McLaren Racing Limited’s new Formula 1 car, the McLaren MCL60, is the first sign of the “Grand Circus” digital media advertising using E-Ink technology.
join the conversation
We have always thought that Formula 1 was the beginning of the automotive industry, with overtones of high competition and a huge communication circus that never stopped innovating when it came to finding new tools to sell cars, to pilots’ helmets. , in gloves and overall even now, in the car of his body.
This is the case of the McLaren F1 Team, which, in addition to its sponsorship by Google to promote the speed of Chrome, fully uses the technological development to teach us (but sell) gadgets like these special performance headphones designed at the same time. with Bowers & Wilkins and its partners now the first digital advertising support in all of Formula 1.
Formula 1 cars are not only evolutionary in terms of engines, hybridization and aerodynamics, which, since they already resemble rolling to sheet, could quickly become digital flags thanks to E-Ink technology.
The Woking-based team didn’t have much to rack their brains, and it happened that while thinking about digital signage and how to implement them on the car, their engineers developed the good idea of mixing electronic ink screen technology with fiberglass bodywork. from his 2023 MCL60, thus turning the exterior parts of the car into advertising screens.
Obviously, it is not like having a full OLED screen, but mixing the concept of lighting to deploy a Formula 1 car with advertising screens is functional, pleasing and effective, because it does not require an extraordinarily fast refresh rate and makes the screen thin, light and frugal in terms of energy consumption.
McLaren digital ads are running on cars and helmets in Austin that can change during the race
(road @jeff_gluck) pic.twitter.com/0zDBXs0toE
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 21, 2022
As you can see in the video, the E-Ink screens are located next to the cockpit and directly in the line of sight of the car’s on-board cameras, so they are most visible in the shots. Also, as if this were not enough, in the first stage of the season they announced something technological like the Android platform and 5G connectivity, which made us rush here to tell you directly.
There is more way to accommodate sponsors in visible places, even in this case with some possibility of movement, since a car like McLaren’s has more than 40 sponsors and it is not always easy to find quality space for all of them.
Of course, the engineers have also integrated the screen, taking care not to penalize the aerodynamics, and this electronic ink board only adds 190 P. to the total weight of the McLaren car, which is quite acceptable, since the drone also weighs its own and many manufacturers are beginning to use it in fewer parts of the cars.
Curious, but… And now what next? Pilots talking on the radio how good is Estrella Galicia? We are already waiting for something!
join the conversation
