Mikkel Jensen, the McLaren Hypercar pilot, contends that the core concepts are solid and that the initial impression of the MCL-HY is highly positive after the first on-track runs with the new machine.
The MCL-HY made its first appearance at Varano at the start of May for a preliminary shake-down, after which testing intensified at Imola. Jensen noted encouraging signals from a car that is set to make its FIA World Endurance Championship bow next year.
Thus far, the driver lineup for the car includes two names: Porsche mainstay Laurens Vanthoor and Jensen, while the early testing program has also featured United Autosports regular Ben Hanley and McLaren Driver Development Program members Grégoire Saucy and Richard Verschoor.
Although the testing has not been without its hiccups, Jensen believes McLaren is progressing in what he describes as a “very important” phase of development.
“The team has carried out exceptional work behind the scenes for a long time, even before I joined the project,” he told Sportscar365.
“I sense that the fundamentals are solid, and we’ve done a good job—the car feels good.
“Now we must carry on and push the development as far as we can, because whatever we extract from the development phase now will give us a better chance of success down the line.
“You encounter surprises along the way all the time, so the aim is to learn as much as possible from every facet of the car, from every sensation you experience, because from now until homologation is completed, that is the most critical segment of the program; after that, our ability to modify the car becomes quite limited.”
Regarding those surprises, Jensen did not go into specifics but added: “There are plenty of things that catch you out during testing.”
“You test to identify the mistakes on the car, which is what you want to improve, and that is the purpose of testing.”
“You simply hope these issues can be resolved quickly and aren’t something that forces you to halt testing for days on end.”
The former Peugeot racer also declined to draw direct comparisons between the McLaren and the Hypercar machinery he has driven previously, noting only that the MCL-HY “feels different” as an LMDh-based prototype rather than an LMH car like the Peugeot 9X8.
In contrast to Ford, another 2027 entrant that is not due to begin on-track testing until early August, Jensen believes that starting the testing early affords McLaren numerous advantages.
“I think it’s one of the earlier projects to reach the track, which also gives us more time and confidence, so we aren’t under intense pressure to fix everything in a short timeframe, something I’ve observed in the past,” explained Jensen, who had also taken part in the early stages of Peugeot’s development.
“We’re able to stay more relaxed and determine which areas to prioritise for improvement, so it isn’t a case of a basketful of issues needing to be resolved in one day because we have time.”
McLaren Endurance Racing executive director James Barclay had previously detailed a thorough testing program for the MCL-HY, describing the journey ahead as “a long road.”
