McLaren Racing, which currently has around 550 employees, is the company behind Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. It was formed in 1980 following the merger of Team McLaren and Project Four, Ron Dennis´ racing company. McLaren has competed in Formula 1 since 1966 and is one of the most successful Formula 1 teams with 148 Grands Prix wins.

The team has also claimed twelve Formula 1 Drivers´World Championships and eight Formula 1 World Constructors´ Championship. Operating in the highly competitive and technological environment of Formula 1, McLaren Racing comprises a multitude of administrative and engineering departments, ranging from vehicle design and aerodynamics, to materials science and paint shop.

The McLaren Group operates from a 57,000m2 Technology Centre which provides leading edge research, development and manufacturing facilities, as well as one of the world´s most advanced automotive wind tunnels.

Mercedes-Benz has been a force in motor sport since 1894. The first four cars home in the race from Paris to Rouen on 22nd July in that year were powered by a 954cc V2 engine designed by Gottlieb Daimler. The Daimler victory set the ball rolling and in subsequent decades countless races were won. For the Nice-Salon-Nice race of 1901, Daimler´s cars were entered under the name Mercedes for the first time, after the daughter of the Daimler importer and racing driver, Emil Jellinek. The event was won by the Mercedes of German Wilhelm Werner.