McLaren is one of the most victorious teams ever to compete in Formula One. But it’s also proven itself in other racing disciplines – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

And now new reports suggest that it could make another run at it in the near future.

“Going back to Le Mans is something we have identified and are discussing,” McLaren’s new executive director Zak Brown told Autosport. “Personally, I would love to see us go to Le Mans, and I’m not the only one with those views.”

While that’s certainly a good indicator, the final decision might be beyond Brown’s exclusive purview. To make it happen, he’d have to get the support of the automotive, special operations, and GT racing divisions, whose efforts and budgets would need to be coordinated in order to get such an endeavor off the ground.

The bigger question is in what class McLaren would compete. The GTE class would be the most obvious choice, and would likely involve adapting the current 650S GT3 towards the next-level regulations – or potentially designing a new racer around the forthcoming 720S. Autosport reports that McLaren was planning a GTE version of the previous MP4-12C GT3, but the program was put on blocks after the FIA and ACO switched up the regulations.

As for the prospect of gunning for overall victory again in the top-tier LMP1 class, Brown said “never say never.” But such an endeavor would be a huge undertaking that no manufacturer is currently attempting in parallel to Formula One. It would likely require partnering with a larger automaker (like Honda as it does in F1). In either case, it would be safe to assume that any run at Le Mans would likely involve a full campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship as well.

The last time McLaren competed at Le Mans was in the mid-1990s. Despite no initial plans to do so, the F1 supercar was converted into the GTR racer that won the race outright in 1995, beating the faster prototypes despite competing in the lower GT1 category. The McLaren finished fourth, second, and fourth again in the following years, after which engine partner BMW switched its focus to its own V12 LM prototype and McLaren withdrew.

On top of its solitary Le Mans win, and twelve drivers’ and eight constructors’ titles in F1, McLarens have also won five back-to-back championships in Can-Am as well as the Indianapolis 500 three times in the 1970s.

Photo Gallery