McLaren puts flip-flop manufacturer’s logo on its Halo

2018 F1 season

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McLaren has signed a manufacturer of flip-flops whose logo will appear on its Halo for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Lifestyle brand Gandys will also produce a limited edition range of McLaren-branded flip-flops.

“Today’s announcement means Gandys will become the first brand to take advantage of the unique shape of the new-for-2018 Halo cockpit protection structure, which has frequently been compared to the distinctive upper of a flip-flop,” said McLaren in a statement.

Gandys co-founder Rob Forkan said his company was “thrilled when McLaren came to us with this idea.”

The company was founded by Rob and his brother Paul following the death of their parents in the December 2004 tsunami which affected much of south east Asia. They later set up the Orphans For Orphans foundation kid’s campus in Sri Lanka four years ago. All proceeds from the sale of the McLaren flip-flop will go to the foundation.

“By putting Gandys’ branding on the car’s Halo, we can help to strengthen the message behind our Orphans For Orphans initiative,” added Forkan, “creating a protective and inspiring environment for children at risk. It is a step in the right direction for the safety of the drivers and a great step for Gandys.”

“On a personal note, as huge fans of Formula 1 and McLaren, this was an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up,” he added. “We can’t wait to see Fernando, Stoffel and the whole team in action in Melbourne next weekend.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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44 comments on “McLaren puts flip-flop manufacturer’s logo on its Halo”

  1. Lennard Mascini (@)
    16th March 2018, 12:22

    Oh my god. McLaren’s lack of sponsorship has been a talking point for years now, but I think they may have the greatest sponsorship on the grid. Still don’t mind the halo though.

  2. Are McLaren in danger of growing a sense of humour? Ron has well and truly left the building…

    1. …with a coronary.

  3. Brilliant

    1. Indeed hehe!

    2. It is absolute genius

    3. Unfortunately the McLaren flip flops only come in size 0.

      1. Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
        16th March 2018, 17:33

        Haha zing!

      2. You win the internet with that one!

      3. Bazinga!

  4. Brilliant

  5. Williams and Victoria’s Secret you’re next!

    1. Alonso is just glad it isn’t Speedo.

      1. that would be fun PR

  6. Excellent..

  7. Lol that is brilliant, to go along with their brilliant livery. Love it.

  8. Awesome!

    But you can’t drink champagne from a flip-flop.

  9. So a thong within a thong….inception

  10. So now I’m envisioning FA sitting in his lawn chair wearing Gandys.

    1. ROFL 😂

      That would win the caption competition !!!!!

  11. I suppose McLaren will be provided with pairs of giant toes to fit in the top of the cockpit while unoccupied by the drivers.

  12. petebaldwin (@)
    16th March 2018, 13:37

    It’s a shame Ann Summers didn’t think of this in 2014. They had the perfect advertising space available…..

    1. Shaun Robinson (@)
      16th March 2018, 16:40

      haha!

  13. Zak Brown showing his marketing mettle with this one. Nice!

  14. I bet these will be impossible to buy, I want a pair

  15. Beautiful… even Ron probably appreciates this one!

  16. Mark in Florida
    16th March 2018, 14:26

    Face it the tobacco train has left the station a long time ago. For all of F1s claim of superiority they now have the endemic problems of other lesser motorsports…..money and the lack of it. Some people make fun of NASCAR and all of the different sponsor’s they have on the car. They long ago embraced the idea of getting money wherever you can even if it’s only for a few races. It’s all about the racing not the sponsor they have. As long as you have them money they’ll use it to finance the car, whether it’s toilet paper or laundry soap the money spends just the same. F1 needs to get real and understand that the big money says are over. In my opinion the only team that has embraced the we will take money from anybody philosophy is Force India. They painted their car pink and it didn’t negatively affect their racing at all. If Mclarens going to survive they are going to have to embrace the NASCAR philosophy and get the money from anybody they can, a lot of teams are going to follow it they want to survive. The lack of a cost cap and the big teams raking in all of the money is making it increasingly difficult to survive.

    1. … NASCAR will be the first to point out, stickers on cars don’t pay the bills, drivers that the public embrace as Hero or Legend do

    2. NASCAR

      It’s all about the racing

      1. not an entirely unfair point about sponsors though

        1. The only part of a company that makes money is accounts receivable, the rest of the company is an excuse to bill people. I can’t be sure, but I suspect advertising is a fairer means of revenue distribution than what F1 currently uses.

  17. That is brilliant. Shame the Halo design means we won’t have any Teva’s. They are much more comfy.

  18. Is it one of these “UNICEF” (barcelona fc) type deals where you “donate” and a % goes to McLaren? I like the idea and the cause is fine but they are pretty much saying that there’s no money in this.

      1. Not sure I get that comment. Gandys is, I presume, a paying sponsor like they all are, who sees a great marketing opportunity to up their profile and sell more product, and as part of the program they’ll do some limited edition McLaren version ones, of which the proceeds will be donated. Mac gets sponsor money from Gandys for the sticker placement, Gandys gets money from the marketing exposure increasing sales, a charity will end up benefiting too…where does the ‘no money in this’ come in again?

  19. Sergey Martyn
    16th March 2018, 16:33

    “By putting Gandys’ branding on the car’s Halo, we can help to strengthen the message behind our Orphans For Orphans initiative”
    I clearely see Alonso puking about this initiative from McLaren motorhome window.
    What a hogwash!

  20. This kind of thing is what we need from racers. A sense of fun, and adventure.

    I’m warming to McLaren again, after a few years of being fed up with the Ferrari esque mentality of being entitled to success.

  21. Story has it, that Gandy’s is actually an inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s flip flops–he wore them throughout his life. Not sure if it is true though.

    This goes beyond sponsorship. It was McLaren who came up with the idea.
    Good to know that the teams are doing something for the community.

    1. Yeah so just from a quick google, Gandys was founded by two brothers Rob and Paul, who were orphaned 10 years ago along with their siblings by the Sri Lankan tsunami taking their parents, while all their children survived. About three years ago Rob woke up hung over after a night out and his mouth ‘felt like Ghandi’s flip-flops’ and hence the inspiration for the idea. 10% of their profits go to the Gandys Foundation that helps orphans. 100% of the profits from the McLaren version ones will go to said Foundation.

  22. In other news: “McLaren has accuser Ferrari of flip-flopping on a gentleman’s agreement.”’

    1. Argh: ‘accused’

  23. LOL! The halo lookes like the top part of a flip flop.

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