Google Signs Agreement With Mclaren
Tech giant Google has struck a deal with British motor racing team McLaren that will see promotion of its Android and Chrome brands.
With Formula 1 set to return on 20th March with the Bahrain Grand Prix, Alphabet Inc-owned Google will see its consumer brands adorning both the McLaren F1 and Extreme E cars this year. Although the value of the deal remains unclear, it signals the continued resurgence of McLaren’s commercial partnerships which has been boosted by the improving results on the track.
Under McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown, the team has finished third or fourth in each of the last three years and secured its first pole position and race win in almost a decade last season. McLaren is understood to have quadrupled its annual sponsorship income to well over £100m under Mr Brown’s leadership, adding brands such as Dell Technologies, Cisco, Coca Cola, Unilever and Stanley Black & Decker.
Despite F1’s overall commercial fortunes continuing to improve, the Google deal remains a coup for McLaren. Android-branded devices and Chrome operating system will receive prominent exposure across the team’s cars and drivers.
Brown said, “We are absolutely delighted and proud to welcome Google to the McLaren Racing family. Google is a global leader in technology and has been a ground-breaking innovator in connecting people around the world. By integrating platforms like Android and Chrome across our operations, our team will be better supported to focus on driving performance.”
Vice president of marketing at Google, Nicholas Drake, added, “McLaren Racing represents the very best of what’s possible on a racetrack across performance, inclusion and sustainability, and those are values we share at Google.“
Image: Unsplash
