Bowers & Wilkins to make McLaren F1 audio products

The partnership between high-end audio firm Bowers & Wilkins and supercar company McLaren has brought us some interesting products in the last few years. We've had a special edition pair of the Px8 headphones to blend in with McLaren car interiors in 2022, and the iconic Zeppelin speaker got an F1 makeover in 2023.

Now it looks like more audio products are coming, as the partnership between the two firms hasn't just been continued but extended.

The extended partnership means that Bowers & Wilkins is the official audio partner across McLaren Automotive and now the McLaren Formula 1 Team, too. That means it'll work closely with the car manufacturer to continue to create and optimise the sound systems in McLaren cars, as was the case with the McLaren W1.

And in the case of the F1 partnership, it means supplying speakers and headphones to the F1 team – which won the constructor's championship last season – while also developing new F1-related B&W audio products for consumers.

What to expect from the Bowers & Wilkins and McLaren team-up

According to Bowers & Wilkins: "New projects are in development to further appeal to the Formula 1 team’s substantial global fanbase."

It doesn't say what those projects involve, but based on what we've seen from the partnership previously it most likely means special editions of existing products given a McLaren makeover.

For example, the Zeppelin McLaren Edition is still very recognisably a Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin speaker, but it's been given a colour scheme of "Galvanic Grey and Papaya" to match a popular McLaren interior.

I wouldn't expect a Ferrari-esque avalanche of branded products, though. The McLaren and Bowers & Wilkins partnership has been in place for years now – since 2015 – and the only two co-branded products are the aforementioned special edition speaker and headphones.

I'd expect similar restraint from this renewed deal with a focus on quality rather than quantity.