The first publicly-announced driver signing for a sportscar manufacturer is quite often a key moment for a nascent programme, as it's the point where, outwardly, it really feels like the whole thing is starting to take shape.
And this feels like the case for McLaren and Mikkel Jensen. He's the driver who will take the new McLaren Hypercar on its first laps around a track in just a few months time, and who will carry out a lot of the thousands of kilometres of testing as the British manufacturer develops, refines, and hones its first ever Le Mans prototype race car.
'I got experience now in Hypercar, and it was time for a new challenge for me,' said the 31-year-old Dane to a select group of media, including Only Endurance, at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.
'And when I saw the announcement from McLaren, the history of the brand, the Le Mans win in 1995, the past history or the past success from F1, you just see that there's so much hunger here. Everybody wants to win. I want to win.
Phil Oakley
'So, it was just a great fit. We started talking. I think we were on the right page with everything and it was just a great match. I'm super excited for for the adventure coming.'
Jensen has raced for Peugeot since 2022 in WEC in the 9X8; indeed, he was one of the original drivers announced for the programme with the wingless car.
This experience, then, leads well into developing the new McLaren machine.
'There's three seasons, three and a half seasons of racing. Already from the development that I've been a part of before,' he said when asked by Only Endurance what he can bring from Peugeot to McLaren.
'It's still a quite narrow regulation, although the other car was an LMH, and this is an LMDh. But still a lot, you can... I have all this experience and feeling of what has been done before that I can bring with me. It's the feeling of driving a car is always stuck with you.
'So when I get to drive the McLaren, the first time, I'm sure I will feel a lot of similarities or things that don't feel similar that you can use to then try and build something better.'
Jensen in 'golden time' of career
During his time at Peugeot, Jensen has quite often emerged as one of the team's fastest drivers. He's flown somewhat under the radar, maybe due to the Peugeot not always being at the front of the field, but there's no doubting his pace and consistency.
'You just look at his performance in Hypercar, in a very strong lineup at Peugeot, he's been incredibly strong,' said McLaren Endurance team principal James Barclay.
'He has an amazing reputation in the paddock, but then you look at how he performs in every session and he's incredibly incredibly quick, but he's also very very good in the races, and his traffic management is exceptional.
'I think that's something which I've really kind of noticed, how strong he's been. 12 wins in IMSA in LMP2, which is very competitive.
'If you look at how 'racy' he is in those races, he always seems to kind of come out on top when it comes to traffic management, as a very decisive driver. So yeah. It was really exciting we could bring him on board.'
Phil Oakley
And as for Jensen himself?
'I was obviously not super happy with the performance [at Peugeot],' he said.
'I'm in a golden time in my career as well. I just turned 31, it's a good age for an endurance driver. I wasn't really getting the success I felt that I deserved and didn't win a WEC race yet.
'This time still has to come and this makes you start looking around. When I saw McLaren announcing the the project, obviously your eyes go a bit that direction exploring, with curiosity.'
McLaren Hypercar 'bang on schedule'
In terms of the project itself, Barclay said that the project is on schedule to have the car on track in May.
'So we've always had the intention of running the car from May onwards, and we're bang on schedule for that,' he said.
As always, you never know what between now and then brings, but we're on schedule, which is fantastic. We've heard the engine do the first laps of Le Mans on the dyno, which was a very special moment, and we're looking forward to showing some of that with you soon.
'So yeah so we're on schedule with things which is great. As always, there's a lot to achieve between now and then, but all being well, we should be on track for that time.'
And how does McLaren's factory partner team, the highly experienced United Autosports, add to the programme? Well, they don't just add to it – they're a crucial part of the entire set up.
Phil Oakley
'The great thing with this program is bringing together two fantastic groups, United from their experience racing sports cars, which is incredibly strong, a lot of success,' said Barclay.
'So blending what United can bring in terms of operating the team, the mechanics, the sporting side, the logistics, the process and procedures, all those elements which are critical to success endurance racing, with the benefit that McLaren brings. So this will be the epicentre of the program. Fundamentally, obviously, program management is operated from here.
'All our commercial aspects are run from here, but technically it's a real kind of hub for the team as well. So as we know, with Hypercar, designing and developing the car up front is an important part. Our elements we can control, that's run from from here at the MTC, obviously, with our supporting supply chain.
'Also, though, all our performance development will operate from here. So our driver-in-the-loop simulator will be based here at the MTC. The racing engineering team will spend a lot of their time preparing for races.
'We obviously have the race program. We also have our track car activity, which will be alongside the race program as well. So yeah, hive of activity. Technically, commercially we'll operate from here and then cars will live at United Autosports and preparation of cars will live up there.
'So those are the way we'll kind of separate the two, with the team working incredibly integrated. And we've been working that way as well since the announcement in June already. So yeah, very close working relationship between between the two sites.
'We have almost departments within the team, same with a lot of other racing organisations. We have different departments sitting in different places and we bring the skill sets from both organisations together.'
OE's verdict on McLaren and Jensen's signing
Phil
Jensen is a good signing for McLaren. He's quick, consistent, and reliable; everything a good Hypercar driver needs. He's driven a wide range of machinery over his career, including LMP2s, GTs, single seaters, and both iterations of the Peugeot 9X8. He knows how to develop a car and improve it, having been involved from the start at Peugeot.
It will be interesting to see how the programme as a whole develops and how different the car is to the showcar McLaren launched at Le Mans last year.
Tim
You couldn't ask for much more in a first signing. Okay, a big scalp from Porsche this early on would have been seriously headline grabbing, but in that is Jensen's strength. Criminally underrated, ruthlessly fast, and only getting better.
The Peugeot 9X8's overall performance has hidden how solid a package Jensen is, but at times we got glimpses of the talent – who can forget his drive to the lead at Monza 2023, passing Conway around the outside. Excellent.