McLaren’s Zak Brown, Mastercard’s Raja Rajamannar tout partnership ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix

McLaren Racing Formula 1 Team and Mastercard officially launched their partnership on Thursday ahead of practice for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and Mastercard chief marketing and communications officer Raja Rajamannar hosted several media outlets for a roundtable session at the KÀ by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. Mastercard’s red and yellow circles will be seen on the vehicles driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri this weekend.

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“One of the biggest brands in the world – global brand, innovation, technology, master of consumer reach,” Brown said, adding that partnering with Mastercard was another way to help McLaren build better relationships with fans. “It’s critically important to us. (Mastercard’s) sponsorship portfolio is second to none and looking forward to collaborating with some other sports.

“I think a successful partnership is when you have a lot of support from the executive which no doubt will be passed down to the entire organization. So, [Mastercard] ticks every box.”

Rajamannar said the company wanted to be in Formula 1 because of its growth over the last few years, and because of McLaren’s own brand and success, “it became evident” that it had to partner with the race team.

“This company and this brand has got an incredible storied history … and more recently it has been seen as the most loved brand based on our research among all the teams,” Rajamannar said. “When we get into partnerships, we want to make sure that it appeals to everybody, not just a particular stereotype.”

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Brown said when McLaren Racing started on a journey with growing the organization in 2017, they didn’t have any major brands it had partnered with and suggested the growth exceeded expectations.

“If you look at where we are today, I think we had won the world championship in partnerships of our racing car. Hopefully that will be followed with winning the world championship on the racetrack.”

Earlier Thursday, Rajamannar said Mastercard offered 135 cardholders special grandstand tickets and a Cirque du Soleil experience. The 135 number paid homage to Piastri’s fastest lap mark he set at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year.

“Over the course of our partnership, we’ll continue to bring cardholders unique access through priceless.com, combining racing with other passion areas for deeper and richer experiences — and helping cardholders go behind the scenes with McLaren,” he added in a news release. “We can’t wait to share the fan-focused experiences planned for 2025.”

The Las Vegas Strip transformed into a Formula 1 track for the second straight year. The race is set for early Sunday morning for those on the East Coast at 1 a.m. Those on the West Coast will be able to watch starting at 10 p.m. PT.