McLaren Formula 1 team Exec Dir Zak Brown pledged that McLaren "would build and run cars in the top-level LMP1 class of global sportscar racing -- including the Le Mans 24 Hours -- if the rules are made more cost-effective," according to Charles Bradley of MOTORSPORT. Brown revealed that McLaren is "currently evaluating all of its options in sportscar racing," including potential prototype programs in either the FIA World Endurance Championship or Int'l Motor Sports Association in the U.S. from '19 onward. But he thinks that the WEC's top-class LMP1 rules have become "unviable" due to manufacturers approaching F1 levels of spending, and believes "a new direction is a must to regain the success of past years." Brown said, "I believe the WEC has an opportunity to hit the reset button. I'd love them to get back to the Porsche 956 or 962 days, where factory and privateer teams can race together knowing they each have chances of winning." With LMP1 costs "having spiralled in recent seasons," Brown reasons that "the payback the manufacturers have received has not increased versus the extra spend" (MOTORSPORT, 8/30).
