In partnership with VELO, the McLaren F1 Team revealed an exciting new logo at the Dutch Grand Prix, which involved the word ‘LOVE’.
For those who watched the Grand Prix and wondered why McLaren were running a new logo, it is in fact a fan-based project currently going on between the two companies. The logo is actually made up of messages from ninety-five of McLaren’s fans, in a bid to spread positivity and reveal some of their fans supportive notes.
A series done by the two will also reveal some of the team’s fans and why they love motorsport, hence the logo! The logo was situated on both of Daniel Ricciardo‘s and Lando Norris‘ sidepods at Zandvoort, with The Netherlands being known for having a ‘love culture’.
This was evident on Max Verstappen‘s drive to victory, where the orange army celebrated and embraced with each other, as they saw their idol claim back-to-back home victories. The lucky ninety-five fans who had their messages make up the logo, were chosen out of 2,700 applicants. The competition was run globally, with one of the ninety-five winners having had their message of “Viva La Papaya” make up part of the ‘LOVE’ logo.
McLaren’s and VELO’s series will launch on September 22, named ‘Love the Unexpected‘ and will see a variety of chosen fans share their own personal story with motorsport and why they follow it. Two of the fans who will feature in the series are Matthew Poat and Alex Crees.
Poat is a chocolatier who is better known as Racing Chocs, and lives just minutes away from the home of the British Grand Prix. The series will delve into Poat’s love for motorsport and McLaren, as well as how he mixes chocolate and motorsport to make inspired tasty treats!
The story of Crees could not be any more different, with Crees having watched Formula 1 from some of the most unbelievable places. The series will show Crees’ story of living in Indonesia, whilst watching the racing no matter where he is. The series will look into how Crees has watched Formula 1 whilst on a boat under the Indonesian sky at 3am, and also whilst hiking a mountain in Komodo. The crazy thing is, this isn’t even the most unimaginable place he’s watched the sport!
From the edge of a volcano to shark-infested waters, by tuning into the series you will find out all the weird and wonderful places Crees has watched the sport he loves.
John Beasley, Group Head of Brand Building, BAT (owners of VELO), can’t wait to celebrate fans “passion and energy” which “fuels the sport”.
“We wanted to do something different and unexpected that celebrated our love for the fans whose passion and energy fuels the sport. With the support of our partnership with The McLaren F1 Team, we’ve offered fans a unique opportunity to see their name race around the track in front of the global motorsport fanbase.
“This is just one example of VELO’s passion to deliver unexpected experiences for fans, and we want to continue to celebrate those that make the sport what it is today. By uncovering their passion and drive for motorsports and the ways in which they celebrate it, our fan-focused videos showcase the exceptional world of motorsport fans and their captivating stories of love for the sport.”
Lou McEwen, Executive Director, Brand & Creative, The McLaren F1 Team, is proud of the team’s ‘LOVE’ logo used at Zandvoort, with it being done to “celebrate some of McLaren’s greatest supporters”.
“Fans are at the heart of every sport, but motorsport fandom is like no other. Through the partnership with VELO, we have placed fans firmly on the focal point of motorsport, the car, and have championed their captivating stories with our fan-focused videos. The bespoke ‘LOVE’ lettering is the first time that fans and their messages have been featured on the car and we are proud to celebrate some of McLaren’s greatest supporters.”
