Saudi focused on young sport talent, says NEOM McLaren bosses

In light of this, NEOM has collaborated with McLaren Racing in its efforts to be the “world’s most physically active society.”

The collaboration has resulted in the formation of NEOM McLaren Electric Racing, which consists of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team and the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team. The partnership is also aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

“We are very conscious and focused on the fact that Saudi is a very young and aspiring population. There is an enormous amount of desire to develop individually and as a nation, and we at NEOM feel the need to develop young talent, as one of our primary roles, through sport,” NEOM sports partnership director Neal Coupland told Arabian Business in an exclusive interview.

Developing talent at NEOM McLaren

“However, it does not necessarily mean that we will be performing athletes or elite performing motor racing drivers. It means that they have an ability to get into a high performance culture and bring that back into NEOM and other entities within Saudi Arabia as well,” Coupland added.

Coupland also explained that graduates going into the McLaren business, will be able to develop their own skill sets and character, to bring the high performance culture back.

“But, that is just one aspect of talent development,” he said, adding that it is also about thought leadership and sharing knowledge across the rest of the business and other levels of the organisation as well.

As part of the partnership, the McLaren Accelerator is a key innovation and technical partner of Oxagon’s advanced and clean industries’ ecosystem and is set to become a founding tenant of its Research and Innovation campus when it opens in 2025, NEOM McLaren said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

The first season

As the team gears up for their first season, McLaren Electric Racing’s Managing Director and Team Principal Ian James said the team there is a “need to show a deal of humility knowing just how difficult it is going to be,” in an interview with Arabian Business.

“We had a positive start in Mexico and we are very much looking forward to the races this coming weekend in Diriyah, and we’ll see how we can build from there. But, all the ingredients are there and there’s nothing at the moment that we can’t achieve,” James said.

The NEOM McLaren Electric Racing team will drive the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built, with a capability of 200mph/322kph.

A total of 22 drivers will push the world’s most advanced electric racing car to the limit as they navigate the 21-turn, 2.495km circuit.

When asked what can be expected this season, McLaren Electric Racing’s James said: “We just have the goal to win – initially races and then on to championships as well, and that’s why the partnership with NEOM is important as well, as it gives us the foundation through which we can develop and move forward. Having said that, Formula E is an incredibly close competition and is something which is very competitive. So, we saw over the last couple of seasons going into the final race, that any number of drivers and teams could have clinched the title. So it really goes down to the wire, where we have to fight for each and every point.”

He further explained that going into the new generation and generation three within NEOM McLaren Formula E team, will offer the team a space to build the “necessary momentum” up.

NEOM McLaren Formula E drivers René Rast and Jake Hughes will be present during this weekend’s CORE Diriyah E-Prix double-header, with hope “to make Saudi Arabia proud in NEOM’s ‘home’ races.”

In addition, the UNESCO-listed venue will also see concerts from world-renowned music artists, such as John Legend, French Montana, Miguel and DJ Martin Garrix who will be performing post-race, over the weekend.