Photo: 100 years after Brooklands, the birthplace of British motorsport, staged Britain's first Grand Prix, reigning F1 champion McLaren Racing will be showcasing one of its latest racers at special Centenary Celebration
• World Championship-winning team to showcase three iconic title winners
• Legendary machines raced by James Hunt and Ayrton Senna to run in action
• Celebrating 100 years since Britain’s first official Grand Prix at Brooklands
• Book now – limited tickets for this special centenary event are selling fast
Celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of Britain’s first Grand Prix have moved up several gears with confirmation that current World Champion McLaren Racing will be represented by three of its legendary Grand Prix-winning Formula 1 cars at the special centenary celebration at the historic Brooklands Museum on Saturday 8 August.
It was in August 1926 that Brooklands staged the country’s inaugural international Grand Prix, and many evocative pioneers from that bygone era will be among the 100 Grand Prix cars assembled to honour that momentous motorsport milestone at the Museum on Saturday 8 August.
Marking the landmark in style, this superlative, one-off collection will feature an extraordinary array of eye-catching Grand Prix cars spanning the dawn of automotive competition through to the present day.
Bringing the story right up to date, McLaren Racing will display one of its latest papaya-liveried hybrid Formula 1 racers at Brooklands, offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience a state-of-the-art F1 car up close. McLaren has seen success in recent years, claiming back-to-back Constructors’ Championships as well as the 2025 Drivers’ Championship with Lando Norris.
Even more pertinently, for an event marking the centenary of Grand Prix racing in the UK, McLaren is the most recent winner of the British Grand Prix, with Norris having triumphed at last summer’s showpiece at Silverstone on his way to becoming Britain’s 11th World Champion.
Adding to the excitement, McLaren Racing will also fire up two of its previous championship-winning cars at the Brooklands celebrations: the M23 and MP4/6. Visitors will be able to see and hear both machines in action on the adjoining test track at Mercedes-Benz World, located within the historic 2.75-mile speedway.
The Cosworth V8-powered M23 dominated the sport in the mid-1970s, taking Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt to the team’s first titles in 1974 and 1976. The sonorous V12-powered MP4/6 was equally successful, propelling the great Ayrton Senna to the third of his three World Championships in 1991 – the chassis coming to Brooklands is the actual one in which the Brazilian clinched the crown at Suzuka in Japan.
“It is an incredible honour for Brooklands Museum to welcome McLaren to our landmark centenary celebrations,” said Alex Patterson, Chief Executive of Brooklands Museum. “As the reigning World Champions, the team’s presence perfectly represents where the sport stands today – exactly 100 years on from Britain’s very first Grand Prix, held here at Brooklands in 1926.”
Tickets for the Brooklands Grand Prix Celebration are now available via the official website: www.brooklandsmuseum.com. Adult admission is priced at £39.95 in advance, with tickets for accompanied children aged 4 to 17 (under 4s are free) available at £19.95. Brooklands Members can purchase tickets to an exclusive VIP Preview evening on the Friday. They are also offered Saturday admission for £19.95 (child £9.95)—a special price that includes an official programme.
Early booking is strongly advised, as record numbers of tickets have already been purchased for what is expected to be a truly outstanding – and sell-out – occasion.
