McLaren Racing has joined Hedera Council, giving the network one of the biggest consumer brands in global motorsport as Hedera pushes deeper into fan engagement and digital collectibles. The announcement makes McLaren part of Hedera’s governing body, where council members help oversee the network and hold equal voting rights alongside other members.

The council seat builds on a broader partnership announced in January, when McLaren Racing and Hedera said they would work together on digital fan experiences tied to Formula 1 and IndyCar. That earlier agreement centered on free to claim collectibles released during Grand Prix weekends, and Hedera said Wednesday that the program is now live across the 2026 season.

The first wave of activations has already started. Hedera said the program debuted during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, followed by a second release tied to the Chinese Grand Prix, with a third set for the Japanese Grand Prix. McLaren’s own MCL COLLECT page describes the collectibles as Hedera based digital assets and says users need a Hedera compatible wallet to hold them.

McLaren competes in Formula 1 and IndyCar and reaches a global audience across more than 180 countries, which gives Hedera a mainstream sports brand to test consumer crypto products with a wider audience than most blockchain partnerships can usually reach.

Formula One itself has continued to expand its global fan base, with Nielsen Sports data cited by Reuters showing F1 reached 826.5 million fans in 2024, up 12% from the previous year. Hedera said McLaren leadership will also appear at HederaCon on May 4 in Miami Beach, alongside the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and Consensus 2026.