As motorsport accelerates towards a low-carbon future, McLaren Racing and Schneider Electric are strengthening their two-decade partnership to embed energy intelligence at the heart of high performance. Together, they aim to reduce emissions, enhance operational resilience, and prove that sustainability and speed can advance in tandem.
POWERING A NET ZERO FUTURE
In modern motorsport, performance is no longer defined solely by speed – it is increasingly measured by efficiency, resilience, and the ability to operate sustainably in some of the world’s most demanding environments.
Against this backdrop, McLaren Racing (McLaren) has announced a new strategic partnership with Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, designed to strengthen both competitive performance and long-term sustainability.
Schneider Electric will become the Official Energy Technology Partner of McLaren, supporting its Mastercard Formula 1 Team, Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team, McLaren F1 Academy™, and the McLaren United Autosports World Endurance Championship (AS WEC) Hypercar Team.
The collaboration formalises and expands a relationship spanning more than two decades, placing energy intelligence and decarbonisation at the heart of McLaren’s global operations.
A LEGACY EVOLVING WITH PURPOSE
Founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, the manufacturer has grown into one of motorsport’s most celebrated names.
Since entering Formula 1 in 1966, the team has secured 21 Formula 1 World Championships, more than 200 Grand Prix victories, three Indianapolis 500 wins, and a triumphant debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Today, McLaren competes across multiple racing series, including Formula 1, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, F1 Academy™, and in the Formula 1® Sim Racing championship as McLaren Shadow.
Alongside its competitive ambitions, the organisation has established itself as a sustainability advocate within the world of motorsports.
As a signatory to the Sports for Climate Action Framework, part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), McLaren is targeting net zero emissions by 2040.
Environmental accountability is therefore more than a mere initiative for the company, but an integrated component of its operational and competitive strategy.
ENERGY INTELLIGENCE FOR A LOW-CARBON ERA
Schneider Electric operates at the forefront of global energy transformation. With 160,000 employees and more than one million partners across 100+ countries, the company delivers technologies that electrify, automate, and digitalise infrastructure, industry, and buildings.
Its solutions, which span intelligent devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled systems, digital services, and advisory expertise, enable organisations to operate as interconnected, energy-efficient ecosystems.
Consistently ranked amongst the world’s most sustainable companies, Schneider Electric specialises in helping businesses reduce energy consumption, improve resilience, and accelerate decarbonisation.
For McLaren, Schneider Electric’s expertise will now be embedded more deeply across its trackside and factory environments.
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FAST LANE
Motorsport presents a uniquely complex sustainability challenge in that racing teams must deploy temporary yet reliable energy infrastructure at circuits worldwide, whilst maintaining precision engineering and data-intensive operations at their permanent bases.
Through its new partnership, Schneider Electric will support McLaren in optimising energy use at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, UK, as well as across wind tunnel operations, manufacturing facilities, and data centres.
The focus will be on reducing consumption, improving efficiency, and strengthening system resilience without compromising performance.
Advanced electrification technologies and digital twin solutions will play a central role. By leveraging real-time data insights, McLaren can model, monitor, and refine its energy usage, enabling smarter decision-making and measurable emissions reductions.
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, has indicated that the partnership builds on a long-standing relationship and reflects a shared ambition to combine competitive excellence with operational intelligence.
He emphasised that integrating Schneider Electric’s energy expertise into McLaren’s infrastructure will allow the team to explore new ways of operating more efficiently whilst supporting its broader sustainability commitments.
From Schneider Electric’s perspective, motorsport provides an ideal proving ground for high-performance energy systems.
Olivier Blum, CEO of Schneider Electric, has highlighted that racing environments push every system to its limits, making them a powerful demonstration platform for technologies focused on reliability, efficiency, and digital integration.
He underscored how supporting McLaren both from the track and its UK headquarters allows Schneider Electric to deliver the kind of energy intelligence required in environments where failure is not an option.
PERFORMANCE THROUGH DECARBONISATION
What distinguishes this partnership is its ability to align sustainability and performance. In Formula 1 and endurance racing, data analytics, simulation, and manufacturing precision are inseparable from energy reliability.
Optimising power systems therefore enhances not only environmental performance, but competitive outcomes.
More from Food & Beverage Outlook
Digital twin technology, in particular, offers the ability to simulate operational scenarios and identify inefficiencies before they escalate.
For a team pursuing marginal gains, these insights can translate directly into reduced waste, lower emissions, and improved resilience.
At a time when motorsport is undergoing a broader sustainability transformation – from sustainable fuels to electrification pathways – energy infrastructure represents a critical frontier.
By investing in intelligent systems and electrification, McLaren is reinforcing its commitment to net zero whilst future-proofing its operations.
A SHARED VISION FOR RESILIENT INNOVATION
Both organisations are united by a culture rooted in engineering excellence and data-driven innovation.
For McLaren – whose success depends on precision at every level – energy optimisation is fundamental to maintaining its competitive edge.
For Schneider Electric, collaboration with a world-leading racing team offers a high-visibility demonstration of how digital energy technologies can drive meaningful impact.
Indeed, as sustainability expectations continue to rise across sporting and industry landscapes alike, partnerships such as this demonstrate how environmental responsibility and high performance can coexist and even reinforce one another.
In the race towards a low-carbon future, energy intelligence may prove to be one of the most decisive advantages of all.
