Gelael and Leung move to United’s McLaren for 2025 WEC season

World Endurance Championship class race winners Sean Gelael and Darren Leung are moving from BMW to McLaren for a second LMGT3 campaign together in 2025. 

The duo, who won the Imola WEC round last April aboard a WRT BMW M4 GT3 shared with Augusto Farfus, will race a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo for United Autosports in the coming season. 

Gelael and Leung will respectively be the silver and bronze-rated drivers in the line-up of the #95 United McLaren alongside gold Marino Sato, whose return to the car was confirmed on the release of the first draft of the 2025 WEC entry list in November.

Ex-Formula 2 driver Gelael is leaving WRT after three seasons, the first two of which he raced in LMP2 prior to the removal of the secondary prototype class from the full WEC schedule. 

“I am super-excited to be in a car with United Autosports after being long-terms rivals [in P2 and then LMGT3],” said the 28-year-old Indonesian.

“I’m looking forward to racing with Marino for the first time and, of course, to work with Darren again after some great highlights together in 2024.

“I think it will be a really good experience and a strong opportunity to win the championship after finishing second twice [in P2 with Jota in 2021 and WRT in 2022].”

Leung, 37 from Britain, will be making his second WEC campaign in what will only be his fifth season of racing.

The 2023 British GT Championship title winner described the commitment of United and McLaren to the WEC as “truly inspiring” and said that he is “eager to contribute to the team’s efforts on some of the most iconic circuits in the world”. 

“As a proud Yorkshireman, racing with a Yorkshire-based team makes this an opportunity even more special,” added Leung, who tried out the McLaren at the official WEC rookie test in Bahrain in November.

United boss Richard Dean called Leung “a driver you want on your side”. 

“His rise in motorsport has been pretty amazing to watch over the past four seasons, so we are extremely proud that he is now part of the United Autosports and McLaren Automotive team,” he said. “Plus he’s a fellow Yorkshireman, which is always a good thing!”

#59 United Autosports McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo: Alex Sedgwick, Grégoire Saucy

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

United has yet to unveil team-mates for Gregoire Saucy, whose continuation with the team was confirmed on the publication of the WEC entry list, in the sister #59 car.

WRT so far only has one driver confirmed for its LMGT3 squad, which it runs alongside its factory Hypercar class operation with the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh. 

Farfus will remain as the full professional in the #31 car, it was confirmed on the release of the series entry. 

Maxime Martin was named in the #32 M4 in November, but has subsequently moved to Mercedes and will race one of the Iron Lynx AMG GT3s in the WEC this year. 

The Belgian was teamed in 2024 WEC with motorcycle racing legend Valentino Rossi, whose programme for the coming season has yet to be confirmed. 

The Italian is looking to downscale his racing activities and compete in only one championship, either the WEC or the GT World Challenge Europe in which he contested a full Endurance Cup schedule and two Sprint Cup rounds in 2024. 

Rossi said at last season’s WEC finale in Bahrain in November that he was leaning towards staying in the WEC at the behest of BMW.