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The Dutch Grand Prix may not be until September, but we’re off to the Netherlands this weekend, visiting Rotterdam for TwitchCon, one of the world’s largest gaming and streaming conventions.

The popularity of gaming and sim racing has exploded across F1 in recent years, with Lando among the drivers who have regularly streamed on Twitch. Many of our biggest fans are lovers of the popular live-streaming platform.

Sim racing has also become a hugely competitive sport in its own right. We became the first team to enter the esports space in 2017 and made our debut as the McLaren Shadow Team in the F1 Esports Series the year after. Success followed in 2022 when we won the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championship titles.

So what is TwitchCon, what are McLaren doing there, and what prizes will be on offer? To ensure you’re prepared for the weekend ahead, we’ve answered your biggest questions.

I’m intrigued, what is TwitchCon? 🤔

A gaming-enthusiasts paradise. More than 30,000 people attend TwitchCon every year, and we’ll be amongst them this year, meeting up with fellow gamers, streamers and fans.

Ran by Twitch, the event has been hosted semi-annually since 2015, with the first European convention held in Berlin in 2019. This year, the event will take place 28-30 June in Rotterdam at Rotterdam Ahoy and many of the world’s biggest streamers will be attending including aimsey, bekyamon, daniellippens, DyaRikku and Ebonix.

Sounds fun! So where can we find McLaren at TwitchCon?

We’ll not have a set location at TwitchCon, but a floating presence, allowing us to get in and amongst it at the event and meet as many of you as possible, with plenty of prizes to give away.

Throughout Friday, we’ll explore Rotterdam and visit many of its most famous landmarks and experiences, including The Markthal, Erasmus Bridge, and Euromast.

Then, on Saturday and Sunday we’ll be hitting the Rotterdam Ahoy, covering the arena in McLaren stickers and discovering everything TwitchCon has to offer. You’ll find us dressed in full McLaren merchandise, and we’ll be recruiting new members of the Papaya Army, trying to hand out as many McLaren stickers, lanyards and keyrings to you as possible. Claim one, and you’ll become an official member of the Papaya Army. 

We’ll also be carrying a McLaren flag on a pole to ensure you can find us, and handing out McLaren hats to anyone who looks like they’re lacking in papaya.  

We’re assuming you have some exciting plans for TwitchCon?!

You assume correct! In addition to recruiting new team members, we’ll be joined by an old one: Bruce the McLaren Bear, who will join us on our adventure to the Netherlands. Bruce will be available for selfies and to answer all of your questions (excuse him if he has to speak through our team, he can be shy).

Bruce will be helping us to carry around giant Lando, Oscar and Lucas Blakeley heads for you to sign. We’ll then pack these into our TUMI suitcases and take them back to the MTC for our drivers to read, so make sure to come prepared with a good message.

Papaya Army, we challenge you to a 1v1. Like you, we’re huge gaming fans, but not just virtually. At TwitchCon, we’ll be waiting to face off with our fans at a classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors (or any other challenge you choose). Beat us, and you’ll win prizes and gain points towards being named as the “biggest McLaren fan” at the event. Let the battle commence.

Any other plans?

Yes! If you’re unable to find us on Friday or Saturday or just want to see even more of our smiley papaya faces (who wouldn’t?), we’ll be hosting a community meet-up on Sunday morning outside of the arena. The first to arrive will receive prizes, but even if you’re the last to find us, you’ve still got a chance, just challenge us to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, or something similar. Oh, and don’t forget to take a selfie with your fellow McLaren fans.

As well as the community meetup, we’ll be organising a race watch of Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, so we can all enjoy seeing Lando and Oscar in action together. Keep an eye on the McLaren Shadow social channels for more specific details of this closer to the day.

So… what prizes are on offer? 👀

We’ve packed our TUMI suitcases and backpacks with McLaren stickers, lanyards, keyrings, pins and caps to give away, but the showstopper is our competition to win a race experience in Zandvoort.

As well as receiving two Grandstand tickets for the Dutch Grand Prix, winners of our race experience will receive two McLaren Shadow Jerseys, two McLaren Shadow Caps, two McLaren Lanyards, two McLaren Keyrings, and two McLaren Pins.

Entering couldn’t be simpler, all you have to do is find us during the weekend and scan a QR code on a McLaren speedmark.

Keep up to date with everything we get up to in the Netherlands by following the McLaren Shadow Team on X, Instagram, and Facebook. 

We can’t wait to see you there dressed in your favourite McLaren gear.