The McLaren Racing Team is set to hit a valuation of $4bn (£3bn) as two Middle Eastern investment firms are set to acquire a 30% stake in the Formula One team.
Mumtalakat, a Bahrain wealth fund, and CYVN Holdings, an Abu Dhabi investment group, are reportedly on the verge of closing a deal for the share in McLaren Racing; a share currently held by investors who stepped in to provide additional capital during the Covid-19 pandemic
Mumtalakat and CYVN will acquire the shares held by MSP Sports Capital, Ares Investment Management, UBS O’Connor, and several other minority shareholders.
MPS Sports Capital bought a 15% stake in McLaren Racing in 2020 which saw the team’s valuation jump to $750m (£560m). The sale of MSP Sports Capital’s share, and other shareholders’ stakes, means Mumtalakat will gain a controlling stake in McLaren Racing, as well as CYVN.
The Abu Dhabi group currently owns 100% of McLaren Automotive – the car manufacturer arm of the company – completing its acquisition in April 2025.
The potential £3bn valuation would be a bounce back from the precarious financial position McLaren found itself in 2020. McLaren Group found itself seeking loans of up to £150m from the UK government to stabilise its finances due to the negative impact of the pandemic.
In 2021, McLaren sought new investment opportunities in the form of Ares and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). The total investment was £400m worth of equity warrants and preference shares.
The $4bn valuation would also see McLaren become the second-most valuable F1 team. According to Sportico’s valuation report, Ferrari is valued at $4.78bn, Mercedes $3.94bn, and Red Bull $3.5bn.
Sponsorship growth
Like a majority of F1 teams, McLaren has more than 10 sponsorship agreements in place, with the most recent bringing onboard Mastercard as its first official naming partner in over a decade.
From the 2026 F1 season onwards, the team will be known as the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team. Mastercard joins other high-profile brands in the McLaren paddock, such as Google, OKX and Salesforce.
According to The Athletic, McLaren’s multi-year deal with Mastercard is worth up to $100m. McLaren Racing Chief Executive Zak Brown claimed the team generated the most revenue in Formula One history at the F1 launch event in London in February 2025.
