McLaren and Gulf Oil International Ltd on Tuesday announced a multi-year strategic partnership that will see Gulf, one of the most popular lubricant brands in the world, partner with world-famous race team McLaren Racing and luxury supercar maker McLaren Automotive.
The partnership has reunited two popular brands that have a long-standing and successful history together and symbolizes a united ambition to use both brands’ innovation and class-leading capabilities to create a winning formula, both on the track and on the road.
Gulf’s association with McLaren started in 1968 and continued until the end of the 1973 season, with Gulf and McLaren enjoying success in both Formula 1 and the Can-Am series, in which the partnership won more than 40 races.
The partnership was then revived at the Le Mans 24 Hours in the 1990’s, with the McLaren F1 GTR running in Gulf colors during the decade.
From 2021, Gulf is set to become the preferred lubricant provider to McLaren Automotive, with all cars to be filled with Gulf Oil and fuel optimized for high-performance engines.
Gulf branding will also be showcasing at McLaren Automotive’s PURE customer events that occur around the world, at retailers and on the team kit.
Furthermore, a small and exclusive number of consumers will be given the choice to have their McLaren supercar hand-painted by McLaren Special Operations, the company’s bespoke division, in Gulf liveries and colours which echo the famous F1 GTR Le Mans car participated in the race in the 1990’s.
To introduce the partnership, the Gulf Oil brand is going to be integrated into the McLaren Formula 1 team from the British Grand Prix 2020.
The logo will be represented by McLaren F1 personnel during the 2020 F1 season, including via race drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz and the McLaren pit crew. Gulf branding will also show up on the engine covers and wing mirrors of the McLaren MCL35 race cars.
