McLaren squad Optimum Motorsport will embark on its biggest GT World Challenge powered by AWS programme yet in 2026.
The British team will field a pair of cars in Endurance, one each in the Silver Cup and Gold Cup classes. The Silver Cup entry will add a Sprint programme, marking the first time that Optimum has entered the full 10-round championship.
The #4 McLaren will contend for Gold Cup honours with a line-up led by the experienced Adam Smalley. A proven winner in one-make Ginetta and Porsche series, the 25-year-old has spent the past two seasons competing in GT World Challenge, securing a memorable overall win in last year's Barcelona finale.
Smalley will be joined by a pair of series rookies. Though new to the paddock, Harry George is no stranger to the team having clinched last year's British GT GT4 Silver title with Optimum. The line-up is completed by Freddie Tomlinson, who impressed on his GT2 Europe debut at the tail end of 2025.
The #5 McLaren will run the full season with Guilherme Oliviera and Mikey Porter at the wheel, with Dante Rappange joining for Endurance rounds. Portuguese racer Oliviera is set for his third GT World Challenge campaign following stints with Dinamic GT and Garage 59, the latter at the wheel of a McLaren.
Porter remains with Optimum for his second GT World Challenge assault. The Englishman made his debut at just 17 years of age, and was recently named among McLaren's GT3 Junior Drivers. Rappange, meanwhile, adds further experience to the line-up. The Dutchman drove an Aston Martin for Comtoyou Racing in 2024 and switched to Lamborghini machinery with Grasser Racing last term. Though just 22, he is nevertheless the elder member of the #5 crew.
“I’m extremely proud of the team and what we have achieved over the last decade," said Optimum Motorsport boss Shaun Goff. "We’ve gone from strength to strength, and this year will be our seventh season in GT World Challenge Europe, where the level of competition is world-class.
"Entering the Sprint Cup for the first time, and fielding two cars in the Endurance Cup, each with incredibly strong driver line-ups, marks yet another new chapter for Optimum Motorsport, following our Macau GT Cup debut at the end of 2025, and then our first time out at Bathurst 12 Hour last month.”
The 2026 campaign gets underway at Circuit Paul Ricard on the weekend of 11/12 April, while the opening Sprint Cup contest will take place at Brands Hatch on 2/3 May. Tickets for both of these events and others – including the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa – are on sale now. Click here for more information.