WOKING, England – Officials from Petrobras and McLaren Racing have mutually agreed to end their technical and sponsorship agreement.
The partnership was originally announced in 2018 and was set to be a long-term agreement, but in May of this year Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took to social media calling for the termination of the agreement.
More than 60 percent of Petrobras is owned by the Brazilian government.
“We recognize the importance of McLaren in global motorsport and we are very satisfied with the results delivered during the two years of our partnership,” said Roberto Castello Branco, CEO of Petrobras. “The project allowed Petrobras to develop high-technology gasoline and lubricants through research with new raw materials and tests performed in extreme conditions. The technological development will be used in lubricant and fuel products. We see in McLaren a commitment to innovation and also the possibility of future partnerships.”
“We would like to thank Petrobras for their partnership and support,” said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing. “We have great respect for their technical and scientific capabilities, and there is no doubt the company’s technicians have made substantial progress in the time we have been working together. We wish everyone at Petrobras every success and hope to see them back in the sport again in the future.”