The McLaren Racing organization has brought in computer hardware and technology heavyweight Intel as a new commercial partner, in a multi-year deal covering its Formula 1 (F1) and IndyCar motor racing teams.
Through an agreement unveiled earlier today, Intel becomes the official compute partner for both McLaren F1 and Arrow McLaren IndyCar, as well as a partner of the McLaren F1 Sim Racing team, from the world of esports.
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This entails Intel branding being present on both McLaren F1 cars from the next race of the 2026 season, scheduled for Montreal on May 24.
For the IndyCar outfit, meanwhile, branding on one of the team's cars will first appear at the Freedom 250 event in Washington DC, in late August.
The deal will also incorporate said car having Intel branding on it at IndyCar's iconic Indy500 event, from 2027.
The Sim Racing element of the agreement will involve the technology firm's branding appearing on the on-stage simulators set to be used during the final event of the F1 Sim Racing World Championship later in May. From 2027 onwards, meanwhile, Intel will also feature on the team's virtual livery.
Meanwhile, Intel's technology will be made available to McLaren Racing, with the aim of "turning large volumes of data into actionable insight through a secure, scalable compute foundation."
Zak Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive, has said: "Performance in IndyCar and Formula 1 racing is driven by technology, and partnering with Intel strengthens our ability to innovate at scale. Intel has already been an important part of our technology ecosystem, and their leadership in computing will play a critical role in how we design, build, and race our cars. We’re excited to deepen this relationship even further.”
In terms of recent McLaren Racing commercial activity, late April saw the motorsport organization unveil a new trading card partnership with Topps, the collectable brand of global merchandising giant Fanatics.
The partnership was launched with a new collection featuring autograph cards from F1 World Drivers Champion Lando Norris, as well as components from 2020 and 2021 McLaren race cars.
Lip-Bu Tan, Intel's CEO, added: "Formula 1 racing and IndyCar are some of the ultimate proving grounds for high-performance computing. Intel is proud to be McLaren Racing’s compute partner, and to be part of a team that thrives on precision, speed, and innovation."
In terms of Intel in the world of sports partnerships, its most high-profile tie-up in that space for many years was its top-tier sponsorship of the International Olympic Committee, only for this association to come to an end following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
