Woking has quickly become a very handy place for investors. While on track some more work needs to be done by McLaren, the iconic British team, in the recent past, has comfortably overtaken its more successful rivals in terms of becoming a haven for sponsors. For instance, reigning world champions Red Bull have 36 sponsors for 2024, on the other hand, McLaren boasts a portfolio of 45 brands.
One of the most prominent sponsors and stakeholders of the team, Mumtalakat have extended their fiscal control over the iconic British team with an injection of funds over Christmas, taking their stake up to 56% in the team. The $18 Billion worth sovereign bank of Bahrain has doled in a hefty payout of cash for the team to exploit in their battle for supremacy in Formula 1 in 2024.
What’s more, after a long-standing alliance with Mercedes, Monster Energy has been lured away from Brackley into the welcoming hands of McLaren. Monster and Mercedes’ alliance ran deep, given they even had limited edition ‘Lewis Hamilton’ flavors. However, the prospect of a commercial future with the Papaya team was enough to sway them away.
Another big acquisition for McLaren is the re-signing of Estrella Galicia. The Spanish beer conglomerate was actually a personal sponsor of Carlos Sainz since 2015. They left McLaren for Ferrari when Sainz made the switch. However, just three years later, they’ve ditched the Spanish racing ace to reconnect with the team.
| As of January 2024, McLaren leads the field with a total of 45, closely followed by Red Bull with 39.
[via: @decalspotters] pic.twitter.com/huxhCfhPAT
— McLaren F1 News (@FormulaShambles) January 17, 2024
And just like that, McLaren are now leading as the team with the most number of sponsors, despite finishing 4th in the Constructors’ championship last year.
McLaren really starting to make waves as the 2024 F1 season approaches
There is a reason why brands with millions and millions of dollars are willing to sponsor a team like McLaren. For starters, with sponsorship guru, Zak Brown at the helm of the team, his silver tongue is enough to sway anyone. However, there is a deeper reason for the success McLaren is garnering in terms of financial inflow and support.
2023 stood testament to the fact that McLaren are a team going somewhere, really fast. Their immense recovery from their early season struggles led to the team bagging an impressive 9 podium finishes in 2023, second only to the all-dominant Red Bull.
: Lando Norris anticipates “bigger” changes from McLaren in the 2024 Formula 1 season following their improved competitive position in 2023. With significant upgrades and a mid-season surge, McLaren secured seven podiums and finished fourth in the Constructors’ standings.… pic.twitter.com/x6BASSwYPv
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) January 9, 2024
What’s more, Oscar Piastri won an F1 Sprint Race in his rookie season when he staved off the Bulls’ Max Verstappen during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Weekend. Naturally, the team’s stock is rising as they seem like the most probable outfit to put an end to Red Bull’s incessant reign of dominance.
Another asset they have in terms of luring sponsors their way is their driver lineup. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are two exceptionally talented and likeable drivers with age on their side – a potent combination to make any sponsor fall head over their heels for them.
