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Dynisma has completed the installation of its DMG-1 driving simulator for the McLaren Hypercar Team at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. The simulator will support development of McLaren's MCL-HY Hypercar programme.
The agreement gives the McLaren Hypercar Team a dedicated Driver-in-the-Loop simulator as it prepares to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship's Hypercar class and return to top-level endurance racing at Le Mans.
The DMG-1 is now supporting the team's development work from McLaren's base, where engineers and drivers are using the system for vehicle development, driver preparation and engineering evaluation.
McLaren's Hypercar effort centres on the MCL-HY, the car it plans to race in the championship's premier category. The programme marks the group's return to endurance racing's top class after a long absence.
Development tool
Simulation is now a standard part of modern motorsport programmes, allowing teams to test set-ups, assess vehicle behaviour and prepare drivers before track running begins. For endurance racing teams, that work is especially important because of the complexity of car set-up, tyre management and multi-driver preparation across long-distance events.
Bristol-based Dynisma makes full-motion driving simulators for motorsport teams and carmakers. The company was founded in 2017 by Ash Warne, a former Formula 1 driving simulation engineer who previously led simulator development at Ferrari and McLaren's Formula 1 team.
The business has grown to more than 180 staff at a technology and manufacturing campus in Bristol. Its customers include teams and manufacturers across Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, the World Endurance Championship, IMSA and Formula E, as well as automotive manufacturers.
For McLaren, the installation adds a core engineering tool as it builds a new works-style programme around the MCL-HY. The car is designed by McLaren, built by Dallara and will be operated with United Autosports.
James Barclay, Team Principal of the McLaren Hypercar Team, outlined how the team expects to use the new system ahead of track activity.
"As we continue developing our Hypercar programme, access to a dedicated Driver-in-the-Loop simulator with the capability and fidelity of Dynisma is an important asset for our engineering and driver groups. High-quality simulation allows us to accelerate learning, evaluate development directions efficiently and maximise preparation for our on-track testing programme. The correlation delivered by the system will provide valuable confidence in the work that the team will do in testing and racing," Barclay said.
Driver input
Teams rely on simulator sessions not only to model vehicle changes but also to gather driver feedback in a controlled environment. This helps engineers compare data with driver impressions before committing time and budget to circuit testing.
Mikkel Jensen, one of the drivers involved in the programme, said simulator realism matters because it affects how quickly drivers and engineers can move from familiarisation to useful development work.
"Simulator work is a key part of modern endurance racing programmes and having a platform that provides immediate, natural feedback makes a big difference. The realism of the motion cues and vehicle response allows us to focus on genuine vehicle development rather than adapting to the simulator itself. It gives drivers and engineers a highly effective environment to prepare and make progress before arriving at the circuit," Jensen said.
For Dynisma, the McLaren deal adds another top-tier motorsport customer in a market where teams are placing more emphasis on detailed simulation and data correlation. Motorsport organisations are increasing spending on tools that can reduce the need for physical testing while improving preparation for race weekends and long-distance events.
Graeme Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Dynisma, linked that demand to rising expectations from teams and manufacturers.
"Dynisma is proud to support McLaren Hypercar Team as the team develops its FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar programme. High-fidelity simulation is now fundamental to modern motorsport, with teams demanding ever greater levels of realism and correlation from their simulator environments. The DMG-1 has established itself as a trusted platform across top-level motorsport, and we look forward to seeing the team benefit from its capabilities throughout the development of the programme," Cook said.
McLaren Racing remains the only team to have completed motorsport's Triple Crown through wins at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.