McLaren Shadow, the esports arm of British racing brand McLaren Racing, has today announced NEOM as Official Principal Partner of the McLaren Shadow F1 esports team.
NEOM is the name of the tech city being developed in Saudi Arabia, which has sparked controversy within esports in the past.
In July 2020, Riot Games’ planned partnership with NEOM was cut short following backlash from the community over Saudi’s human rights record, particularly towards women and LGBTQ+ people.
Today it’s been announced that NEOM will be part of McLaren’s new look for the next F1 Sim Racing World Championship. 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’.
NEOM also 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’.
According to a press release today: “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.
Neil Walker, Head of Esports and Gaming, said: “It’s great to relaunch 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.”
Neil Walker, McLaren Shadow
“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.”
Lucas Blakeley, driver at 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, another driver at McLaren Shadow, added: “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, another driver at McLaren Shadow, commented: “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.”
McLaren Shadow deal comes as NEOM opens international office in London
NEOM has opened its first international office in Chancery House, Holborn, London, which will serve as a base for NEOM’s business across Europe.
The UK office will aim to ‘build on existing relations with partners, investors and stakeholders across the continent, and nurturing new ones’.
The opening was led by Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, who each addressed the guests and partners in attendance.
Abdallah Alhazani will lead the new NEOM Europe entity as CEO, transitioning from his current role as an Executive Director of Oxagon, NEOM’s center for ‘advanced and clean industries’. Prior to that, Abdallah served as an Executive Director of NEOM Investment Fund, NEOM’s strategic investment arm.
A press release stated the new office “represents a major milestone in NEOM’s efforts to expand its international footprint, with many successful partnerships having already been established between NEOM and UK entities. It is anticipated that NEOM’s new local presence will help identify future opportunities for collaboration as well as strengthen existing relationships, accelerating its efforts to address global challenges by redefining livability, business and conservation.”
The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said: “I was delighted to join HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Ambassador to the UK, and the CEO of NEOM, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, to celebrate the opening of NEOM’s office in London, which is its first internationally. This is an important milestone, integrating NEOM with London’s finance and tech ecosystems, with the potential for London to become NEOM’s second home for design and project management, promoting investment and growth across the UK.”
Related article: Navigating through Saudi Arabia’s continued rise in esports
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
