MSP Sports Capital Buys Stake in McLaren Racing for $247M

U.S.-based MSP Sports Capital will invest $247 million in McLaren Racing over the next two years for a 15% stake.

The deal values McLaren’s racing division at $746 million. 

UBS O’Connor and The Najafi Companies joined MSP in the investment, which includes a plan to increase their stake to 33% by the end of 2022. 

The investment reportedly allows parent company McLaren Group to focus on bonds it must refinance by 2022 and develop new car models to keep pace with competitors like Ferrari.

McLaren announced the investment the same day it finished third in Formula 1’s constructor championship, behind Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. The company expects a boon to their racing division:

• McLaren Group Executive Chairman Paul Walsh said “partner capital and expertise” will make his racing team winners again
• McLaren has 12 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championships, second to only Ferrari, but hasn’t won since 2008

News emerged last week that the British supercar manufacturer was seeking ways to raise funds, including a potential SPAC merger that would take the company public. 

With the racing division siloed, Walsh said McLaren can now work on the “highly profitable cash-flow positive automotive business” that has suffered financial setbacks during the pandemic.