McLaren F1 Debuts Hedera-Powered MCL/COLLECT Digital Collectibles for 2026 Race Weekends

• McLaren F1 launched MCL/COLLECT on Hedera, with free digital artwork drops planned for every 2026 Formula 1 race weekend.
• The network also launched its Community Builders NFT program, adding builder badges and Discord-linked NFT roles for ecosystem members.

McLaren Formula 1 has launched MCL/COLLECT, a digital collectibles platform powered by Hedera, with free limited-edition artwork set to drop during every Formula 1 race weekend in the 2026 season. The first release went live with the Australian Grand Prix, giving fans an early entry point into the new collection program. 

The platform expands McLaren’s digital fan engagement strategy through officially licensed collectibles linked to major events across the season. McLaren and Hedera have moved into a working product that gives fans a repeat touchpoint during each race weekend. That structure creates an ongoing release model instead of a one-time campaign.

McLaren Racing announced its multi-year partnership with the Hedera Foundation in January this year. As CNF covered, both parties said the agreement would connect racing with Web3 infrastructure through digital activations and collectibles. McLaren revealed that fans would receive free-to-claim collectibles during Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends, while Arrow McLaren IndyCar collectibles would return in the 2026 season.

Yesterday, the network announced a Chainlink integration to give developers access to real-world data, cross-chain interoperability, and on-chain reserve verification. We covered that the integration brings Chainlink Data Feeds, CCIP, and Proof of Reserve to support tokenized assets, DeFi, and enterprise applications on Hedera.

Hedera Expands Builder and Community Access 

The McLaren release arrives as Hedera broadens its community programs beyond sports partnerships. The network announced its Community Builders NFT program is now fully live, offering three collections tied to different forms of ecosystem participation. These include Starter Dev for new developers, Explorer Dev for experienced Web3 builders, and Enthusiast for community members contributing through non-technical work.

The builder program gives developers and community members a clearer path into its ecosystem by separating badges by role. That structure supports education, participation, and recognition without relying on a single user type.

Hedera has also introduced a Discord account linking through its partnership with WhataLab. Users can link a Hedera account ID to Discord to receive NFT-based roles connected to the Hedera Community Builders program. After linking, participants can access token-gated channels, exclusive builder spaces, and focused discussion forums inside the community environment.

For whitelisted users, the mint and claim process runs through Lazy Superheroes and does not require gas or prior token association. The NFTs are soulbound, meaning they cannot be transferred after minting. 

Last month, the network announced that Kraken was preparing to add Hedera EVM and its HTS token service to support direct deposits and withdrawals for HTS-native tokens. We reported that the move will expand exchange access for its network and native assets.

At the time of reporting, HBAR traded at $0.09667, falling 3.11% over the past 24 hours. Its 24-hour trading volume stood at $81.3 million, while market capitalization was $4.18 billion.