neom-mclaren-formula-e

July 26, 2023

NEOM McLaren Formula E Team unveil world first generative AI-designed livery in motorsport

  • NEOM McLaren Formula E Team’s world first AI designed livery* was developed in a collaboration between NEOM and McLaren Racing
  • The special livery will appear on the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team race cars at the London E-Prix as part of the celebration of McLaren’s 60th anniversary
  • The design is inspired by visions of the future provided by members of NEOM’s Graduate Program and the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers

NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, July 26, 2023 – The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team today unveiled a world first motorsport livery designed using generative artificial intelligence (AI), to celebrate McLaren Racing’s 60th anniversary year at this weekend’s London E-Prix.

Developed in collaboration between NEOM and McLaren Racing, the livery features artwork built on visions of the future provided by drivers René Rast and Jake Hughes, as well as four members from NEOM’s Graduate Development Program. Each contributor provided their personal vision, which were combined in an end-to-end AI process to produce the livery. First, the visions were processed by a text AI to create a series of prompts. Next, the prompts were used to create an individual artwork for each vision using text-to-image AI. Finally, the six visuals were combined into one artwork using image-to-image AI, before being enhanced to create the high-resolution graphics that McLaren Racing designers mapped onto the car. 

The young Saudi NEOM Graduates, central to the design process, will join the NEOM McLaren Electric Talent Programme later this year on a twelve-month development program with the team. It is part of an ongoing initiative that will welcome a number of Saudi graduates to the team over the next few years, with the aim of developing Saudi talent through experience within a world-renowned high-performance organization.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said: “The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team partnership supports various NEOM commitments, from driving sustainable solutions and nurturing Saudi talent through development opportunities, to delivering new technology to the world. We have leveraged creative and innovative technology to create the AI-generated livery to celebrate a milestone in McLaren’s history through visions of the future.”

Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, said: “We are delighted to work with NEOM on the creation of the first AI-designed livery in motorsport*. When the car takes its place on the grid in London this weekend, it will mark a key moment in celebration of McLaren Racing’s 60th anniversary. McLaren has a long history of innovation in motorsport and beyond, so as we celebrate our past, it’s just as important to look to the future and continue to break new ground.”

The NEOM McLaren Electric Racing partnership brings together two organizations committed to creating a better future and supports NEOM's aspirations to be a global leader of sports technology and innovation through collaborations on and off track.
 

*in an FIA sanctioned event/ World Championship