Landor designs McLaren F1 trackside experience

Originally debuted at the Barcelona Grand Prix, the project addresses the increasing operational and commercial demands of an expanding global Formula One calendar for McLaren F1.

Paul Chatelier, creative director at Landor, said, “Formula One is often framed as a story of engineering excellence. But technology only performs at its best when people do. The teams that win collaborate better, adapt faster and perform under pressure. Our creative challenge was to design environments that serve that purpose; spaces built to work as hard as the team, dismantled and rebuilt across a gruelling race calendar, as relentless as the team they house.”

Landor built the design strategy on the premise that while engineering and technical innovation remain fundamental to motor racing, human performance ultimately determines outcomes on the track. The trackside facilities are consequently configured to foster collective focus, team collaboration, and deeper engagement between engineers, drivers, commercial partners, and guests across each race weekend.

A three-storey structure

The Team Hub functions as a mobile, multi-floor building designed to be assembled and disassembled at international grand prix locations. The interior layout spans three distinct levels, each structured to accommodate specific operational, technical, and social needs during a grand prix weekend.

The ground floor serves as an adaptable gathering space, featuring a digital entrance and flexible layout options that bring guests, partners, and media directly into the racing team’s energy. At the core of the building, a central staircase connects the ground floor to the upper levels. Named the Climb of Champions, the staircase functions as a psychological transition point featuring quotes from team founder Bruce McLaren, encouraging occupants to adopt a championship mindset as they move through the facility.

The first floor accommodates dedicated driver areas and private meeting spaces engineered to provide quiet headspace or facilitate structured sponsor meetings. Above this, the top floor contains a dedicated hospitality space designed for guest engagement and narrative storytelling, highlighting McLaren’s technical history and ongoing developments.

Inside the Garage

Alongside the Team Hub, Landor created an updated Garage experience designed to give VIP visitors direct insight into pit lane operations without disrupting essential garage workflows. Recognising that critical emotional intensity occurs behind the scenes during race sessions, the design focuses on bringing visitors closer to live decision-making.

At the entrance to the Garage, large-scale digital screens showcase data feeds alongside the wider network of personnel and technical partners contributing to vehicle setup. Guests proceed through a redesigned acoustic tunnel into the main garage space, arriving at a custom Race Watch area. Featuring a tiered seating arrangement and integrated monitor displays, this area provides visitors with an unobstructed view of both the track action and live engineering discussions on the pit wall.

Engineering and execution

To meet the practical logistics of transport and rapid setup required by Formula One, Landor collaborated with specialist build partners Bischoff + Scheck, Quentor, and Live Wire Production. The structure was constructed using progressive, low-impact materials to limit its overall environmental footprint while remaining durable enough to withstand continuous assembly across long-haul flight schedules and European road haulage.

Holly Tasker, senior designer at Landor, said, “Just like the cars on the track, every detail of the Team Hub was engineered for peak performance. By using progressive, sustainable materials, we minimised the physical and environmental footprint of the structure while maximising its visual impact. It stands as a physical representation of what can be achieved when creative design, sustainable thinking, and collaborative engineering come together.”

Graham Sykes, global executive creative director at Landor, said, “At Landor, we noticed the incredible emotional energy that defines this team. As with all of our projects, we sought to bring that emotion to life in a way visitors could feel firsthand. By designing spaces that foster a true sense of belonging and channel the sheer exhilaration of McLaren, we’ve created a home where guests don’t just visit the McLaren team, they become part of the family.”