McLaren Shadow, McLaren Racing’s esports outfit, today launched their new look for the next F1 Sim Racing World Championship.

Ahead of the upcoming season, McLaren Racing are delighted to announce NEOM as Official Principal Partner of the McLaren Shadow F1 esports team. NEOM became Title Partner of the NEOM McLaren Formula E and Extreme E Teams in 2022, bringing two all-electric race series together under the banner of ‘NEOM McLaren Electric Racing’. Through this principal partnership, NEOM and McLaren Shadow will collaborate on developing talent pathways in Saudi Arabia from grassroots through to high-performance sim racing, including opportunities to train in the McLaren Shadow Academy. With technology at its core, the expansion of the partnership further unifies McLaren’s virtual and physical racing series and underpins a shared ambition to champion esports on a global scale.

As part of the launch, the team debuts a new livery. The iconic McLaren papaya meets the Shadow black, with new Official Primary Partner NEOM visually prominent in places such as the sidepods, front wing and halo. The new jersey matches this design language and will be worn by the drivers when competing in the championship.

Earlier in the year, the team confirmed its line-up of 2022 F1 Drivers’ Champion Lucas Blakeley and McLaren Shadow Academy graduate Wilson Hughes, with Dani Moreno re-joining the team from the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Esports Team. Lucas, Wilson, and Dani will represent the team in next F1 Sim Racing season.

Lucas Blakeley, Driver, McLaren Shadow, said:

“The new livery is amazing. It looks very stealthy and feels really Shadow. I really cannot wait to represent the team with the new look with our new Official Primary Partner on board. It's going to be really cool, and I can't wait to see it all come together.”

Wilson Hughes, Driver, McLaren Shadow, said:

"I'm really excited to be back with the team. We have a new teammate, and I‘ve enjoyed getting the laps in with him so far. Obviously, we've got to try and retain our championship, and we're going to do it looking good with the new livery and jersey. It’s also great that we’ve got a new partner on board. I'm super excited.”

Dani Moreno, Driver, McLaren Shadow, said:

“The new livery and jerseys look brilliant and it’s cool to have a new partner on the journey with us. There is a lot of excitement and a lot of challenges ahead, but I’m confident in our team. Despite only re-joining the team recently, we’ve already built a good bond. I’m excited to get going.”

Neil Walker, Head of Esports and Gaming, McLaren Racing, said:

"It’s great to re-launch the team with this new look and feel. I can’t think of a better way of doing it than with our new Official Principal Partner NEOM and our strong line-up of Lucas, Wilson, and Dani.

“The team are pleased to welcome NEOM to McLaren Shadow, building on their successful partnership with our NEOM McLaren Electric Racing teams in Formula E and Extreme E. We look forward to the collaboration to come, with a focus on developing grassroots talent in the sport. This is incredibly important to the team and wider McLaren Racing family. Supporting the talent of tomorrow is a key aim of our talent pathways, of which our own Wilson Hughes is a key example.

“The jersey and livery provide a bold look for the team, combining the iconic papaya with a distinct McLaren Shadow identity. Our intention to win the championship again is clear, all that's left now is to go racing.”