F1 Rumor: McLaren to Sign with $438 Billion-Worth Payments Card Giant

McLaren has come all guns blazing in 2024, on track and off of it. The F1 team, led by CEO Zak Brown, has the highest number of sponsors on the current grid at 47. They boast of partners like Crypto Giants OKX, Tech behemoths Google and Dell, and many more multibillion-dollar-worth companies. However, there’s another big name set to join their ranks soon. Zak Brown & Co. will take their F1 plans to the next level by fighting off three rivals to partner with a $438 Billion (as per Yahoo finance) payment giant – Mastercard.

In the last six months, McLaren has onboarded a few big-ticket sponsors. In November 2023, they snatched Mercedes’ long-term partner, Monster Energy, on a multi-year contract. Brown, who described the energy drinks brand as “iconic,” then signed performance apparel creator Alpinestars in January 2024. And, only three days after that, the team announced the return of Estrella Galicia 0,0, a Spanish beer brand that left Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, to come back to Brown after five years.

Despite having more sponsors than other rivals, McLaren is currently leading the pack to secure a partnership with Mastercard ahead of the Miami GP. As per SportsBusiness, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Ferrari are the three other teams chasing the same. Aston Martin Boss Lawrence Stroll’s reach and power, however, could help him edge the others out.

With this, Mastercard expands their rivalry with the payment company Visa, which is sponsoring the RB F1 team. Mastercard also marks its next big step into the sporting world after their global partnerships with ICC (International Cricket Council), PGA Tour (Golf), Australian Open (Tennis), MLB (Major League Baseball), and more.

For F1 fans, this new sponsor development comes only a day after Ferrari’s extravagant signing with Tech giants, HP.

Ferrari directly take on McLaren’s Tech Sponsors with HP Title Sponsorship

HP, or Hewlett-Packard, the second largest PC vendors, after Lenovo, became Ferrari’s title sponsor ahead of the Miami GP. The Scuderia will now be called ‘Scuderia Ferrari HP’ – a smart way to avoid the Visa Cash App RB hilarity. HP’s arrival also sees Frederic Vasseur & Co. ditch their iconic red livery to debut an all-blue one for the Miami GP.

In the same way that Mastercard ventures into F1 after their rivals Visa, HP, with Ferrari, goes against McLaren and Dell. Perhaps, because of Max Verstappen, the F1 that was termed ‘boring’, is witnessing rival companies from the outside world entering F1 to add a new layer of competitiveness.

Mastercard will become McLaren’s 48th sponsor if Zak Brown successfully closes the deal. It would bring a new wave of enthusiasm to the F1 team that has impressed everybody with their performance in 2024.