The FIA and F1 give McLaren permission to use these innovative screens, through which advertising will rotate.
The McLaren Formula 1 team can boast of being one of the ones with the most support on the entire grid. Unlike what happened during the past decade, in which the team barely had a few sponsors, it is now one of the most ‘loved’ structures on the grid, despite the fact that its performance is not expected to be brilliant at the start of the season. 2023.
McLaren F1, led by the visionary and successful businessman Zak Brown, always goes one step further and is capable of offering a ‘plus’ to its sponsors. An example of this is that, starting this weekend, we will see a new way of displaying advertising on the car. Beyond being an expensive sticker on the car (which it is), the sponsor’s logo will appear on a screen.
At the moment, McLaren has only placed these screens on the sides of the car’s cockpit, and also on the drivers’ helmets. From time to time, the logos will rotate, with the aim of giving the corresponding visibility to the chosen companies.
For the moment, this advanced solution seems to accommodate companies from the Google ecosystem – team sponsor – such as Chrome or Android, but it undoubtedly opens a new dimension in terms of advertising, drawing much more attention in broadcasts and on all ‘economizes’ space.
It makes sense for the companies, which can show several of their brands occupying the same place in the car, and also for the team, which does not have to give several spaces to several brands of the same sponsor.
But all that glitters is not gold. These panels, developed by Seamless Digital, also have a drawback: their 190g weight. As we have seen in the cars presented this season, the teams have tried to save as much weight as possible, even removing the paint to fight for the last thousandth at stake.
Is it still worth it? Only McLaren can say it, but this is the result, judge for yourself.
The future of advertising has arrived #F1.Mclaren uses micropanels both in the car and in its helmets 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XmSVA2fyif
—BoxInThisLap (@BoxInThisLap) February 25, 2023
“We are delighted to be working with Seamless Digital to introduce one of the most exciting innovations in digital advertising technology,” said Louise McEwen, McLaren Racing’s executive director of brand and marketing. “The ability to rebrand our vehicles is a step forward in this area and we’re looking forward to seeing the impact it has on the industry as a whole.”
“The ability to rebrand in real time on a Formula 1 car will provide greater flexibility and value to teams and partners. Our technology offers more creative options for brands to communicate situationally relevant messages adds Mark Turner, founder and CEO of Seamless Digital.
McLaren F1 already put this system to the test during several free practice sessions last year, and it seems that it has worked, since in the 2023 F1 tests they used it again in the MCL60 of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Just before the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Woking team received permission from F1 and the FIA to use this type of dynamic advertising on the innovative car-mounted displays.
