Grand Prix

McLaren And Mastercard Launch One-Of-A-Kind Fan Access Program For 2026

As Mastercard prepares to become McLaren’s title sponsor in 2026 and off of the backs of a landmark season for McLaren, the companies will launch a debut program that redefines what access to a Formula 1 team can look like.
Kaitlin Tucci|
McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri | McLaren Racing and Mastercard via Omnicom

Formula 1 fandom has evolved immensely worldwide over the past decade. Mastercard and McLaren have stepped up to the plate to answer the call and push fans even further into the McLaren Formula 1 universe and spotlight.

Coming off of F1's most competitive season in years, which saw McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris battle for the title against Max Verstappen, 2026 is set to be an even more exciting year for the McLaren Team.

Enter Team Priceless: a global initiative in partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 Team designed to redefine what fan access looks like. The program will provide fans with never-before-seen access, experiences, and content that redefine the relationship between McLaren and its fans.

A New Model for F1 Fan Access

Team Priceless will recruit four fans from each stop on a five-race calendar around the globe - Melbourne, Miami, the U.K., Mexico City, and Abu Dhabi. These fans will be dropped directly into a race weekend experience alongside McLaren.

Winners in each region will receive fully covered travel, accommodations, cultural experiences, behind-the-scenes access, including the "Priceless Seat" inside the McLaren garage, and, of course, opportunities to meet Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless
McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless | McLaren Racing and Mastercard via Omnicom

The one requirement? Fans will have to generate social content throughout the weekend, documenting the McLaren Race experience through the eyes of a McLaren fan for the global community of McLaren fans.

According to Raja Rajamannar, Senior Fellow at Mastercard, the Team Priceless experience is something that is crucial to Mastercard's global strategy.

“We’ve long believed that experiences bring people closer to each other and to the things they care about most – Team Priceless brings that belief to life. By opening the door to the McLaren Formula 1 Team and its global community, we’re creating once-in-a-lifetime moments that connect fans to where their passion truly lives.”
Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard
McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless, Lando Norris
McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless, Lando Norris | McLaren Racing and Mastercard via Omnicom

Similarly, McLaren sees this partnership as an extension of their 'fan first' identity, according to Louise McEwen, Chief Marketing Officer of McLaren Racing.

“Partnering with Mastercard to offer unprecedented access to the team and all the action is hugely exciting. This program gives supporters around the world the chance to see what goes into a race weekend from behind the scenes and get closer to McLaren Racing than ever before.”
Louise McEwen, CMO, McLaren

As F1 continues its rapid global expansion, brands have continued to innovate and seek ways to engage with fans that go far beyond a ticket, an item of merch, or a social media post. Mastercard has already leaned heavily into experiential marketing across sports and entertainment, making Team Mastercard a natural extension of its existing operations.

Naturally, this is also a strategic step ahead of Mastercard’s incoming role as McLaren's Title Partner in 2026. Team Priceless is the first major fan-facing effort of that new chapter for the team

Miami Becomes the First Stop

The 2025 F1 Season may be over, but McLaren fans will have the chance to win again in December. Recruitment for the inaugural Team Priceless group will run from December 12-23, 2025, targeting Mastercard cardholders in the U.S. and Canada.

McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless
McLaren F1 Mastercard Team Priceless | McLaren Racing and Mastercard via Omnicom

The prize? The very first Team Priceless experience at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix in May.

Fans will submit a one-minute video showcasing their love for McLaren, which will be posted on social channels and uploaded to priceless.com/teammiami.

Announcements for the Melbourne, U.K., Mexico City, and Abu Dhabi teams will follow later in the year.

That's not all. Two members of Team Priceless will serve as captains, mentoring the selected members and guiding the storytelling of the experience. Mastercard and McLaren plan to reveal the captains during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The bigger picture for both Mastercard and McLaren is that F1 fans and their favorite teams sit at a crossroads defined by community and human connection. In a new era for Formula 1 in 2026, McLaren is again pushing the bar alongside Mastercard to translate that new era to fans, as well.

The Latest F1 News

Published
Kaitlin Tucci
KAITLIN TUCCI

Kaitlin Tucci has been a fan of motorsport for close to a decade. Before joining On SI in 2025, she contributed heavily to the marketing and media efforts at FanAmp, a motorsports startup for which she was the Head of Marketing. She has contributed to a number of publications covering series such as Formula 1, IndyCar, IMSA, and more... Kaitlin graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with both a degree in Business/Marketing and Political Science. She works full time as a marketer at high-growth tech startups while spending her weekends immersed in the world of racing. Kaitlin was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, but has lived in New York City for the past 5 years with her 'giant chihuahua' Willow. You'll often catch Willow watching races alongside Kaitlin, but unfortunately she doesn't have enough airline miles to join her at the track just yet.

Home/News