Intel signs McLaren F1 as chip partner, sets up AMD rivalry on the grid

Intel announced a multi-year partnership with McLaren Racing to supply chips for aerodynamic modeling, vehicle-dynamics simulation, and real-time race strategy. The deal covers both the F1 team and McLaren's broader racing operations.

McLaren will use Intel Xeon processors and upcoming Ponte Vecchio GPUs for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) workloads and track-side analytics. Intel didn't name specific SKUs or disclose financial terms. The partnership starts with the 2026 season.

This puts Intel in direct competition with AMD, which has powered Mercedes-AMG's F1 simulations since 2020. F1 teams burn through CFD cycles under strict regulatory limits, so faster compute per watt matters. Whether Intel's current Xeon lineup beats AMD's Epyc chips in that specific workload is an open question — Mercedes has been vocal about AMD's gains in their sims.

For BetterFPS readers: if you're running CFD, rendering, or other parallel workloads, check out our CPU optimization guides to see where Intel and AMD stand on real-world tasks.