Fire crews have been called to an incident at the car manufacturer’s HQ in Chertsey Road according to Get Surrey news. The fire at McLaren was described as ‘ongoing’ around 7am today. 

A firefighter told Get Surrey at 8am there was a “small fire” at the McLaren Technology Centre in Chertsey Road. Local residents were awoken by sirens first thing this morning.

“We were called at around 6.15am this morning to a fire at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. Three fire engines were sent to deal with the small fire and we left at around 8.30am.” says a spokesperson from Surrey Fire and Rescue.

It’s unclear the extent of the damage to McLaren’s facilities, nor has there been any official statement.

According to a McLaren employee, the building was evacuated but staff have now been allowed back in. Fire crews are believed to still be on the scene.

McLaren will be preparing to travel to Bahrain for the Grand Prix this weekend, and it’s unclear how this incident will affect the team’s plans. It appears that, although a small blaze and dealt with swiftly, it’s yet another niggle for the team during a tentative period. Certainly a fire at McLaren will not be helping the team prepare for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

McLaren performed well in Australia, but equally their speed was still lacking and their final results were as a result of luck and an inability for faster cars to overtake easily.

Bahrain being a more ‘normal’ track, will be a far more representative circuit to gauge the progress of McLaren since the switch to Renault power.