The McLaren Formula One team has revealed that its “real secret weapon” is in fact an Optimum Nutrition protein shake, in a new campaign starring Lando Norris.

Developed by creative agency Dark Horses, in its first campaign for the Irish sports nutrition brand, ‘Blake the shake’ will be centred around a 45-second spot that showcases how Optimum Nutrition’s shakes are key in boosting performance for McLaren’s personnel.

The creative, designed to bring to life Optimum Nutrition’s headline sponsorship of the British racing team, is inspired by the secretive world of Formula One performance, in which teams guard any and all advantages very closely.

“In the secretive, paranoid world of Formula 1, when every team is looking over their shoulder to discover what the other team are doing, we wanted to reveal part of the secret of McLaren’s success was Optimum Nutrition and an official unofficial personal performance person called Blake the Shake,” said Steve Howell, Dark Horses chief creative officer.

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Launched to coincide with the Australian Grand Prix, which was won by Norris, the hero film will be supported by five localised short films featuring McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Blake making shakes together from local ingredients all based on the specific race locations.

Optimum Nutrition senior director of brand marketing, Bradley Pritchard said: “Our partnership with McLaren and this brilliant campaign with Dark Horses bring to life the crucial role that proper nutrition plays in pushing human limits and unlocking potential.”