McLaren deny Apple takeover after reports of £1.5bn offer

The Woking-based supercar manufacturer and F1 team owners have rejected reports of a possible Apple takeover

McLaren have denied holding takeover talks with Apple (Getty)

Formula 1 team McLaren have denied that they are in talks with Apple after reports emerged detailing a potential £1.5bn takeover bid for the supercar manufacturer.

McLaren chose to issue a statement on Wednesday to reject claims made in the Financial Times that talks between them and Apple had been ongoing “for several months”, although while they dismissed the report, they did add that they “regularly” hold “confidential conversations with a wide range of parties.”

The statement read: "We can confirm that McLaren is not in discussion with Apple in respect of any potential investment.

"As you would expect, the nature of our brand means we regularly have confidential conversations with a wide range of parties, but we keep them confidential."

The report also added that Apple were considering making a partial investment in McLaren if a complete takeover was not possible.

While Apple is known best for its iPhone, iPad, iWatch and Macbook collections, the US giant has made significant investments in the automotive sector which prompted suggestions that an Apple Car could be in the pipeline.

The company invested $1bn [£770m] into Chinese app Didi Chuxing, a taxi-hailing service, earlier this year, and has also held tests with driverless electric cars.

McLaren meanwhile are best known for their time in Formula 1, with current drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso both former world champions in the sport. They also compete in endurance racing with a number of their supercars, and produce high-end luxury sports cars such as the P1, 12C, 650S and the 675LT.