McLaren has reunited with Gulf Oil International after announcing a multi-year strategic partnership with the lubricant firm, which covers McLaren Racing and its luxury supercar company McLaren Automotive.
The new agreement see’s the lubricant firm become an official partner of the two McLaren entities with Gulf’s brand being integrated into the Formula 1 team from the British Grand Prix 2020 on July 31.
As a result, Gulf’s logo will be represented by McLaren F1 personnel throughout the 2020 F1 season, including via race drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz and the McLaren pit crew. Additional branding will also appear on the engine covers and wing mirrors of the McLaren race cars.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing stated: “We’re delighted to welcome Gulf back to McLaren and reunite two iconic brands back together in a new and exciting partnership. Gulf is part of McLaren’s history and are well-known for their innovation and technical excellence in the industry, which aligns with McLaren perfectly. We are looking forward to starting our partnership together this season.”
Mike Jones, CEO, Gulf Oil added: “This is a very exciting partnership that brings the Gulf brand back into elite motor racing. The history books are full of remarkable tales that tell of what Gulf and McLaren have achieved in the past. Now we are together once more to write the next chapter of this unique partnership.
“We’re proud to be working alongside a brand that shares our future aspirations and our ambition for innovation both on the road and on the track. We look forward to working together and developing both Gulf and McLaren’s class-leading capabilities further.”
Gulf will also become the preferred lubricant supplier to McLaren Automotive from 2021 with a small and exclusive number of customers gaining the opportunity to have their McLaren supercar hand-painted by McLaren Special Operations. The car will be painted in the style of the F1 GTR Le Mans car that raced in the 1990s, which was the last time Gulf and McLaren partnered with each other.
The move follows on from McLaren’s previous partner Petrobras having terminated its deal at the end of last year by the Brazilian government as part of various cost-cutting measures.
