Photo source: Google
The news of Google extending its partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 team arrives just ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, where Google will activate a joint presence with McLaren and the Las Vegas Sphere, according to Nick Drake, Google’s global VP of marketing. While Drake did not disclose the exact length of the renewed deal, he described it as a “multiyear agreement.” Google first became a McLaren sponsor in 2022.
This marks another major commercial move for McLaren, but the latest extension stands out. The team’s decision to bring in Mastercard as its official naming-rights partner for next season sparked speculation about what it might mean for existing top-tier sponsors like Google and OKX. Traditionally, McLaren’s primary partners enjoy the highest level of sponsorship visibility – a premium position given the team’s growing brand roster.
Despite the recent shake-up in McLaren’s commercial lineup, Google has reaffirmed its commitment at that same primary-partner level. The move underscores the strength of McLaren’s commercial strategy under CEO Zak Brown and highlights the value the brand continues to see in the partnership.
The renewed agreement also signals a strategic shift in what Google wants to spotlight through the partnership. While earlier phases centered heavily on promoting Google Chrome, the focus will now move to its AI assistant, Gemini – specifically the third-generation model unveiled last week. According to Drake, Gemini branding has already taken the place of the Chrome logo on McLaren’s engine covers, reflecting Google’s intent to use the team’s global platform to elevate its AI technology.
In a statement to Marketing Brew, Drake said: “The application of generative AI in the Formula 1 space is really, really exciting,”, commenting on how technology impacts everything from the fan experience to driver support and overall team performance.
McLaren, the reigning Constructors’ Champion for both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, introduced Gemini on its car liveries and race suits last month during the United States Grand Prix in Austin. The team even tapped Gemini’s image-generation capabilities to assist in creating Oscar Piastri’s helmet design for the event. Zak Brown said he also uses Gemini personally for tasks such as research.
Beyond the new AI integration, McLaren continues to rely on several other Google tools, including Wear OS–powered Health features and Android devices, which help maintain communication between drivers and their crews during races and support the analysis of pit-stop performance. According to Drake, McLaren achieved the fastest pit stop in the 2023 F1 season while utilizing Google technology.
For the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Google was preparing a Sphere takeover that will showcase the McLaren F1 car in a series of creatively reimagined styles, ranging from anime-inspired visuals to Renaissance art.
Brown described Google as an ideal sponsor fit for McLaren, noting that the company’s iconic and youthful brand identity, along with its technological, B2B, and fan-engagement strengths, makes it an especially valuable partner for the team.
