the regulations will change in a big way for 2026. This means that the person who buys this 2026 car won't really have an idea whether this car will be a championship contender or wind up being a dud.
This can happen. Ask Mercedes about how long it took to get a hang of the regulations during the last big change in 2022.
Still, this is such a cool idea. Imagine watching one of these races, pointing at the TV, and being like, "That's my car."
The ultimate power move.