McLaren has announced a groundbreaking partnership expansion with Mastercard that will see the team officially rebranded as the 'Mastercard McLaren Formula One Team' starting with the 2026 season.
The announcement was made at a special event in Amsterdam, attended by hundreds of enthusiastic fans who lined the streets in McLaren's signature papaya orange.
Team CEO Zak Brown and Mastercard Chief Marketing Officer Raja Rajamannar described the enhanced partnership as a natural progression of their successful collaboration over the past year.
Brown emphasized that McLaren has 'the best partner ecosystem in sport' and credited his 'two unbelievable drivers' for making the team an attractive proposition for commercial partners.
The timing of the announcement is particularly significant, coming as McLaren sits at the top of both championship standings with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading the drivers' championship by nearly 100 points over their nearest rival.
Lando Norris welcomed the partnership expansion, stating that the name change represents taking McLaren's relationship with Mastercard 'to another level.' He praised Mastercard's fan engagement initiatives and their commitment to making the sport more accessible to supporters.
The partnership introduces 'Team Priceless,' a new fan engagement program designed to bring supporters closer to the racing action.
Piastri echoed his teammate's enthusiasm, emphasizing how both McLaren and Mastercard 'put fans first' and acknowledging that their jobs wouldn't exist without the passionate support of the fanbase.
The announcement also included a humorous moment when Piastri was told he was scheduled to host 20 fans at his home that evening, prompting him to joke it was 'the first I had heard of that.'
The announcement was made at a special event in Amsterdam, attended by hundreds of enthusiastic fans who lined the streets in McLaren's signature papaya orange.
Team CEO Zak Brown and Mastercard Chief Marketing Officer Raja Rajamannar described the enhanced partnership as a natural progression of their successful collaboration over the past year.
Brown emphasized that McLaren has 'the best partner ecosystem in sport' and credited his 'two unbelievable drivers' for making the team an attractive proposition for commercial partners.
The timing of the announcement is particularly significant, coming as McLaren sits at the top of both championship standings with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris leading the drivers' championship by nearly 100 points over their nearest rival.
Lando Norris welcomed the partnership expansion, stating that the name change represents taking McLaren's relationship with Mastercard 'to another level.' He praised Mastercard's fan engagement initiatives and their commitment to making the sport more accessible to supporters.
The partnership introduces 'Team Priceless,' a new fan engagement program designed to bring supporters closer to the racing action.
Piastri echoed his teammate's enthusiasm, emphasizing how both McLaren and Mastercard 'put fans first' and acknowledging that their jobs wouldn't exist without the passionate support of the fanbase.
The announcement also included a humorous moment when Piastri was told he was scheduled to host 20 fans at his home that evening, prompting him to joke it was 'the first I had heard of that.'
