amp turns McLaren’s race data into a MasterCard sonic anthem
Produced by amp, the anthem aligns with MasterCard’s broader goals to move from traditional sponsorship to culture creation.
Sonic branding agency amp collaborated with MasterCard to bring its new sonic identity in the form of an anthem to life that marks its title sponsorship with McLaren Racing.
The anthem was first launched and brought to the public eye during the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, the final race of the 2025 season, before MasterCard’s takeover as the title sponsor from 2026.
Created in the form of an anthem called Team Priceless, the sonic-led platform was created to be used as an easily identifiable medium to forge an emotional connection with fans across live, social and digital touchpoints. Produced by amp, the anthem aligns with MasterCard’s broader goals to move from traditional sponsorship to culture creation.
The creation of the sound lies in MasterCard’s desire for a long-term brand asset that could serve as a soundtrack to MasterCard’s title sponsorship that commences from the 2026 Formula 1 season.
To build the anthem, the agency turned the physical elements of the McLaren Formula 1 car into an instrument, using the McLaren’s engine sound as the base for the soundtrack. The sound was then combined with the telemetry data from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s fastest laps, using the data curves to build the actual music waves. This way, amp incorporated the racing team’s identity into the anthem, further strengthening the association between McLaren and MasterCard.
The campaign targeted three different audience groups: firstly, McLaren racing fans; secondly, broader F1 and motorsport audiences that are exposed to Mastercard’s sponsorship content and cultural activations; and finally, the non-endemic and tertiary audiences: music fans that discover the anthem and Jax Jones remix via streaming platforms and social media.
The asset will continue to be part of MasterCard’s F1 activities for the upcoming seasons.
The launch
The anthem campaign took a step away from the traditional push of billboards, TV, radio and CRM to purely focus on social, experiential and streaming channels, reinforcing the brand’s sonic identity across different avenues. The launch was brought to life with the support of Ogilvy on social and digital assets and Jack Morton on live activation at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
As a social-first campaign, the anthem was featured consistently across Mastercard’s social media platforms.
The campaign was supported by the experiential push with the debut of a Jax Jones Remix at the MasterCard fan garage and a display of the anthem on Burj Khalifa, which were both taken later to socials. These were created with the intention of creating genuine cultural moments that go beyond traditional ads and drive organic reach.
As part of the strategy, both the original anthem and the remix were released across music platforms for streaming, further extending the sonic identity’s reach and reinforcing the brand’s identity outside the motorsports environment.
The approach was specifically chosen to meet fans where they spend time – social, live events, streaming – to maximise engagement and emotional impact.
The campaign was initially rolled out across EMEA, with an emphasis on the Middle East and Arabia through its MasterCard Fan Garage activation in Abu Dhabi and Burj Khalifa display in Dubai. Continuing on through the year, the ‘Team Priceless’ anthem campaign will remain active in competitions that McLaren and MasterCard will be present in through the Formula 1 season.
