NEOM and McLaren Team Up to Develop Electric Motorsport in Saudi Arabia

McLaren Racing will co-found the OXAGON research and innovation campus, which will be home to NEOM's advanced and clean industries.

The $500 billion futuristic megacity NEOM will also act as title partner for the British racing club's E teams in Formula E and Extreme E.

NEOM CEO Nadimi Al-Nasr said:

“NEOM is an economic engine for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and will be a hub for innovative businesses like McLaren Racing to conduct cross-industry research, incubate, collaborate and bring new technologies to the world.”

The research and innovation campus has been designed by international architects Grimshaw and will provide cutting-edge opportunities and collaboration spaces for the development of industries and products of the future.

McLaren will provide its digital and analytical expertise as a technical partner in OXAGON's advanced and green manufacturing ecosystem through a specially designed Accelerator programme.

Starting next year, McLaren and NEOM will create a  programme to train engineers and students. Twenty NEOM graduates from Saudi Arabia will undertake a one-year internship at the McLaren Racing Technology Centre in the UK.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in motorsport platforms in recent years and the Ministry of Sport has signed agreements for Formula E, Extreme E, Formula 1 and the Dakar Rally.

Enowa, the energy, water and hydrogen unit of NEOM, has also signed a multi-year partnership with Extreme E motor racing to introduce clean hydrogen energy to the global series.