SAP gets McLaren livery treatment in China

McLaren's latest 'unique' F1 livery will celebrate the team's relationship with software giant SAP throughout the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

SAP is the world leader in enterprise software and software-related services, helping more than 232,000 customers in 25 industries run better. China has become SAP's second home and one of the most important markets, hence the decision to promote the company on the MP4-29 this weekend.

SAP currently operates in twelve Chinese cities, employs nearly 5,000 people and has more than 11,000 customers in the country. However, the Chinese market still has significant growth potential, and SAP will therefore utilise its partnership with McLaren Mercedes to boost its presence in the country. The livery, to be unveiled in Shanghai, will include SAP branding across the side pods, rear wing, and the car's nose.

"China is integral to SAP's current success and our future growth" said Mark Gibbs, president of SAP Greater China, "But China is far more than just a market - it is also a hotbed of innovation. We tap into the wealth of talent here to personalise our products to suit local needs and to develop ideas and innovations which can be exported around the world.

"McLaren are similarly a crucible of innovation and creativity. We are very proud to bring our solutions and SAP HANA to McLaren Group and see our co-innovation help them run like never before. I am very pleased that we will have such a high profile presence in Shanghai this weekend."

The livery is the latest in a succession of one-off 'specials produced by McLaren, which has yet to announce the identity of its new title sponsor. After ExxonMobil, Esso and Gulf Air adorned the MP4-29 in earlier rounds, COO Jonathan Neale was delighted to hand the prime spots to SAP in Shanghai.

"We are extremely proud of our longstanding partnership with SAP, and the unveiling of a unique livery in Shanghai reflects both the strength of our relationship and our ability to reach an avid, informed audience across China," he noted.

"But our relationship is about so much more than marketing. SAP has provided IT systems and solutions, available in the cloud, which are improving the efficiency of every aspect of the group's activities. We also have exciting plans to tap into SAP's world leading analytics expertise to drive future performance on track. McLaren Mercedes and SAP have an exciting future together."

The McLaren Group is a dynamic, fast growing technology business and it needs world class IT infrastructure to succeed. SAP's solutions are significantly enhancing the way the McLaren Group operates with all SAP systems accessed via the HANA Enterprise Cloud, which provides the agility and flexibility to support the company's growth and expansion over the coming years.

SAP has been a partner of the McLaren Mercedes F1 team since 1997, during which time the team has achieved 79 grand prix wins, 78 pole positions, 84 fastest laps, three drivers' world championships, and one constructors' title.