+ Luca Magnussen signs up for 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe campaign + Paddock launches new partnership with Douglas Motorsport + Biggest-ever McLaren Trophy Europe entry on the cards The Magnussen name will return to the hot seat of a McLaren next season when Luca Magnussen tackles his maiden McLaren Trophy Europe campaign with Paddock Motorsport. The 16-year-old Dane – younger brother of ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin and son of multiple Le Mans 24 Hours class winner Jan Magnussen – is the first driver to commit to Paddock’s multi-car entry into the 2026 Trophy as he makes the step into GT racing. Magnussen’s arrival also signals the first success for a new partnership between Paddock and Douglas Motorsport, which will result in the teams sharing technical resources while also providing a clear pathway for drivers seeking to hone their skills in single-seaters before stepping onto the GT racing ladder. Despite only making his racing debut in 2021, Luca Magnussen has impressed across his career so far, competing in professional karting categories such as the Sydsvenskans Kart Champion Cup (SKCC), FIA Karting World and European championships while also representing his county in the FIA Motorsport Games. This season was his first in car racing and he became a GB4 Championship podium finisher during the third round of the year at Oulton Park. Magnussen will now swap the 2-litre Tatuus GB4 car for the 3-litre twin-turbocharged McLaren Artura. In doing so he reignites a link between his family name and the British brand that began exactly 30 years ago when Jan made his F1 debut with McLaren in the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida in 1995. Kevin then became a McLaren Young Driver in 2010, eventually going on to contest 20 Formula 1 grands prix with the team between 2014-15. Magnussen is the first driver to sign up to Paddock’s expanded McLaren Trophy Europe programme for 2026. The team made its European racing debut this season, quickly earning its breakthrough race wins at Brands Hatch before going on to claim the Am class title with Tim Docker. Luca Magnussen says: “I’m really excited to be making the move into the McLaren Trophy Europe and want to thank both Paddock Motorsport and Douglas Motorsport for making this opportunity possible. When I first tested the Artura at Silverstone I found it very different to the GB4 car, with huge power and grip. It was pretty incredible. Learning to drive with both ABS and traction control was a big difference as we don’t have those in GB4, but I’m already looking forward to getting back into the car and adapting more to it. My dream has always been to drive GT cars. Karts and single-seaters give you that experience and grounding as a young driver to learn, but my dream is to one day drive at Le Mans, hopefully alongside my brother, and this is a great step towards that. Working with Paddock and Douglas so far has been great, and I’m just really looking forward to more testing and the start of the season.”

On pure performance alone, Paddock Motorsport deserved a podium finish in the British GT Championship finale at Donington Park last weekend, and it was only a freak turn in the weather that denied Mark Smith and Martin Plowman a haul of silverware. Despite a tricky buildup, Smith and Plowman largely mastered the conditions during a turbulent final two-hour race of the season, entering the final quarter of the race with a podium finish in sight before a swing in the weather undid the #9 McLaren’s strategy. The pair still finished inside the top 10 overall and took home points for eighth place regardless, but what really shone through was the team effort across the season that has put the squad in a position to challenge for podiums at the highest level in British motorsport in the first place. Having swept the board with a quadruple victory in the GT Cup event that preceded the Donington Decider, Paddock’s McLaren had marked itself out as one to watch for the season finale, a fact that was rammed home with an impressive Pre-Qualifying performance from Smith, who registered the fourth-fastest time overall. Sadly, Qualifying itself wouldn’t prove so straightforward, with an early red flag to recover a stranded Mercedes-AMG disrupting the team’s plans. With a heavy headwind making setup unpredictable, a splitter issue led to some unpredictable handling and limited Smith and Plowman to a disappointed 11th on combined times. However, there was still all to play for on Sunday, and the team put on an eye-catching performance across a topsy-turvy race, coming within a whisker of scoring what would have been a sensational podium. A series of balance changes before the race start aimed at providing a more stable platform meant Smith went into the race with an untested setup, and getting a feel for the car would be made even more troubling by a series of rain showers hitting as the field circulated on slick tyres. Smith held station on the fringes of the top 10 through the worst of the first shower, then when the balance came to him as the track dried, the American driver excelled, scything his way up the order as the pit window approached. Smith pulled a series of great passes to move up to seventh before pitting to hand for Plowman at the halfway mark. The team opted to fit fresh slicks with the skies looking clear, and a clean service got Plowman installed and back out in fifth once the stops had cycled through. The return of heavy rain with 40 minutes of the race to run brought a crossroads though. On one hand, Plowman was coping well in the deteriorating conditions, impressively overtaking the Blackthorn Aston Martin of multiple champion Jonny Adam to snatch fourth. Plowman was also closing on the Orange Racing McLaren that occupied third. However, with more rain on the radar and conditions becoming increasingly unstable, the team made the decision to make an extra stop for wets in-line with the strategies of the cars around them... only for the rain to disappear soon after and scupper the plan. With the track now drying, Plowman was forced to ease off and nurse the overheating wets to 10th overall. However, with two non-scoring entries ahead, it would mean points for eighth as some form of reward. Still, the fact the Paddock team was able to turn around its qualifying troubles and manage such an eventful race to create the chance to challenge for a podium speaks volumes about the squad’s progress across the course of the 2025 season.

Paddock Motorsport heads into the British GT Championship season finale this weekend at Donington Park aiming to continue its current strong run of form with the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. Mark Smith and Martin Plowman will again handle the black-and-pink #9 McLaren and go into the finale full of confidence following a stunning warm up at the Derbyshire track during the GT Cup round last weekend. Driving solo, American racer Smith dominated the event, winning all four races – a mixture of sprint and endurance outings – regaining his lead in the GT3 Championship in the process. The results bring Smith’s tally of GT Cup wins this season to a remarkable 11 from the 18 races held so far. Beyond the headline stats, the additional mileage has also allowed the team to refine the setup of the McLaren GT3 and helped Smith to unlock more of the car’s potential through the additional seat time and confidence-boosting success. Donington is also the British track Smith knows best, having made his British GT debut with Paddock at the finale three years ago The combination of these factors means the team enters the final British GT round in a strong position. Even though British GT represents a step up in the level of competition, Paddock has established itself as a top-five contender across this season. A big points score in the finale would be the perfect way to cap what has been an impressive season of development.