VS Series
McLaren v Williams Racing
Two great British F1 names, at very different points in the race
McLaren leads on 3 of the five measures that matter most: turnover, pre-tax profit, profit margin, growth and net assets. McLaren is the biggest by turnover at £530m, against £180m at Williams Racing. McLaren keeps more of every £100 it takes, £7.08 as pre-tax profit.
The year ends are close enough to compare like for like.
Accounts compared: McLaren to Dec 2024 · Williams Racing to Dec 2024
Who they are
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited · 01517478McLaren Racing runs the McLaren Formula 1 team, as well as McLaren's teams in IndyCar, endurance racing and esports.In brief: motor racing team · Formula 1, IndyCar and endurance · sponsorship and prize money · based in WokingFull profile →Williams Racing
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited · 01297497Williams Racing is a Formula One team that designs and builds its race cars at Grove in Oxfordshire.In brief: Formula One team · based in Grove, Oxfordshire · sponsorship and prize money · owned by Dorilton CapitalFull profile →The Numbers
| # | Company | Turnover | Change | Pre-tax profit | Margin | Employees | Pay per head | Turnover per head | Net assets | Bank and cash | Accounts to | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLarenMcLaren Racing Limited | £530m | +23.0% | £38m | 7.1% | 1,283 | £140,000 | £413,000 | -£6m | £237m | Dec 2024 | Group |
| 2 | Williams RacingWilliams Grand Prix Engineering Limited | £180m | +41.6% | -£42m | -23.5% | 949 | £89,000 | £189,000 | £130m | £25m | Dec 2024 | n/d |
Ranked by turnover. Click any column to sort. The leader on each measure is highlighted. Movements are against each company's own prior year. Pre-tax profit is filed except where marked (est.).
Category winners
Biggest by turnover
McLaren
£530m
Most pre-tax profit
McLaren
£38m
Highest profit margin
McLaren
7.1%
Fastest-growing turnover
Williams Racing
+41.6%
Biggest employer
McLaren
1,283 staff
Highest pay per head
McLaren
£140,000
Most turnover per head
McLaren
£413,000
Largest net assets
Williams Racing
£130m
Most cash
McLaren
£237m
The Takeaway
- McLaren converts the most of its turnover. Of every £100, £7.08 reaches pre-tax profit, against a loss of £23.50 at Williams Racing.
- McLaren is the largest on the top line, £530m of turnover, 2.9x Williams Racing's £180m.
- Williams Racing is growing fastest, turnover +41.6% on its own prior year.
- McLaren is the biggest employer with 1,283 people; McLaren pays the most per head, an average staff cost of about £140,000.
- Williams Racing has the largest balance sheet, net assets of £130m, while McLaren holds the most cash at £237m.
Who keeps the most of every £100 of sales?
McLaren keeps the most: £7.08 of every £100 of turnover becomes pre-tax profit. Williams Racing does worst, losing £23.50.
Financing bites hardest at McLaren: £5.61 of every £100 goes on interest.
Every profit figure here is the one the company filed.
The chart splits each company's turnover into £100: what goes on people, on interest and on everything else, and what is left as profit.
Out of every £100 of turnover
Each column is £100 of that company's own turnover, so companies of any size compare on one scale; the figures are pounds out of each £100, not millions. Companies run from the best margin to the worst. Payroll is staff costs, financing is interest paid, other running costs are everything else, and profit is pre-tax profit, filed or estimated as marked in the table. A loss is not an extra cost: it is the part of the costs that runs past the £100 line, marked with a red bracket. Hover over any segment for its figure.
Who is the biggest, and does the comparison hold?
By turnover the order is McLaren (£530m), Williams Racing (£180m).
By headcount, McLaren leads with 1,283 employees.
The accounting periods all end in the same month. All are on the same filing basis.
Turnover on the latest filing
Who is growing fastest?
Williams Racing grew fastest, turnover +41.6% on its own prior year, ahead of McLaren (+23.0%).
Turnover change on each company's own prior year
Who employs the most, who pays the most, and who brings in the most per head?
McLaren employs the most, 1,283 people, against 949 at Williams Racing.
McLaren has the highest average staff cost, about £140,000 a head; Williams Racing the lowest, about £89,000.
McLaren brings in the most turnover per employee, about £413,000, against £189,000 at Williams Racing. It says as much about the business model as the workforce: a marketplace or a wholesaler needs far fewer people per pound than a restaurant or a gym.
Who owns each one?
Ownership as recorded on the Companies House register of people with significant control, in the bands the register uses.
Held by Mclaren Group Limited
A company recorded as a person with significant control.
Who owns McLaren →
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited · 01297497No controller recorded
The register shows no person with significant control. 1 outstanding charge on the register.
Who owns Williams Racing →
What does the full ledger show?
| Measure | McLaren | Williams Racing |
|---|---|---|
| Registered name | MCLAREN RACING LIMITED | WILLIAMS GRAND PRIX ENGINEERING LIMITED |
| Company number | 01517478 | 01297497 |
| Incorporated | 1980 | 1977 |
| Accounts filed | 30 September 2025 | 29 September 2025 |
| Turnover, prior year | £431m | £127m |
| Pre-tax profit, prior year | £12m | -£81m |
| Staff costs | £180m | £85m |
| Payroll share of turnover | 33.9% | 47.0% |
| Employees, prior year | 1,147 | 845 |
| Dividends paid | n/d | n/d |
| Charges outstanding | 0 | 1 |
A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d; a zero in a filing is treated as not disclosed. Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, above that to the nearest million.
McLaren v Williams Racing: common questions
Who is the biggest of McLaren or Williams Racing?
McLaren, with turnover of £530m in the year to December 2024.
Which makes the most profit?
McLaren: £38m pre-tax in the year to December 2024.
Which employs the most people?
McLaren, with 1,283 employees in its latest accounts.
McLaren or Williams Racing: which is bigger?
McLaren, with turnover of £530m against £180m at Williams Racing on their latest filings. On margin, McLaren keeps more of each £100 as pre-tax profit. The full head to head is in the VS Series. Read the VS page →
Where do these figures come from?
Each company's latest accounts filed at Companies House. Each links to its full Spark Intel profile, which names the filing it comes from.
Deep dive: what story does McLaren's money tell? →
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