Formula 1 powerhouse McLaren Racing launches a 7- page comic series of NFTs on the energy-efficient Tezos — also an official Technical Partner of the team — ahead of the Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix happening on 2 October and 9 October respectively.
The campaign will see individual NFTs dropped, with each page released daily, McLaren said in a statement on Thursday.
The drop will begin at the Singapore Grand Prix 2022 while the final piece will be dropped at the Japan Grand Prix 2022.
400 editions of each page will be minted on McLaren’s Racing Collective website and will be available for $9.99 per page.
The 7-page comic series of NFTs is created by Vietnamese multi-disciplinary designer and specialist in cyberpunk illustration Meine Nguyen.
The comic is based on the story of how two McLaren interns set out to carry out a task given to them by Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown to keep an eye on the team’s mascot and “Head of Speed” Speedy K Kiwi, who ended up escaping and journeying throughout Asia.
Fans purchasing the NFTs will be awarded with attractive benefits that will give them exclusive access to the McLaren Racing team in various ways.
Purchase of a single page of the comic will give fans the right to attend a virtual call with McLaren.
For fans that purchase multiple pages, each page will be counted as an entry into a raffle for McLaren prizes such as McLaren T-shirts,
posters, and caps.
If a fan obtains all 7 NFTs, they will receive a free printed physical-version of the 7-page comic.
Furthermore, MCL35M/Gulf livery car owners who purchase the NFTs will receive an automatic invitation to a call with McLaren representatives.
The campaign is part of McLaren Racing’s efforts to engage its fans in Asia, which is home to four out of five of the most NFT-curious countries in the world.
Central and Southeast Asia alone account for 35 percent of the $22 billion global NFT industry.
It is predicted that NFTs for sports will exceed $2 billion in transactions this year, which is double the figure of 2021.
Powered by the Tezos blockchain, The McLaren Racing Collective is a platform where fans and collectors can purchase McLaren Racing digital collectibles or non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Last year, Tezos joined hands with McLaren Racing for a multi-year technical partnership across Formula 1, IndyCar and esports.
For McLaren and Tezos, sustainability through innovation is an important asset of this partnership.
Tezos branding is represented across the McLaren Formula 1 team and on the race suits of McLaren F1 drivers.
“We are excited to launch our latest NFT drop on the energy-efficient Tezos blockchain that has been specially curated with the talented Meine Ngyuen,
“This campaign is a crucial part of our quest to engage fans and provide them with exclusive access to the team, especially in a region where NFTs are gaining in popularity and racing is a huge passion,” said Lindsey Eckhouse, Director, Licensing, eCommerce and eSports for McLaren Racing.
“Fans can look forward to magnificent artwork that is not only based on a captivating storyline, but also encapsulates the rich heritage and culture of Asia,” she added.
With its energy-efficient design and low transaction fees, the Tezos ecosystem has cultivated a vibrant community of NFT artists, collectors, and builders from around the world.
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 Indianapolis 500 three times, and the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt.
The team competes in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, the NTT INDYCAR Series with Arrow McLaren SP drivers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, and the Extreme E Championship with Emma Gilmour and TannerFoust.
McLaren will compete in Season Nine of the FIA Formula E World Championship in 2022/23. He was the first F1 team to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standard in 2010 and has retained it since on a bi-annual basis, most recently in February 2021.
The team was also the first in F1 to be given the FIA Sustainability Accreditation Award at a three-star level in 2013 as part of the FIA Environmental Certification framework, before becoming a signatory to the UN Sports for Climate Action Commitment in 2021.
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