McLaren signs German giant in a monumental deal

McLaren's recent upsurge in on-track results has led to a sudden change of partners in the Woking camp. According to reports, the British are ending their partnership with the current McLaren fanwear and apparel producer, Castore, to join hands with Puma.

F1 teams have a varied selection of merchandise available for their fans. While the work would be tiresome for teams, they outsource this responsibility to merchandise producers and gain extra sponsorship money.

While many teams stick to one partner in this sphere, others might make switches from one partner to another frequently. According to SportBusiness, McLaren will end their current term with Castore to forge a new collaboration with the German giant.

Puma recently lost Mercedes' F1 tender to Adidas and was supplying Ferrari, Aston Martin, Williams, and Sauber from the 2025 season onwards. However, this breakthrough with McLaren will bump up the number to five F1 teams and assert the apparel giant's dominance in F1.

Meanwhile, McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are heading the drivers' championship as they stand 1-2 in the standings after a stellar start for the Woking-based outfit.

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McLaren has had a great start to the 2025 F1 season

Oscar Piastri (L), Andrea Stella, and Lando Norris (R) at the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain podium - Source: Getty

The season opener witnessed Norris take home the victory ahead of Max Verstappen, ending the Dutchman's reign over the championship lead. However, the following few races showcased that Piastri was in contention for the title despite his early hiccups at Australia.

The Aussie dethroned his teammate from the lead of the championship after winning at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. On the other hand, Norris had suffered a torrid qualifying session, which limited him to finishing a distant P4.

Reflecting on the team's results recently and how the papaya duo brought in crucial results for the squad in Jeddah, team principal Andrea Stella said (via McLaren):

"I would like to commend the team on their excellent work getting Lando’s car ready for today’s race. On Oscar’s side, he drove an excellent race, and was able to convert his front-row start into a win, thanks to some smart and calm driving. This was a well-deserved win for Oscar. Meanwhile, Lando was able to put a difficult Qualifying behind him and showed his resilience as he fought his way back through the field, scoring important points."

"We’ll now take some time to regroup with the team in Woking as we prepare to head to Miami for the next round of what is proving to be an extremely competitive and exciting season of Formula 1."

Despite the duo leading the championship standings, they have Verstappen's Red Bull in close proximity, as the reigning champion is eager to mount a bid for his fifth drivers' title.