How do you give fans a greater insight into one of the world’s leading motorsport World Championships, all while talking to a new audience? Evo Sessions, of course.  

Evo Sessions is a new, unique, and ambitious initiative from Formula E that will see a selection of famous faces take to the track in the 2024/25 GEN3 Evo cars for a world-first event at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on 5-6 March.  

Stars will occasionally get a chance to ride as a passenger in a supercar or to get behind the wheel of an older race car, but never before has current machinery been handed over. And to so many, too – 11 people from the world of media, sports and entertainment will take part in Evo Sessions, with each of them being assigned to a team, which will take them through the journey of what it takes to become a top-level racing driver. 

It’s not just about giving some well-known novices an unforgettable experience, though. Evo Sessions will give fans – both old and new, with the 11 involved also documenting the experience for their own vast followings – an unprecedented behind the scenes look at a Formula E driver’s life. Evo Sessions will provide an insight unlike ever before, showing the challenges of what it takes to become a true professional in the pinnacle of motorsport. 

Introducing Cleo Abram 

For the event, the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team is welcoming technology journalist and content creator Cleo Abram into our ranks.  

Cleo is best-known for her online series ‘Huge if True’, which delves into the latest innovations and explores how they will create a better future and improve life for everyone – much like how Formula E’s ethos is rooted in the development of electromobility as the automotive world looks to a cleaner future. Not only that, she’s a perfect fit for us as an organisation that has been a long-time leader in motorsport innovation. 

As someone who reports on the world of technology, Cleo is ideally suited to bring Formula E to those that might enjoy the series’ developments on and off-track, but might not be as clued up on motorsport. She already has a great grasp of the cutting-edge world of Formula E, only now she gets to live it in real time as well – and take all of you along for the ride with her. 

How has Cleo prepared for Evo Sessions? 

Cleo has been working closely with the team, including Sam Bird, as well as Taylor Barnard’s Race Engineer Grant Clarke, as part of her preparations. 

Ahead of the trip to Miami, part of those preparations involved Cleo spending two full days at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking and NEOM McLaren Electric Racing’s HQ in Bicester, to get up to speed. 

First up were introductions and initial preparations across a half-day, where she was fitted for her race suit, had a seat fitting in the GEN3 Evo car, and got an early grasp of the simulator controls.  

On her second day, she jumped into the simulator for the first time, but not before a tour of the MTC, where she became fully integrated in the McLaren operation, while learning more about our illustrious history. Cleo also spent time on track, karting with Sam, as part of his driver coaching. The entire process was wrapped up with another half-day, spent entirely in the simulator. 

 

Captured on camera: Cleo meeting her race team for the first time. 🎥

Taking you step by step through Cleo’s journey to Evo Sessions. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/eHGh6JR15i

— NEOM McLaren FE (@McLarenFE) February 25, 2025

What will happen in Miami? 

The entire Evo Sessions event will feel like a real-life Formula E race weekend, where Cleo will be fully integrated into the team as its driver and surrounded by the same group that work in the team at Formula E races.

After arriving at the venue, well-known to McLaren fans as the site of Lando Norris’ first Grand Prix victory, Cleo will complete a track walk and then go straight into a briefing.  

Before Cleo’s first on-track outing, Sam will take the car for a shakedown, which will also give the team the chance to learn more about the track and how the car behaves on it. This will also provide Sam with an opportunity to gain any knowledge he can pass on to Cleo, before she takes to the track for her first 20-minute practice session. 

On the next day, there will be another 20-minute session. As with the first session the day before, Cleo and the other participants will take to the track on their own, with the running order decided by the current Formula E team standings. In this session, Cleo will get as close to experiencing a Formula E weekend from a drivers’ perspective as possible – something that no other series in the world has ever offered. 

How can McLaren fans follow the event? 

Evo Sessions is a ‘social first’ event, taking fans along for the ride and behind the scenes in real-time on the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team’s social media channels and on Formula E’s social media channels. 

We will also host an eight-part content series from Evo Sessions, giving fans a peek behind the curtain, shadowing Cleo right through her preparation phase as she gets acquainted with the GEN3 Evo car and its complex controls, right through to her taking to the track in Miami, showing what it really takes to become a McLaren driver. 

Want to come with us for the never-before-seen event? Follow along on NEOM McLaren’s social media channels (Instagram and X) and Formula E’s too, to see how Cleo gets on as she becomes the latest in a long line of McLaren drivers.