Designed with sustainability at its core, Sikkens Autowave® Optima aims to support bodyshops in delivering premium finishes, aligning with the increasing demand for speed, efficiency, and environmental responsibility in today’s automotive environment.
AkzoNobel and McLaren Racing have strengthened their long-standing partnership
with the launch of Sikkens Autowave® Optima, a next-generation waterborne basecoat developed to enhance efficiency and sustainability in automotive bodyshops.
“Our partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 Team is built on a shared commitment to precision, speed, and innovation - values that also define Autowave Optima. With this next-generation basecoat, we’re setting a new standard for productivity in the bodyshop. The launch marks an exciting milestone not just for AkzoNobel, but for our customers across the globe who are ready to take their own performance to the next level,” has stated Patrick Bourguignon, Business Director, Automotive & Specialty Coatings at AkzoNobel.
The collaboration, which has been in place since 2008, brings together AkzoNobel and the McLaren Formula 1 Team, united by a focus on high performance and innovation. To support the product’s debut, Sikkens and McLaren produced a campaign filmed at the McLaren Technology Centre, featuring McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris.
In the campaign, Norris enters the spray booth to undertake the “Sikkens Spray Challenge”, set by AkzoNobel’s technical team. Equipped with protective gear, he applies the iconic McLaren Papaya orange to a car panel, demonstrating the basecoat’s ease of use. Thanks to its high pigmentation and one-stop application, he achieves full coverage in just 1.5 coats instead of the traditional two, completing a custom fade design without leaving the booth between layers. The film concludes with Norris adding a bold black fireworks effect across the panel.
Sikkens Autowave® Optima eliminates flash-off time between coats, enabling bodyshops to reduce energy consumption by up to 60% compared with conventional systems, while maintaining VOC levels at 380 g/l – 10% below the 420 g/l legislative limit. The result is a product designed to deliver high-quality, accurate colour finishes, improved productivity and enhanced sustainability across automotive operations.