- McLaren Racing licensing issue pushes AMS 2 to release Renault F1 cars for free
- Future presence of Brabham, Lotus and Renault F1 cars in AMS 2 in jeopardy
The recently announced Renault Formula 1 cars for Automobilista 2 will now be released as free content for all players, it was announced today (12th June 2026).
In a blog post on developer Reiza Studio’s forums, Studio Head and Project Manager Renato Simioni offered fascinating insights into a major licensing issue that has cropped up during discussions with McLaren Racing.
While negotiating an extension to its existing licensing deal with the Woking-based racecar manufacturer, it was found that McLaren could not offer vehicle licenses to video games with pre-existing Formula 1 team links, putting Reiza’s incumbent Brabham and Lotus cars on notice.
These licensing restrictions also seemingly apply to the future in-game presence of the just-announced Renault R25, R26, and R28 machines.
McLaren cars of this era could be seen in preview screenshots of the Renaults, but were not officially announced pending further licensing discussions. Unfortunately, progress stalled, leading to Reiza’s current situation.
Negotiations
“These negotiations ultimately reached an impasse as recent commercial developments involving McLaren prevent the company from licensing or re-licensing its F1 cars to games that also feature officially licensed F1 content from other manufacturers, be them [sic] current or from other eras,” stated Simioni.
“The practical consequence for AMS2 is that we will likely be required to make a difficult choice as to which officially licensed F1 cars remain in the game for new purchases; either the McLarens or the Brabham, Lotus, and Renault F1 cars will remain official content,” he continued.
The new Renault and McLaren single-seaters were apparently set for rejigged Formula Edge V8 and V10 categories in-game, but judging from Simioni’s statement above, their presence could be short-lived pending further developments.
“…the new cars will be integrated as free base game content for all users— that includes the recently announced Renault F1 cars, for however long these remain part of the game,” said Simioni, perhaps indicating that the McLarens seen in the Renault F1 screenshots would also form part of the free offering.
Licensing
Vehicle licensing in video games is a fraught balancing act at the best of times, but Reiza’s very public struggles cast a fascinating insight into the processes behind securing famous brands in sim racing titles. Despite Reiza’s candour, a final decision on the game’s McLaren, Renault, Brabham and Lotus F1 licenses has yet to be made, leaving many sim racing fans bewildered.
However, Simioni assured AMS 2 players that those who have already purchased the aforementioned content will keep it in its licensed form, while new customers will receive generic, unbranded cars. When that will take place is still unknown.
McLaren Racing underwent a change in ownership late last year, with a full takeover by Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat and Abu Dhabi investment group CYVN Holdings, valuing the company at over $5 billion.
It is unclear why its licensing arrangements have altered, but Simioni states it’s a result of ‘evolving contractual obligations between multiple parties, which have created restrictions where they didn’t previously exist’.
Fortunately, there is much to look forward to in AMS 2 this year, with the sim previewing a host of historic content for future releases, including Super Tourers, DTM and Can-Am cars, all of which will presumably be unaffected by the current licensing stramash.