Brazilian oil company Petrobras has agreed a sponsorship deal with Formula One motor-racing team McLaren.
The agreement will focus on the development of high-performance fuel and lubricants and may be extended to other areas, such as the sharing of technologies between McLaren and Petrobras.
As part of the deal, the length of which was not disclosed, Petrobras branding will appear on the team’s cars, uniforms and physical facilities.
Petrobras, through its CENPES Research Centre, will also develop gasoline and engine lubricants specially formulated for McLaren. These will be used during the 2019 season.
In addition, Petrobras will have a laboratory in McLaren’s garage during practice sessions and races to analyse fuel performance.
The deal marks a return to F1 for Petrobras, with the company having most recently sponsored Williams during the 2016 season.
Bruno Motta, executive manager for communication and branding at Petrobras, said: "This deal is completely aligned with our brand positioning, which values knowledge and our unique technical capabilities to develop solutions. It is also associated with one of the main strategies in our business and management plan, which is to prepare the company for a future based on a low-carbon economy by developing high-quality, highly energy-efficient fuels.”