Mastercard swipes McLaren F1 naming rights from 2026

• McLaren’s first title sponsor since Vodafone deal ended in 2013
• Estimated to be largest commercial agreement in McLaren’s history

The McLaren Formula One team and Mastercard have announced the global payments provider will be the team’s official naming rights partner from 2026 in a deal worth an estimated US$100 million per season, according to The Athletic.

From next year, the team will be known as the ‘McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team’, the first time McLaren will have a title sponsor since Vodafone ended its partnership at the end of the 2013 season. The long-term agreement is understood to run until the mid-2030s.

McLaren was the last team on the grid without a title sponsorship in place, but now it will possess the most financially lucrative agreement of all teams. Ferrari and Red Bull’s respective deals with HP and Oracle are thought to be worth between US$60 million and US$70 million per season.

Earlier this year, McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown claimed the team had likely generated the most revenue in Formula One history. Now, the Woking-based outfit has signed the largest commercial deal in their history.

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Mastercard has been part of McLaren’s substantial partner network since 2024, signing on as a primary partner alongside OKX and Google. The team’s commercial portfolio has been drastically overhauled under the leadership of Brown with 53 current partners in total.

“There is no one more important to us than our awesome fans, so I could not be more delighted to enter this next chapter in our partnership with Mastercard with a promise to our Papaya Family around the world: that we will continue to put our fans first, bring them even closer to the team, and offer incredible experiences,” said Brown.

“Mastercard is a fantastic partner who shares our passion and values, so to have them on board as naming partner will offer us the perfect launch pad to keep pushing on and off track – and I cannot wait to see Team Priceless come to life in 2026.”

‘Team Priceless’ is the name given to the programme of activations that Mastercard will undertake as part of this expanded partnership. At select races, fans will be given the opportunity to experience hot laps, driver meetings, and events in the local cities.

McLaren will host a fan event in Amsterdam on 27th August ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix to celebrate the launch of this new partnership.

BlackBook says…

Until now, McLaren had been unique in its commercial approach, eschewing lucrative title sponsorships in lieu of promoting its own, unmistakable papaya-themed brand. Mastercard brings both blue-chip credentials and significant revenues, but it remains to be seen whether its involvement and its own commercial interests will dilute the power of the McLaren brand. 

It will also be interesting to see what this means for the existing primary partners – OKX and Google – who likely did not sign up to play second fiddle to a title partner.

But McLaren will feel the financial rewards from this new deal far outweigh any worries around branding or sponsor dissatisfaction. In many ways, McLaren has timed this perfectly.

The team is currently the dominant force in Formula One, vastly inflating the annual cost of a title sponsorship. Ahead of a regulation change that could upset the competitive order, McLaren have cashed in on a top partner at the right time.

For Mastercard, this deal ties them to the series’ most successful team at the moment – its logo is guaranteed to be on the reigning champion’s car next year, whether that’s Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri. But, perhaps more importantly given McLaren’s on-track success isn’t guaranteed in the long-term, Mastercard is now tied to Formula One’s most popular team, according to a recent fan survey from The Race.

It also makes sense for Mastercard to flex its considerable weight at a time when competition in the financial services market has never been fiercer and many of its rivals are also turning to motorsport to promote their wares. Visa and Cash App, for example, have title sponsored the Racing Bulls outfit for the past two seasons.