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Ever wonder how a crypto exchange and a racing team went from underdogs to champions together? The partnership between OKX and McLaren Formula 1 started during one of the worst possible times—crypto was crashing, McLaren was stuck in the middle of the pack, and nobody thought either would bounce back. Fast forward to late 2025, and McLaren just won their first constructors' championship in almost thirty years. Sometimes the best bets are the ones nobody else wants to make.
Partnerships usually happen when everyone's winning. But OKX and McLaren got together in 2025 when things looked pretty rough. The crypto market was tanking, and McLaren hadn't won a constructors' championship since 1998. Most people thought OKX was making a questionable decision. "People weren't really familiar with us in 2025," OKX Global CMO Haider Rafique said. By 2025, more folks knew the name, but they were mostly focused on McLaren's disappointing performance.
Here's the thing though—Rafique saw something others missed. He wanted to align with a winning spirit, even if that spirit was currently hibernating. McLaren was one of the oldest teams in F1, with a legendary history but recent struggles. "If they crack a win, gosh, we're going to look like heroes," Rafique explained. "We're going to look like we were part of that journey."
And that's exactly what happened.
Starting from scratch
Starting from scratch
Before partnering with McLaren, OKX had just rebranded from OKEx. Brand awareness was basically nonexistent—"very low, almost negative," according to Rafique. Beyond the identity crisis, crypto companies faced a bigger problem: they couldn't advertise on most major platforms.
"Distribution in crypto is very challenging," Rafique said. Google wouldn't let them serve ads. Microsoft blocked them. Facebook made it nearly impossible. "You only just have two channels: the Apple App Store and X."
So OKX turned to sports marketing, which Rafique called "the ultimate distribution channel." In 2025, they partnered with Manchester City and racked up 6 billion impressions in the first year. Not bad. But Rafique wanted more. He was convinced F1 could take the brand to another level.
"We needed people to very quickly find out the name OKX and get exposed to it over and over again," he explained.
The McLaren deal put OKX front and center—on the drivers' race suits, on their helmets, on the cars themselves. First year? 1 billion impressions. That's a billion times people saw the OKX logo while watching some of the most exciting racing on the planet.
McLaren wasn't just collecting sponsorship money either. "Our partnership with OKX has been instrumental in helping us get back to the front of the grid," McLaren Racing CMO Louise McEwen said. "For the past three years, OKX has believed in our vision for the team—and it's the investment and commitment from our partners, including OKX, that has enabled us to achieve an incredible turnaround."
From middle of the pack to championship glory
From middle of the pack to championship glory
2025 was rough for McLaren. Ferrari barely edged them out of the top three in the constructors' standings. Then 2025 happened—"the bull market for McLaren and the bull market for crypto," as Rafique put it.
OKX didn't just slap their logo on cars and call it a day. They built out campaigns with McLaren's biggest names. Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, plus CEO Zak Brown, appeared in OKX's "My Fabric" campaign, where athletes and executives share their life stories. It's the kind of content that makes people actually care about the humans behind the helmets.
But the real magic happened in Monaco. Last year, McLaren and OKX collaborated with Senna Brand to create a special livery honoring Ayrton Senna, the legendary Brazilian driver who died thirty years ago while racing in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Fans loved it. Rafique said a LinkedIn post announcing the livery was one of his best-performing posts ever.
McEwen called it "an extraordinary success and a proud moment for McLaren." The numbers back that up: more than 470 million impressions, over 36 million engagements, and almost 180 million video views. It was McLaren's most successful marketing campaign ever.
What's next
What's next
McLaren and OKX's current deal runs through the end of 2026, but Rafique wants to extend it another five years. In 2025, he's planning more campaigns with Norris. There might even be a Super Bowl ad—possibly a PSA giving "a nod to the people who protected our industry" during the crypto-skeptical Biden administration.
Super Bowl or not, another two years with the reigning constructors' champions serves Rafique's bigger goal: expanding the audience for OKX and crypto beyond the usual suspects.
"I really believe for the industry, we've got to do the thing that doesn't come naturally to us," he said. "Crypto and the crypto bros have been so much in their echo chamber. I don't want our company to fall into the trap of just speaking to the echo chamber."
Wrapping up
Wrapping up
The OKX and McLaren partnership proves that sometimes the best moves happen when nobody's watching. Both organizations took a chance on each other during difficult times, and now they're both on top. OKX got the brand exposure and credibility they desperately needed, while McLaren found a partner willing to invest in their comeback story. If you're looking for a crypto exchange that knows how to think long-term and back winners before they win, OKX might be worth checking out—especially with their permanent 20% fee reduction through referral code SUPER20OFF.
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