The esports and gaming team, McLaren Shadow has secured a brand new partnership with the Saudi eco-city venture, NEOM.
Following the deal, NEOM has been named the official principal partner of the team.
NEOM and McLaren Shadow have forged an agreement whereby the latter will work with the former to create talent routes in Saudi Arabia for virtual racing, including training chances at the McLaren Shadow Academy.
Through this arrangement, the logo of the eco-project will be placed on the drivers’ side-pods, front wing, halo, and jerseys.
Dani Moreno, Driver for 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.”
Neil Walker, Head of Esports and Gaming for McLaren, commented, “It’s great to re-launch 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.”
He further expressed, “The team is 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. This is incredibly important to the team and the 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.”
Aiming to lessen Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil, diversify its economy, and grow the public service sectors, Saudi Vision 2030 gave rise to the idea of establishing the city of NEOM. The city is to be powered exclusively by wind and solar energy, and robots are to handle tasks including security, logistics, home delivery, and caregiving. In 2024, tourists are expected to start visiting, with the project’s first phase expected to be finished by 2025. To develop Sindalah Island into a posh tourist destination, the initiative intended to raise to 3 billion riyals from nearby banks.