McLaren’s Formula 1 team is taking its cybersecurity game to the next level, announcing an expanded partnership with Cisco. The deal, which cements Cisco as an Official Security Partner, is set to equip the racing outfit with state-of-the-art security solutions designed to tackle the unique challenges of F1’s high-octane digital landscape.
The collaboration is a natural evolution of Cisco’s existing role as McLaren’s Official Technology Partner, a relationship that has been in pole position since 2022. Now, McLaren is revving up its defenses with Cisco’s full security portfolio, including on-premises hardware and cloud-based software like Cisco Secure Firewall and Cisco XDR.
For McLaren, this partnership isn’t just about slapping on a new sponsor logo. It’s about gaining a critical edge in a sport where data is as valuable as fuel. Matt Dennington, Co-Chief Commercial Officer at McLaren Racing, put it bluntly: “This next phase of our partnership focuses on advancing this further by leveraging their security technology to keep our complex and distributed organisation connected and protected.”
The timing couldn’t be better. As F1 teams increasingly rely on real-time data and remote operations, the need for robust, adaptive security solutions has never been more pressing. Cisco’s tech promises to deliver end-to-end visibility, simplified security management, and AI-enhanced incident response – crucial capabilities in a sport where every millisecond counts.
But there’s more under the hood of this deal. Cisco’s recent acquisition of Splunk, another McLaren tech partner, adds an extra layer of digital resilience to the mix. This three-way synergy between McLaren, Cisco, and Splunk could prove to be a game-changer in how F1 teams approach cybersecurity and data management.
Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s EVP and GM of Security and Collaboration, hinted at the transformative potential of this partnership: “McLaren Racing competes in a world where every millisecond counts, and at Cisco, we are powering enterprise security with AI-native security products that augment security teams to defend at machine scale.”
As F1 continues its relentless push into the digital frontier, partnerships like this one between McLaren and Cisco are likely to become the norm rather than the exception.