McLaren and Intel. Picture: McLaren
McLaren Formula 1 Team is accelerating its technology ambitions with a new multi-year partnership with Intel, naming the chip giant as Official Compute Partner of both the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team and Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team.
The deal extends beyond the racetrack, with Intel also joining as an Official Partner of the McLaren F1 Sim Racing Team — a move that highlights how competitive motorsport is increasingly shaped as much by data as by driver talent.
Turning race data into competitive advantage
Modern Formula 1 cars generate enormous volumes of telemetry during a race weekend, from tyre temperatures to aerodynamic performance metrics. McLaren says Intel’s compute technologies will help transform that raw data into real-time decision making through secure, scalable infrastructure and advanced edge computing.
That means faster analytics trackside, improved strategy calls during races, and more efficient engineering workflows behind the scenes. In an era where milliseconds determine podium finishes, compute power has become as critical as horsepower.
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McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown described the partnership as a key step in scaling innovation across the team’s racing operations, while Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan called Formula 1 and IndyCar “ultimate proving grounds” for high-performance computing.
Branding beyond the track
Intel branding will make its debut on McLaren’s Formula 1 cars at the upcoming Montreal Grand Prix, while Arrow McLaren IndyCar entries will feature Intel branding at major events including the Freedom 250 and, from 2027, the legendary Indianapolis 500.
The partnership will also extend into esports, with Intel appearing on McLaren’s sim racing hardware and future virtual liveries — another signal that the future of motorsport increasingly exists both on-track and online.
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