Jake Benham joins McLaren Shadow from Mercedes

McLaren Shadow has announced that Jake Behnam has become the latest signing to its F1 Sim Racing roster.

The 19-year-old sim racer joins the team after three seasons representing Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports.

During the 2025 F1 Sim Racing season, Benham competed in six races, scoring two podiums and three top-five finishes. This played a pivotal role in Mercedes securing third place in the Teams Championship.

In addition to his experience in the highest tier of F1 esports, Benham is a two-time World Online Racing (WOR) champion.

“I’m delighted to have joined the McLaren Shadow F1 Sim Racing Team,” said Benham. “It’s an honour to be getting the opportunity to work with such a prestigious team, and I’m looking forward to getting started at MTC.

“The environment and atmosphere within the Shadow team is brilliant and will provide the perfect platform for me to continue to develop and achieve success.”

Benham joins former race winner Alfie Butcher and two-time Premier Sim Gaming League (PSGL) champion Wilson Hughes on the McLaren Shadow line-up, which will compete in the next season of F1 Sim Racing.

The signing continues a period of driver changes while the F1 Sim Racing scene is in its offseason. Prior to Benham joining McLaren, Lucas Blakeley departed the team in May.

Benham is the second driver to leave Mercedes in June alone. The UK-based sim racer follows Hungarian driver Dani Bereznay, who also left the team in June.

With two of Mercedes’ three drivers out of the door, rumours surrounding the team’s departure from F1 Sim Racing continue to circulate.

While plenty of attention is on the German marque, McLaren is building an impressive line-up that has the ability to compete for race wins and the Teams Championship in the upcoming season.