McLaren Formula 1 Team Selects Immersive Labs as Official Partner Supporting Cyber Workforce Optimization

Multi-year deal sees McLaren Racing using platform to build human cyber capabilities for technical and non-technical teams and carrying Immersive Labs branding on cars

Immersive Labs, the company empowering organizations to continuously measure and optimize human cyber capabilities, today announced a multi-year partnership with McLaren Racing as an Official Partner supporting cyber workforce optimization of the McLaren F1 team. The deal sees the team using the Immersive Labs Platform, as well as carrying branding on both cars from the 2022 season.

With valuable intellectual property and data to help protect, the McLaren F1 team will be using Immersive Labs to power a continual cycle of human cyber capability development which keeps pace with the threat landscape.

The platform will provide real-time data on knowledge, skills and judgment across the workforce by running technical and non-technical teams through cyber crisis exercises and labs. These insights will allow McLaren to understand where everything from Executive to Cybersecurity teams capabilities lie and optimize these as risk evolves.

Operating in a sport driven by the constant refinement of human performance to gain small yet crucial advantages, McLaren continually seeks to boost team abilities – from refining pit-stop strategy to supporting the decision-making of drivers with real-time data. As the Official Partner supporting cyber workforce optimization, Immersive Labs extends this capability to cybersecurity, giving the entire workforce a critical edge over potential attackers.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing said, “People and technology are critically important elements of our team, and we are excited to work with Immersive Labs to support in developing the human cyber capabilities which will empower us to better navigate risk. We operate at race pace both on and off-track, and we look forward to this partnership accelerating the human element of our cyber security.”

As part of the partnership, the front suspension arms of the McLaren MCL35M cars will feature the Immersive Labs branding from the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Both teams will also collaborate on co-branded experiences throughout this period to showcase the benefits of optimizing the cyber capabilities of workforces to senior Executives. The first of these will be an event for CISOs at the final race of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi this coming weekend.

James Hadley, CEO of Immersive Labs, said, “As the impact of cyber risk spreads across the business, it is no longer the preserve of the geeks in the basement. Organizations must respond as a whole, which means continually optimizing the cyber knowledge, skills and judgment of everyone from Executives to technical teams, at pace.

“Competing in Formula 1 is no different, requiring technology and humans working together in unison to stay ahead. For this reason, the partnership with McLaren Racing is an excellent fit.”

More information can be found at www.immersivelabs.com

About Immersive Labs

Immersive Labs is the world’s first solution enabling organizations to measure, map to risk, and optimize the human cyber abilities of their workforce in line with a security strategy. The award-winning platform continuously tests, analyses, and improves the capabilities of technical and non-technical teams, allowing the expertise of the whole organization to meet ever-evolving risks. This embeds a new level of resilience, unlocking the strategic value of knowledge, skills and judgment in cyber risk reduction and crisis response for the first time.

Immersive Labs is backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Summit Partners, Insight Partners, Citi Ventures, and Menlo Ventures. Customers include some of the largest companies in financial services, healthcare, and government, amongst others. For more information on Immersive Labs’ offering, please visit www.immersivelabs.com

About McLaren Racing

McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealand racing driver Bruce McLaren in 1963. The team entered its first Formula 1 race in 1966, since then McLaren has won 20 Formula 1 world championships, more than 180 Formula 1 grands prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt and the Indianapolis 500 three times. McLaren Racing currently competes in Formula 1 globally and INDYCAR in the US.

The team is contesting the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and in the 2021 INDYCAR Series with Arrow McLaren SP drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist. McLaren was the first F1 team to be certified carbon neutral ten years ago and has successfully retained the Carbon Trust Standard Award, most recently in February 2021. They were also the first team to be awarded the FIA Institute’s Environmental Award in 2013, which they have consistently maintained at three-star level.

In 2022, McLaren Racing will enter a new category of motorsport when it enters a team into Extreme E, the innovative all-electric off-road racing series that highlights the impact of climate change.

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