“Talks with British manufacturer” - Is McLaren entering DTM with Project 1?

McLaren has had a very brief history in the DTM so far, with three guest outings for Formula 1 driver Christian Klien in 2021 the only time it was officially represented in the series.

However, Motorsport.com understands that a full-season entry is in the works for 2024, with even the ADAC hinting at the possibility of McLaren joining the DTM next year.

"I have had discussions with another manufacturer here,” ADAC motorsport boss Thomas Vosse said in an interview with German broadcaster ran.de. 

“I won’t say [the name], it's a British manufacturer, I can tell."

Project 1, which joined the DTM at the beginning of this year with a pair of BMW M4 GT3s driven by Marco Wittmann and Sandro Holmez, is expected to front the potential McLaren effort.

The German outfit’s maiden campaign in the DTM was rather underwhelming, with star driver Wittmann also complaining about a lack of testing opportunities in comparison to rival BMW squad Schubert Motorsport.

There are now signs that Project 1 could part ways with BMW, despite the team having the contract to run the BMW M2 Cup series on the official DTM support package, paving the way for a new association with McLaren.

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

Marco Wittmann, Project 1 Motorsport BMW M4 GT3

Project 1 team boss Hans Bernd Kamps is said to have good contacts with McLaren, which were likely formed during his time in Formula 1 as the manager of ex-grand prix driver Timo Glock.

It is also fitting that factory McLaren driver Marvin Kirchhofer stated earlier this year that his goal is to compete in the DTM in the “near future”.

Kirchhofer does have a deal with Pfaff to compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for next year, but that should be no hurdle in a potential second programme in the DTM as there are no clashes between the two series.

Funding for a Project 1-led McLaren effort could come from Dorr Motorsport and its owner Rainer Dorr, who attended last month’s DTM finale at Hockenheim.

In addition to taking part in GT4 races, Dorr Motorsport was also the first-ever German team to race the 720 GT3 in 2021 when it entered the car in the GTC Race Series on the DTM support bill. 

Dorr Group is also McLaren’s largest dealer in Europe, with showrooms in key cities such as Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart, and thus has the financial might to support the programme.

Further, Dorr family members are also active as drivers, with 18-year-old Ben Dorr, son of Rainer, finishing runner-up in GT4 Germany last year and gaining his first experience of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife this year. 

Ben Dorr’s elder brother, Phil, 22, finished third in GT4 Germany in 2021 and was also part of the same Aston Martin team in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.