Velo & The McLaren Formula 1® Team Unveil Abu Dhabi GP Livery Inspired By Fans’ Favourite McLaren Memories

• Nine McLaren Formula 1^® Team superfans inspire artwork rooted in nostalgia for the McLaren MCL39, translating personal memories and stories into racing history as part of the ‘Live Your Fandom’ campaign.
• Designed for the fans, by the fans, the unique artwork forms part of a Race Takeover with the McLaren Formula 1^® Team across the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.

Abu Dhabi, 3rd December 2025: Today, VELO, a leading global brand of nicotine pouches, and the McLaren Formula 1^® Team announce a fan-inspired livery design for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This special livery, uniquely co-created by nine McLaren Formula 1^® Team superfans from around the world showcases shared passion and unforgettable moments, to celebrate the unwavering support of the global McLaren Formula 1^® Team fan community.

Championing self-expression, VELO and the McLaren Formula 1^® Team are putting fandom front and centre through the ‘Live Your Fandom' campaign. The two brands have come together to deliver unparalleled experiences for fans this season, culminating in an immersive race takeover with the McLaren Formula 1^® Team during the Abu Dhabi race weekend.

From McLaren Formula 1 Team driver suits to paddock screens and garage walls, the race-wide artwork will show up in core elements with the McLaren Formula 1^® Team over the iconic finale weekend. In August, the ‘Live Your Fandom’ campaign granted nine superfans from the UK, Romania, Czech Republic, Mexico, and beyond a 'golden ticket' experience. These fans spent a full day at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC), enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour, sharing their cherished McLaren Formula 1^® Team memories directly with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, as well as a surprise Q&A session with McLaren Formula 1^® Team Driver, Lando Norris.

The superfans not only walked in as spectators, but as creators. The McLaren Formula 1^® Team 2025 Abu Dhabi livery design features co-created artwork inspired by their most defining McLaren moments. These stories are distilled into iconic visuals, making the design far more than just graphics. In an intimate workshop, the fans poured their passion into sketches and symbols, unknowingly shaping the livery for the season finale. Their contribution to the process was revealed when they returned to the MTC for an exclusive preview with Zak Brown and Lando Norris.

The livery features a series of bespoke icons, each representing a cherished fan memory or a symbol of the McLaren Formula 1^® Team’s enduring legacy and community spirit.

These include:

• Papaya Family: An icon of the self-titled term representing the community spirit of McLaren Formula 1^® Team fans from around the world and their unwavering support.
• Forever Forward Friendship Bracelet: Inspired by a bracelet from a fan, this icon symbolises the McLaren Formula 1^® Team motto, and how fandom unites strangers into lifelong friends.
• Home Wins: An icon symbolising the UK team winning at its home this season – the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is considered as the second home for the McLaren Formula 1^® Team.
• Back-to-Back Constructors’ Champions: Celebrating an era of dominance and echoing the fans’ pride in the team’s history and heritage, the fans have chosen to celebrate this incredible success with a trophy icon.
• 200 Race Wins: A representation of the 200 Race Wins milestone at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix for the McLaren Formula 1^® Team was inspired by the fans recalling it as a “goosebump moment” that only racing history can deliver.
• 1-2: Selected to represent the McLaren Formula 1^® Team’s 50th 1-2 finish at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix from the season, a memorable moment for the team and its fans.
• Fastest Pitstop: A nod to the McLaren Formula 1 Team’s^® 1.91-second pitstop, the fastest of the 2025 Formula 1 season (as of the Las Vegas Grand Prix) celebrated by the fans as a mark of precision and teamwork.

Luca Angiolillo, Global Head of Partnerships at BAT, commented: “VELO believes in championing authentic self-expression, and what better way than to literally put the passion of the McLaren Formula 1^® Team global fanbase onto the MCL39. This co-created design is a powerful statement of how deeply fans are integrated into the team's journey, which is the ultimate embodiment of our ‘Live Your Fandom’ campaign. VELO is proud to celebrate these experiences that allow fans to embrace their own unique fandom as part of a community – and we can’t wait to see this special fan-driven takeover take centre stage at the season finale!”

Louise McEwen, Chief Marketing Officer, McLaren Racing, commented: “Our fans are at the heart of everything we do, and this special livery is another way of showing our appreciation. Through the ‘Live Your Fandom’ campaign with VELO, we’ve been able to celebrate their passion and creativity in a way that truly brings the Papaya Family together.”

To learn more about the VELO x McLaren Formula 1^® Team ‘Live Your Fandom’ campaign and the fan-inspired livery, visit VELO’s Instagram, as well as McLaren Racing’s website to discover more about this initiative.

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