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As Gabriel, Arabella, and Sophie stroll from the entrance of the McLaren Technology Centre and across the Boulevard to our glistening trophy cabinet, cameras clicking and flashing on either side of them, you’d have been forgiven for thinking they were hired professionals, modelling our new merchandise ranges. But in actual fact, they’re key members of the McLaren Racing team, with crucial day jobs.

It's a Saturday morning at the MTC and the trio have been up since the early hours of the morning for this photoshoot.

Gabriel Galarza has worked at McLaren for nearly three years in the Vehicle Design Department as a Senior Associate, Structures Engineer. Arabella Turner is in her fourth year with McLaren, working as a Senior Associate, Finance Partner. And Sophie Darragh is a Senior Manager, Accelerator Projects in the Partnerships team, having worked for McLaren for just under a year.

As part of their day jobs, they play pivotal roles in our performance on and off track, but on this particular Saturday, they’re models. For 2024, we’ve put our people front and centre of our team-and-fanwear launches, offering our team the chance to join our group of models and influencers at our recent merchandise photoshoots.

“For me, this was a good opportunity because, throughout the year, my role sees me spend most of my time completing technical work on the car,” says Gabriel, who is currently wearing our Papaya Core Essentials hoodie.. “We had an early start at the MTC today, but it was nice to be here on a weekend doing something different to what I normally do.

“This is the first time I have done any modelling. I am wearing one of the new McLaren hoodies, which is a really nice colour, and the new papaya-coloured trainers. I got to choose it all myself. There was a really good atmosphere here today. Everybody was helping each other out and really friendly. We had music playing, and there was a chilled vibe to the day.”

Wearing the Bright White Core Essentials T-Shirt, Sophie adds: “I chose to get involved in the shoot because day to day my role is quite technical. I work on the more technical side of our partnerships, but because I am in the Partnerships team, I am exposed to the creativity, the content and all the awesome stuff that we put out on our social channels.

“For me, this was an opportunity to get involved with that creative side of the business. Plus, it's been really fun to meet different people from different teams throughout the day.”

Unlike Gabriel, Arabella and Sophie don’t work directly on the car, but they still play a pivotal role in our on-track performances. Sophie through partnership recruitment and retention, which funds our race team, and Arabella through the management of our finances.

During company-wide debriefs and smaller department meetings, Andrea and our senior leaders ask the team to be “comfortable in the uncomfortable” and this shoot plays into that. Gabriel, Arabella, and Sophie all highlighted the benefit of this modelling shoot in taking them out of their comfort zones, which will have a positive impact both on their self-confidence and their willingness to take risks in the workplace.

“I really wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone,” Arabella says. “I spend my days mostly working on spreadsheets, so this is completely different. It is great to experience the creative side of the business and to get to know people that I would never cross paths with normally.”

Gabriel nods along with Arabella, adding: “This allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and do something more social with my colleagues and with the models and influencers. It was nice to see some of my work colleagues today and to meet some for the first time.”

“We all picked out the clothes we felt comfortable in and got to have a sneak peek of the new merch, which was nice,” Arabella says. “We then went outside, where we did the first photo and video shoots, before coming back indoors to change ready for the second photoshoot. It has been a nice, chilled day. We had music on, and everyone brought good energy.”

Sophie adds: “We were filming on a Saturday, and it was really quiet in the MTC, so it's been awesome for everyone to bring that energy in and to have a positive mindset. It has been nice to see some of the new merch and to get an early sneak peek of that.

“We had breakfast this morning, where we got the chance to get to speak to our McLaren colleagues and get to know the models and influencers that were taking part in the shoot. We then got to try on different items to get a feel for what we were comfortable in and for what we thought best matched our personal style. It was very chilly outside during the photoshoot, so we had to brace ourselves for that, but it was really enjoyable. The atmosphere was really good with a lot of energy.”

You can get your hands on our new range of merchandise on the McLaren Store. We’ve also compiled a handy guide on how to style the Essentials range here. Don’t forget to show us your new fits using #FansLikeNoOther.