McLaren and Henkel

Team McLaren Mercedes is pleased to announce that long-term Partner Henkel has extended its Partnership with the team in a new multi-year agreement. The partnership began in 1995 through the Loctite® brand. Henkel will continue to be an Official Supplier, but the Henkel logo has moved to the more visible top position on the rear wing end plate of the two MP4-21 racing cars.

The MP4-21 race cars are strengthened by a broad range of Henkel’s high-strength Loctite® brand adhesives, securing everything from threaded bolts to wiring. Already in the design phase, engineers at McLaren Racing consult with Henkel to determine the best-suited products to meet the distinct demands of any particular application. In all, more than 100 different applications of Henkel products help the car hug the track and withstand immense G-forces, torsion levels, vibrations and shocks. Even the light-weight, sturdy carbon-fibre composite bodywork that makes up 80 percent of the MP4-21 is constructed using Henkel know-how. Here, products such as Henkel’s Frekote® B-15 sealer and Hysol EA9686 film adhesive give the team the flexibility they need in moulding the car’s aerodynamic shapes.

“Through our relationship with Team McLaren Mercedes, Formula One acts as the ideal proving ground for us”, says Jochen Krautter, Executive Vice President, Henkel Technologies. “As world market leader we can put our products to the test at the pinnacle of motor racing and at the same time, demonstrate how they successfully perform even in extreme conditions.”

With Henkel as an Official Supplier, Team McLaren Mercedes can draw on the complete resources of the world’s leading supplier of adhesives, sealants and surface treatment products – with access to some 5,000 to 6,000 Henkel Technologies products used by leading manufacturers across all industries.

“In Formula One racing, having the right technologies and partners is as integral as having the right drivers and team,” explains Team McLaren Mercedes CEO Martin Whitmarsh. “Henkel is a leader in its field and brings to our program a broad range of expertise, new ideas and solutions that help us get an edge on the competition.”

About Henkel - A Driving Force in the Racing World
Around the world, Henkel has an extensive commitment to motor sports. In 2004, the Henkel logo appeared for the first time on the rear wing of the Team McLaren Mercedes racing cars, thereby continuing the technical association with the team, which began in 1995 through the Loctite® brand. As Official Supplier, Henkel provides a wide variety of innovative solutions to the team. More than 100 different applications of Henkel products have been incorporated into the Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 for its challenge in the 2006 FIA Formula One World Championship. In North America, Henkel's NASCAR sponsorships include several brands with Roush Racing and driver Carl Edwards. For the three-week, 10,000-kilometer 2006 Dakar Rally Raid through gruelling desert terrain, Henkel provided each racing team with an essential mechanical emergency kit containing a wide range of adhesives, sealants, maintenance products, cleaners and bonding tapes. In addition, a Henkel engineer accompanied the Rally, providing the teams with technical back-up and support at each of the bivouacs.

The Henkel Group, a Fortune Global 500 company, operates in three strategic business areas: Home Care; Personal care; and Adhesives, Sealants and Surface Treatments, which serves the transportation, electronics, aerospace, metal, durable goods, consumer goods, maintenance and repair and packaging industries, and offers a broad range of products for the craftsman and consumer. With brands and technologies, Henkel makes people’s lives easier, better, and more beautiful. 50,000 employees work for the Henkel Group worldwide. People in 125 countries around the world trust in brands and technologies from Henkel – “A Brand like a Friend”.