Google sponsors McLaren Racing, will put the Chrome logo on its F1 car’s wheels

McLaren Racing, the team behind McLaren F1 along with several other racing outfits such as Extreme E, have announced that they’re partnering up with Google in a major multi-year deal. Google will now become an official partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team as well as the McLaren MX Extreme E team from this year onwards.

As such, you’ll be seeing Android and Chrome branding on McLaren’s MCL36, the team’s current F1 car. The Android robot now sits just behind the driver on the engine cover of the car, while the colours of the Google Chrome logo take over the wheel covers. These wheel covers are back in Formula 1 this season, with F1’s governing body, the FIA, implementing them to reduce the turbulence caused by the car to allow chasing cars to follow one another better. We’re just not sure this was what we had in mind when someone mentioned ‘Chrome-d rims’.

“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.

We’re looking forward to an exciting partnership that spans across Formula 1 and Extreme E,” – Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO

Furthermore, McLaren says that this partnership will bring the best of Google’s hardware into the racing paddock. McLaren will begin using the latest Android devices with 5G capabilities as well as the Chrome browser across its operations during race weekends as the team provide support for the drivers. Google’s branding will also appear on the race suits of McLaren’s F1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, as well as the Number 58 McLaren MX Extreme E race car and the racing suits of their Extreme E drivers Emma Gilmour and Tanner Foust.

This wouldn’t be the first time McLaren has partnered up with a major name in the Android scene of course. McLaren used to be in a major deal with OnePlus, culminating in a couple of special edition McLaren-themed OnePlus smartphones. But that deal ended in 2020, with the last McLaren OnePlus device being the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition.