Loop Earplugs Teams With McLaren F1 for Limited-Edition Collaboration

Vroom, vroom!

Loop Earplugs, the Antwerp-based sound innovation company, has announced its limited-edition collaboration with McLaren’s Formula 1 team. The legacy British racing team and reigning 2024 Constructors Champions has also named Loop as its first official earplug partner. For the product launch, fan favorite drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were photographed for the brand’s imagery.

Maarten Bodewes, cofounder of Loop, said that Loop’s earwear helps its people focus and stay sharp in any situation. This is especially true for the extremely loud Formula 1 cars on track that can hit over 130 decibels (as loud as a jet engine taking off) and for in-person onlookers who experience 110 or more decibels in the stands — making the Loop earplugs a functional and necessary tool at the McLaren team’s disposal for race weekends and their intensive traveling schedules.

“Sound control isn’t just about comfort, it’s essential for performance and hearing health,” Bodewes told WWD. “McLaren Racing saw the advantage of sound control in a high-performance setting. Mental clarity is just as crucial as physical performance and Loop gives their team a competitive advantage.”

Since launching Loop in 2016, the brand has set out to redefine earplugs, with a design that looks like jewelry. Bodewes said that the company has created a new type of lifestyle and health accessory. Similar to how sunglasses have become a sartorial choice, Loop is destigmatizing hearing health throughout everyday life and at major sporting or music events where hearing loss can occur.

Having already worked with Team Belgium at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Loop saw Formula 1 as a natural next step where they could make the most impact. The synergy between McLaren and Loop is their commitment to performance and pushing boundaries, said Bodewes. “F1 is all about precision, control and peak performance, which aligns perfectly with Loop.”

Bodewes and his cofounder, Dimitri O, have both been motorsports fans, not just Formula 1 but cars, biking and the overall racing scene for as long as they can remember — making the partnership that much more meaningful to the duo who share a passion for speed and engineering.

The brand said that the partnership between McLaren and the Loop Switch 2 was created to empower the team members with “precise control over their sound environment” — whether it’s drivers finding solitude before lights out at a Grand Prix or an engineer analyzing a make-or-break calculation on the fly.

The limited-edition collaboration gives Formula 1 fans access to the same acoustic technology used by McLaren, offered in the team’s signature papaya orange hue. Its three distinct modes, quiet mode, experience mode and engage mode, allow users to optimize their focus and manage their surroundings’ listening experience.

Beyond race weekend attendance, the brand’s earplugs can be used in several varying environments such as at live events, focus sessions, during travel and more — without any batteries or charging required to use the product.

“The partnership with Loop embodies our commitment to performance and giving our team every advantage,” said Matt Dennington, co-chief commercial officer at McLaren Racing. “Both Loop Earplugs and McLaren Racing share a passion for precision design and this collaboration brings something truly unique to both our team and our fans.”

The limited-edition McLaren Formula 1 Team x Loop Switch 2 earplugs are $64.95 and available for purchase on both McLaren and Loop Earplugs’ websites.