Sega is now the official gaming partner of McLaren Racing, in a multi-year collaboration with Sonic the Hedgehog.
In a press release shared with Eurogamer, the partnership promises to “fuse the worlds of motorsport and gaming and engage audiences of all ages both on the grid and screen”. It’s unknown exactly what this will entail, but it’s all part of Sonic Team’s 2025 “Racing Around The World” campaign.
The partnership will continue into 2026, Sonic’s 35th anniversary year, as well as the McLaren Formula 1 team’s 1,000th Grand Prix race.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the two companies have joined forces. Back in 1993, the European Grand Prix was held in Donington Park in the UK and was known as the Sonic Grand Prix. McLaren F1 driver Ayrton Senna won the race and received a Sonic the Hedgehog trophy.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Sonic the Hedgehog to the McLaren Racing family,” said Louise McEwen, chief marketing officer of McLaren Racing. “This partnership brings together two iconic names in speed, and opens up our team to a wider, younger global audience. Sonic is a character with incredible heritage and a passionate fanbase, and we are very excited to celebrate our partnership at McLaren Racing Live: London.”
The McLaren Racing Live event will take place in Trafalgar Square from 2nd – 3rd July.
The collaboration underlines Sega’s key release for the year, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. The next in the racing series, it features mid-race portals to other worlds to shake up gameplay, as well as including Hatsune Miku, Persona’s Joker, and Minecraft’s Steve in its roster of racers.
“This is a Sega Arcade racer, with the mechanical depth and tightened controls you’d expect from that lineage,” wrote Eurogamer’s Alex Donaldson after going hands-on with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. “It’s also a mad party game to boot.”
The partnership also proves the brand power of Sonic and Sega, as the blue blur’s star has risen over the past decade through well-received games and films.
This isn’t the first time Sega has partnered with an F1 team, either. Atlus sponsored F1 team Haas last year to celebrate the release of Metaphor: ReFantazio. Why? Both the team and the game share a Hulkenberg.