McLaren announces Mastercard as new title sponsor from 2026

McLaren will have its first title sponsor for 13 years next season after announcing an expanded deal with Mastercard.

The financial services company joined forces with McLaren last year and has carried its logos since then. It has now agreed a deal which will see the team rebranded as McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team from the 2026 F1 season.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said Mastercard is “a fantastic partner who shares our passion and values.”

The team last had a title sponsor in 2013, which was the final year of its association with Vodafone, which began in 2007. Prior to that it was backed by tobacco brands West (from 1997 to 2005) and Marlboro (from 1974 to 1996).

The deal comes as McLaren are enjoying their best form for many years. The team scored its first constructors’ championship victory since 2008 last year and is almost guaranteed to repeat that success this year as it enjoys a commanding lead in the standings.

McLaren’s drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will appear at a special event for fans hosted by Mastercard this evening in Amsterdam, ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend at Zandvoort. The team intends to offer special fan experiences next year in conjunction with Mastercard, branded as ‘Team Priceless’.

Mastercard was previously the title sponsor for Lola during its doomed return to F1 in 1997. The team hoped to raise money by selling subscriptions to Mastercard’s customers. However the initiative failed to attract sufficient backers and the team’s cars proved disastrously uncompetitive. After they failed to qualify for the season-opening race at Melbourne in Australia they took no further part in the championship.

The Jordan F1 team later agreed a sponsorship deal with Mastercard, whose logos appeared on their cars in the late nineties and early noughts. However this did not include a title sponsorship arrangement.

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