Esterson and Johnson Named Full Season Drivers for RLL Team McLaren’s 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Championship Season; MacDonald and Vips Join the GTD PRO Lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (January 13, 2026) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) today announced Max Esterson and Nikita Johnson as its full-season GTD PRO drivers for the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with Dean MacDonald and Jüri Vips joining the RLL Team McLaren lineup for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The 64th running of the iconic endurance race will mark the competitive debut of RLL Team McLaren.

The program is a multi-year collaboration with McLaren Automotive that will see the team return to IMSA’s GTD PRO class in 2026 with the McLaren GT3 EVO. The team participated in the IMSA test at Daytona International Speedway November 15-16 with Esterson, Vips and MacDonald and in the No. 59 entry.

The season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona marks McLaren Automotive’s return to the fiercely competitive GTD PRO category, which in 2025 featured top manufacturers including Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche.

McLaren made its mark in sports car racing in 1995 with the F1 GTR, writing history by winning that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Returning to sports car racing in 2012 with the championship-winning 12C GT3, McLaren continues to be a force on the international GT scene. The current GT3 EVO has proven to be very successful, winning races in FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Europe series and other regional and domestic series.

RLL, founded in 1992 and known for its success across both open-wheel and sports car racing, has a rich history in sports car competition. The team first entered sports car racing in 2007, fielding a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series GT2 class with drivers Tommy Milner and Ralf Kelleners and finished fourth in the 12-race championship, highlighted by multiple podiums. The following year, the team campaigned an Aston Martin DB9 in select SCCA World Challenge events, earning a pole and runner-up finish at Road Atlanta.

From 2009 to 2025, RLL partnered with BMW Motorsport in a successful 17-year collaboration that delivered numerous race wins and championships across multiple GT platforms and culminated with a race and pole-winning program in the GTP class from 2023-2025. The team previously competed in IMSA’s GTD PRO class under the BMW M Team RLL banner in 2022 while simultaneously preparing for their two-car factory GTP program debut in 2023. During that period, RLL secured pole position at Watkins Glen and GTD PRO podium finishes at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans.

The 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season begins with the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 24-25. The 10-race GTD PRO schedule includes well known venues such as Daytona International Speedway, Sebring International Raceway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among others. All races can be streamed live in their entirety on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports App with authentication or Peacock Premium. For more information about the team or series, please visit www.rahal.com or www.imsa.com.

QUOTE BOARD:

MAX ESTERSON, Driver of the No. 59 McLaren: “After racing in single seaters my whole career up to this point, making the switch to IMSA in the GTD PRO class is a very big and exciting new chapter for me. It’s great to be joining such a strong and established team like RLL and I’m excited to see what we can do together with McLaren this season starting at Daytona.”

NIKITA JOHNSON, Driver of the No. 59 McLaren: “I am very happy and honored to help build the new McLaren era with RLL and I am excited to run the full-year with Max.  As a Florida native, I am especially excited to start it all off in Daytona with a great four-driver lineup.  Thank you to all of RLL for this opportunity.”

DEAN MACDONALD, Driver of the No. 59 McLaren: “I’m very happy to be doing my first Daytona 24 hour race and to be doing it with RLL in the McLaren makes it even more exciting. I got my first taste of Daytona and working with the team not too long ago and I believe we can go into the race challenging for a win in the GTD PRO class so I can’t wait to finally get going again at the ROAR!”

JURI VIPS, Driver of the No. 59 McLaren: “I’m excited to get my first taste of endurance racing, especially at such an iconic event like the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The test went well; there were no big hiccups, and we got a lot of mileage. I had a lot of things to get used to. Driving a GT3 car is very different to anything I’ve done before but I’ve got a much better idea now. I feel good and prepared; McLaren has been really helpful as well with everything to get me up to speed with all the systems and things they have in the car. I’m looking forward to it.”

About Max Esterson
Max Esterson is a 23-year-old American racing driver set to return to IMSA in 2026, competing in the GTD PRO class with RLL Team McLaren. Raised in Manhattan with limited access to traditional racing, Esterson began his career in sim racing, rising to become one of the top four iRacers in the United States and top 35 worldwide among more than 300,000 competitors. He transitioned to real-world racing in 2020, finishing sixth at the BRSCC Formula Ford Festival in his first partial season. In 2021, Esterson moved to the UK for his first full campaign in the BRSCC National Formula Ford Championship, finishing third overall, placing second at the Formula Ford Festival, winning the Walter Hayes Trophy, and earning the prestigious Team USA Scholarship. He advanced to the GB3 Championship in 2022, scoring race wins, pole positions, and lap records. That year, Esterson made history as the first American to win both the Formula Ford Festival and the Walter Hayes Trophy, leading every session and race en route to both victories. After being named a BRDC Rising Star, he returned to GB3 in 2023. In 2024, Esterson competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Jenzer Motorsport, scoring points and delivering standout qualifying performances, including a front-row start at the British Grand Prix. He progressed to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2025 with Trident Motorsport, continuing his rise through the international racing ranks. To end the 2025 season, he had a strong debut race in IMSA at Petit Le Mans in the No. 85 JDC Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 LMDh hypercar.

About Nikita Johnson
Nikita Johnson is a 17-year-old race car driver from St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2026, he will contest a full INDY NXT season with Cape Motorsports while also competing in IMSA’s GTD PRO class with RLL Team McLaren, beginning with his IMSA debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona following the ROAR test sessions.

Johnson gained international experience in 2025, competing across four open-wheel series on three continents, including three INDY NXT starts with HMD Motorsports, as well as races in Formula Regional Oceania, British GB3, and FIA Formula 3. In 2024, he became the youngest race winner in British GB3 history at age 16, earning victories at Zandvoort and Brands Hatch. A proven contender in North American junior formulas, Johnson finished second in the USF Pro 2000 championship in 2024 with eight wins and was runner-up in the USF2000 standings in 2023. He also made history as the youngest USF Pro 2000 race winner at age 15, capturing victory at Circuit of the Americas in his late-2023 series debut.

About Dean MacDonald
Dean MacDonald is a 25-year-old Scottish racing driver and McLaren GT factory driver, with 2026 marking his third season representing the manufacturer. Motorsport runs deep in MacDonald’s family. His grandfather, Gus, operated a karting spare parts business, while his father Jonny raced before founding his own engine-building business. Unsurprisingly, Dean received his first kart at just one year old and began driving at three-years-old, as soon as he could reach the pedals.

MacDonald started his career in Scottish karting before progressing to British and European competition, where he claimed two British titles. He made his car racing debut in British GT from 2017–2020, competing in GT4 and GT3 machinery and earning multiple wins, podiums, and pole positions. In 2021, he joined United Autosports in European GT4 competition, continuing his success with McLaren. His breakthrough came in 2022 during his first full GT World Challenge campaign, where he captured the Pro-Am Sprint Championship with four wins, four poles, and seven podium finishes. MacDonald continued his rise in 2023, competing in GTWC Sprint (Pro) and Endurance (Gold), highlighted by a Gold Cup class victory at the Spa 24 Hours. In 2024, he raced GTWC Endurance in a Pro entry with McLaren Garage 59 and earned a victory in the Monza 500km with McLaren Greystone in GT Open.

In 2025, MacDonald competed in GTWC Endurance (Gold) and GT Open (Pro), capping the season with a historic overall pole position and race win in the GTWC finale—the first Gold-class entry to achieve the feat. He continues to build a successful international career rooted in family heritage and elite performance.

About Jüri Vips
Jüri Vips is a 25-year-old Estonian racing driver with extensive experience at the highest levels of international open-wheel competition. He currently serves as a test and reserve driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, while also having competed in three INDYCAR races for the team in 2023 and 2024.

Vips began his racing career in karting, quickly establishing himself as one of Europe’s standout young talents before progressing into single-seater competition. He achieved early success in Formula 4 and Formula Renault, winning multiple races and strong championship results, that marked him as one of the leading young talents of his generation. He rose to prominence in FIA Formula 3, where he claimed race victories and consistent podium finishes, before advancing to the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Competing as part of the Red Bull Driver Development program, Vips became a Formula 2 race winner and consistent front-runner, demonstrating strong qualifying speed, racecraft, and technical ability against an elite field.
Following his tenure in the Formula 1 junior ladder, Vips expanded his international experience through testing and development roles. His technical ability and depth of experience led to his current role with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, where he supports the team as a test and reserve driver, contributing to car development, simulator programs, and race weekend operations. With a proven track record across Europe’s premier single-seater categories and a growing presence in top-level American motorsport, Vips continues to build a versatile and competitive racing career.