At one point, every F1 fan has asked ‘Who owns the McLaren F1 team?’. Call us nosy all you want, we just want to know who has all the cash to fund building the chassis, having a top-class engine, hiring the best F1 driver of the season… and then some!
Thankfully, our team of experts has scoured the web so we can confidently tell you who owns McLaren. Plus, as the F1 team has had such an interesting history, we’re going to give you an overview of the McLaren owners over the years.
If you’re interested in supporting McLaren, make sure to check out our range of McLaren team caps and our wider range of F1 merch.
Who Owns the McLaren F1 Team?
Long story short, the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company owns McLaren. However, it gets a bit more complicated (as do all things in life)!
Technically, McLaren is owned by its shareholders - the leader of which is the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company. They took main ownership of the team back in 2024, after years of financial uncertainty after the COVID-19 pandemic.
McLaren Group’s executive chairman, Paul Walsh, said:
"We are delighted at Mumtalakat's continued commitment to McLaren through this deal.
"This will further enable us to focus on delivering our long-term business plan, including investment in new products and technologies, while continuing to explore potential technical partnerships with industry partners."
We know what you’re thinking, what’s the McLaren Group? Does it differ from the racing team?
McLaren Group/ Automotive/ Racing - What’s the Difference?
We understand that they all basically sound like they do the same thing (we were all thinking it, let’s be real!) but McLaren Group, Automotive, and Racing are in fact different:
- McLaren Group - The parent company that oversees the operations and business divisions of McLaren.
- McLaren Automotive - The automotive division of McLaren focuses on designing, manufacturing, and selling sports- and supercars. These are vehicles specifically designed for the road.
- McLaren Racing - This division of the company is responsible for motorsports. Also known as the McLaren Formula One racing team.
Image Source: McLaren
A Brief History of McLaren Ownership
McLaren was founded in 1963 by none other than Bruce McLaren. Originally a racing driver himself, the New Zealander raced McLaren cars with his own racing team: the Bruce McLaren Racing Company.
Unfortunately, McLaren (Bruce, that is) passed away in 1970 whilst testing his new McLaren M8D. After his passing, his daughter was far too young to take over the company (she was only four years old at the time). So, Teddy Maye ran the company throughout the 1970s.
Then came Ron Dennis in 1981. He was McLaren Group’s largest shareholder, CEO, Chairman, and Director! Talk about a Jack of all trades.
For the majority of Dennis’ reign at the company, Mercedes-Benz actually had the highest stake in the company! Talk about conflicted interest in what is the best F1 team… In 2011, their shares were bought out and once again, McLaren became an independent company.
In 2015, Dennis changed the name to McLaren Technology Group. That was one of his last monumental changes at the company, as in 2017 the other shareholders bought out Dennis’ stakes in McLaren Technology Group.
As we’ve already explained, nowadays, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company is now the largest shareholder. The holding company is actually the Kingdom of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund.
We know what you’re thinking: What does this mean exactly? Well, it essentially means that the royal family of Bahrain primarily owns the McLaren Technology Group - even though it is still a public company. And subsequently, the McLaren F1 team.
Image Source: McLaren
Is McLaren Still a British Racing Team, Then?
Yes! We understand that upon learning that the royal family of Bahrain owns McLaren, the company’s national allegiance could be up for debate.
But, we are here to inform you that the McLaren Racing Team is still British. The F1 team is even still based in the UK - at its long-standing Woking base. (Although it looks a little fancier than it did back in the day)!
What Is the Bruce McLaren Trust?
Just when you thought that was all of Bruce McLaren, we’re here to tell you that in fact, his legacy lives on.
The Bruce McLaren Trust - endorsed by McLaren - was started in 1997. The aim of the charity is to recognise the achievements of Bruce McLaren and the contribution he made to the sport.
The trust also aims to assist young drivers and engineers at the beginning of their careers to achieve their dreams - especially those from New Zealand.
Bruce McLaren’s daughter, Amanda, is now one of the trustees for the Trust (as well as an ambassador for McLaren). Other trustees include Amanda’s husband, Stephen Donnell, Michael Clark, and Warwick Mortimer.
Fancy being a (sort-of) brand ambassador for McLaren yourself? Check out our range of McLaren merchandise today! We vet all of our products to ensure they come from official sources, so you can represent them in style.
