How McLaren’s £75m Mastercard contract compares to Formula 1’s other title sponsorship deals

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McLaren have revealed they will have a new title sponsor for the 2026 season in the form of global payment giant Mastercard.

The deal is estimated to be worth $100 million (£75m) per season, according to The Athletic, in a multi-year deal that runs through the 2030s.

It is the first title sponsor that McLaren has had since 2013 when they raced with telecommunications company Vodafone, which ended following a period of decline for the team.

McLaren have had Mastercard as a primary sponsor since midway through 2024, and now that has expanded amid their resurgence in form on track, which included winning the Constructors’ Championship last year.

The deal with Mastercard is set to be one of the biggest on the grid, so here is how it compares to their rival teams.

How McLaren’s Mastercard deal compares to Red Bull and Ferrari

Sponsorship deals in Formula 1 are key to how a team funds its racing. The brands pay big money for the exposure they will get in a race, and in return, teams can use the money to build up resources and improve performance on track.

One of the biggest sponsorship deals on the grid is Oracle and Red Bull Racing, which is worth $500 million (£375m) in a multi-year deal (via ESPN), putting it on par with McLaren at $100 million (£75m) per year.

Aston Martin’s deal with Aramco is worth $75 million (£55m) per season (via RacingNews365), which is also a multi-year contract, with the Saudi Arabian oil company set to be their main lubricants supplier from 2026.

Petronas is a long-time sponsor of Mercedes, which costs them $70 million (£50m) per season, while Ferrari’s recent deal with Hewlett-Packard is $100 million (£75m) per season.

F1 teams take advantage of global popularity

It’s no secret that F1 teams have been taking advantage in the boom of popularity that the sport has experienced in the last few years, in part driven by Drive to Survive and recently the Hollywood action film starring Brad Pitt.

Recent figures show that there are 827 million fans of F1 globally, which is up 12% year-on-year according to F1, with the fanbase largely under 35 years old.

There has also been an increase in fans in certain territories, including the US, which now has 52 million fans and China, which is 221 million – a 31% increase year-on-year.

Attendees to races are also up by 2.6 million compared to figures in 2018, suggesting that more people than ever are attending races trackside.