Who sponsors whom? Where does OKX championship mysticism come from?

Signing for 1 year, Manchester City crowned with three championships, ending McLaren's 9 year championship drought — Is OKX's sponsorship a coincidence or a precise layout?

At the 2025 F1 British Grand Prix, the McLaren team shone at their home Silverstone circuit, with Lando Norris claiming his first British Grand Prix victory, followed closely by teammate Oscar Piastri in second place. The two currently occupy the top two positions in the drivers' championship standings.

This season, McLaren has already won 9 individual race championships, sweeping the top two positions in Austria and the UK, with a team total score of 460 points, far ahead of second-place Ferrari with 234 points, showcasing the strongest championship momentum since the Senna era in 1988 and the Häkkinen era in 1998. As McLaren aims for its first "double champion" since 1998, will the champion mystique of OKX in 2025 come true again?

OKX**'s Exclusive Champion Effect****——**Manchester City and McLaren

Since becoming the official partner of Premier League giant Manchester City in 2022, OKX's sports marketing strategy has demonstrated an astonishing "championship effect". In the second year of cooperation, Manchester City became the first team in its history to win the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup "treble", experiencing an epic explosion. This victory has also transmitted the OKX brand to millions of fans worldwide alongside Manchester City's triumph, further facilitating an upgrade in cooperation — in 2023, OKX became the official sleeve sponsor for both the men's and women's first teams of Manchester City, with the brand logo shining on major stages during every match.

After Manchester City won the championship, OKX quickly launched the "Treble Champion NFT" project, turning key moments from the matches into digital collectibles, sparking a collection frenzy. In September 2023, OKX also sponsored the global tour of the "Treble Champion" trophy, creating an immersive interactive experience at the Hong Kong stop, inviting legendary player Paul Dickov to interact closely with fans. Executives from Manchester City Club stated that it is the shared belief in innovation-driven collaboration that has made them close partners.

As Manchester City's success story continues to be celebrated, OKX's championship magic book has opened a new chapter on the F1 racing circuit. In the third year since OKX became the chief sponsor of the McLaren F1 team, this legendary team broke a 9-year championship drought, winning the title with a strong 666 points and setting an astonishing record of zero retirements throughout the year. The OKX brand logo shines on the side of the McLaren car, and a futuristic "invisible mode" livery was jointly designed, making a stunning appearance at the Singapore and Japanese Grand Prix.

Behind this dazzling data, one can't help but wonder: is it strength that matters, or has OKX brought a special energy?

Has McLaren gotten stronger, or is OKX just too prosperous?

From the interesting perspective of the Chinese zodiac culture, the resonance between OKX and the championship team may be destined! In the year of Renyin (2022), OKX entered Manchester City with the momentum of water and wood, supporting its Dingwei fire and earth energy, and welcomed a major outbreak in the year of Guimao. The perfect alignment of favorable timing and location achieved the great feat of three championships. The 3-2-4-1 tactical innovation by Guardiola in 2023 and the emergence of young players (Foden, Palmer) were key to Manchester City's triumph in winning three titles.

McLaren represents the aspect of the wood and fire of the乙巳 year. The first encounter with OKX was not perfect (the year of the water suppressing fire in the壬寅 year). The year 2023, the癸卯 year, is a period of dormancy suitable for nurturing one’s strength in obscurity. Fortunately, in 2024, the甲辰 year sees the co-existence of wood and earth, which promotes the flames, allowing the team to finally seize the opportunity for a comeback and courageously claim the championship. The甲木 "breaks through the earth," corresponding to McLaren's technological breakthroughs during the major rule changes in F1. This marks the end of Red Bull's dominance and signifies the strong return of the legendary McLaren team after many years of silence.

It can be seen that the partnership between OKX and Manchester City, as well as McLaren, is a match made in heaven. OKX strikes at the right moment with teams that have the potential for championship glory, writing the formula for victory with vision and perseverance alongside them. The干支历法 may sketch out a time window, but champions are the inevitable outcome of strength.

Manchester City's success is inseparable from Guardiola's bold 3-2-4-1 tactical innovation and the continuous investment in the youth training system. The rise of young players like Foden and Palmer is not only a result of innovative thinking but also an explosion of years of youth training accumulation. McLaren's comeback relies on breakthroughs in the aerodynamics of the MCL38 racing car, transforming engineering precision into millisecond advantages on the track. Behind this are countless hours of wind tunnel testing and data optimization, honing technical details to perfection to achieve success when the moment arrives.

All of this has been the result of years of accumulation and precipitation before signing with OKX. Rather than saying that OKX is a "gambling physique" + "championship mysticism," it is more accurate to say that OKX resembles a uniquely discerning "Bole," who recognized the potential of Manchester City even before it lifted the Champions League trophy and foresaw the brilliance of McLaren during its low period. Only precise judgment and resonance with brand genes can truly create history.

OKX and the Natural Synergy with Sports Competitions

The collaboration between OKX and Manchester City, as well as McLaren, is no coincidence. These two sports legends share a highly overlapping audience with OKX: they are young, passionate, and advocate for extreme performance, full of enthusiasm and curiosity for technology and innovation. For this reason, the partnership between OKX and sports is a natural two-way choice, a resonance of long-term accumulation and a spirit of daring innovation.

As Haider Rafique, the Chief Marketing Officer of OKX, said:

"The McLaren F1 team represents speed, reliability, and ultimate performance – which is exactly the core philosophy of the OKX platform. We are optimizing our trading engine every day to ensure that users enjoy a lightning-fast experience akin to an F1 pit stop. Our collaboration with Manchester City and McLaren not only strengthens our global brand recognition but also proves the influence of OKX alongside champions."

When Manchester City rewrites the rules of the game with possession-based football, and McLaren reconstructs speed limits with data, OKX is also reshaping the paradigm of value transfer with blockchain technology. As the McLaren CEO said: "OKX brings innovation, insight, and precision," which is precisely the cornerstone of victory shared by champions and technology companies. OKX chose Manchester City and McLaren precisely because it sees its own reflection in them.

This champion spirit is also translating into tangible influence. OKX's brand recognition in core global markets has significantly increased, accurately reaching the core user group in the crypto trading field. This influence will reach a new height in 2025 - the tribute livery to Senna at the Monaco Grand Prix in collaboration with McLaren has created 470 million global exposures, covering 22 F1 markets where OKX is present; notably, OKX is turning blockchain technology into tangible benefits that fans can perceive through innovative projects like "Unseen City Shirts", truly promoting the implementation of Web3 technology.

After all, the so-called "champion fate" is merely a footnote to strength.