First pictures of McLaren’s Renault-powered MCL33 in new livery revealed

2018 F1 season

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McLaren has revealed its new car for the 2018 F1 season.

The team has switched from Honda to Renault power and racing director Eric Boullier praised the work that had been done to accommodate the change.

“The design, engineering and aerodynamic departments have done an incredible job delivering a new car with a new power unit in an extremely short timeframe,” he said. “We never took the easy route or looked to shortcut a process or a solution; and the result is a car that is neat and well-resolved.”

Fernando Alonso said he feels “incredibly excited but also apprehensive” about the new car. “I know just how important this car is to the team, and I just hope that it delivers in the way we all want it to.”

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Alonso is entering his fourth year with the team since returning to them in 2015. In that time they have endured three disappointing seasons with Honda power, leading to the switch to Renault.

“If we’re able to develop the key strengths of last year’s chassis and marry it to an improved Renault power unit, then I think we’ll be able to take a step forwards,” said Alonso. “The car certainly looks very neat and well thought-out, and I think the new colour looks really great; really eye-catching.”

For the second year in a row the car sports a much-changed livery. The team has reverted to elements of its heritage McLaren colouring featuring a shade of orange called ‘papaya spark’.

Executive director Zak Brown said the change “wasn’t simply an emotional decision.”

“It demonstrates that we are listening to our fans, building deeper engagement with them and the Formula 1 community as a whole,” he said.

Interactive: See more of the McLaren MCL33

Brighten up the dark areas of McLaren’s launch pictures of the MCL33:

McLaren MCL33: Three-quarter

McLaren MCL33: Front

McLaren MCL33: Top

McLaren MCL33 launch video

This article will be updated

2018 F1 season

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Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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140 comments on “First pictures of McLaren’s Renault-powered MCL33 in new livery revealed”

  1. A startling lack of names on the car but good looking all the same. Also aero looks very simple around barge board area… Let’s hope its quick!

    1. There is a lot of empty real estate on the car I agree, but there are a lot of names on there.

      By my count there are 12 sponsors on the car (Chandon, Dell, Petrobras, SAP, NTT, Kimoa, Richard Mille, Hilton, Logitech, CNBC, NRF and Airgain).

      Mercedes by contrast has 4 that I could pick out (Petronas, Qualcomm, Tommy Hilfiger and Epson). By the way, I’m not including Pirelli or the team’s branding/name in these counts.

      1. @geemac Zak Brown finally showed his work. I wonder if McLaren finally lowering their prices because Ron never accept to cheapen the space on the car which lead to the *ahem* clean look in the first place. However considering the lack of title sponsor and engine cover spot, maybe the prime spots are still premium price.

        1. Which is fair enough I think. It’s prime space, so the prime partner, whoever it may be, should get it. If you compare them to the rest of the grid (so far):

          Mercedes – Self sponsor so the engine cover has a three pointed star on it.
          Ferrari – Engine cover is empty, but they have Phillip Morris and shed loads of FOM cash so they don’t need to fill the space.
          Red Bull – Self sponsor so the engine cover has a bull on it.
          Renault – Sister brand Infiniti gets this space.
          Williams – Martini get this space as title sponsor.
          Sauber – Alfa Romeo get this space as title sponsor.
          Haas – Self sponsor so they get this space.
          Toro Rosso – Red Bull junior team so they have a bull on it.

          1. @geemac It is and I agree they shouldn’t cheapened it. Also cmiiw, title sponsor usually gets the sidepod space and 2nd biggest sponsor gets the engine cover space. Although today maybe some of them prefer the engine cover space because the sidepods has much more curves (compared to 80-90’s, the golden F1 sponsorship era) so their logo probably gets more distorted in there.

            It’s great you wrote that list because while McLaren is the obvious cleanest car (bar few years of Sauber and Marussia) in reality most of the teams also don’t have that much sponsors outside of the owner/shareholders own company. Even I’d argue Affa Romeo is kind of Ferrari/Fiat attempt at B-team akin of RBR and STR. The only ones that have true sponsor is Ferrari (the true golden era F1 sponsorship because loophole), Williams and Force India. Mercedes also probably count for Petronas. Between them, I think Martini and BWT paid lower than the usual premium price.

          2. It’s great you wrote that list because while McLaren is the obvious cleanest car (bar few years of Sauber and Marussia) in reality most of the teams also don’t have that much sponsors outside of the owner/shareholders own company.

            That’s exactly why I did that @sonicslv. I was getting bored of seeing people on the internet essentially saying “McLaren have no sponsors” when in actual fact they have quite a few…they just don’t have a title sponsor and they aren’t punting their own brand in space Zak Brown is trying to sell off.

        2. When results come it will surely be filled. Wouldnt be suprised if they have someone ready.

  2. Well done Mclaren for going back to the full Orange! Fantastic! Love it

    1. Orange is fantastic. …… but that orange ??

      1. @gunusugehb Papaya orange? The one many people asking them to go back into? What’s wrong with that, unless some people who asked for the old days orange never actually research the actual color before.

    2. It’s not entirely Orange. Blue portions ruins it completely. They should change blue to black. And logos should be dark gray, not black.

    3. I think the blue looks fantastic with it. It’s surely meant to replicate the M8 livery, and I don’t think anybody ever had a problem with the look of that!

      1. Although interestingly, I assume the M8 only used blue because of its sponsorship with gulf…

        1. And I assume that is the only reason that one of the McLaren F1 GTRs used dark blue when sponsored by Gulf rather than traditional Gulf light blue in ’95 and ’96.

  3. I like it. It seems a bit of an odd combination at first, but it has actually grown on me in the 2 minutes since I first saw it. But, like Alonso said, as long as the car is quick, the looks don’t matter. Is it just me, or does the car look less sophisticated than the top 3, and maybe even some of the midfield runners? Looks underdeveloped. Hopefully, the Melbourne update will be good. It has to be. Please, McLaren, not another year of struggling for Q3.

    1. After looking at some more photos, they seem to have done a lot of work on the floor and the bargeboard areas, but even still, not sure it looks as detailed as some of the other cars. Also, either McLaren have abandoned the “size-zero” concept, or everyone else has adopted it.

      1. Guess they’ll be adding more aero parts once testing begins. The Alfa Romeo Sauber was the most detailed in terms of aero. Other teams had aero details too in the barge board, front side pod areas and airbox areas, but the Alfa Sauber was the most detailed. That’s why I loved looking at its photos.

    2. Both Mclaren and Mercs have been sandbagging at launch of their cars. From the release to 1st race weekend in Australia these cars are going to look totally different. With regards to Mclaren they already are talking about upgrade packages for 1st race.

      1. Ahahahaha McLaren sandbagging. I believe that when i see it

      2. You know this or this is what you wish to happen?

        McLaren did not receive the memo that every team has reduced the size of the side pods, McLaren have grown them.

        1. @markp

          That is strange as if you compare the two cars the new sidepods have smaller intakes and a much deeper undercut. Not sure what you are looking at.

    3. The colour doesn’t bother me it’s looks like classical to me. But seeing the bargeboards it does reminds me of RedBull at the start last year. I am not impressed if they start the tests like this and doesn’t bring upgrades at the second test.

  4. Very bold colour scheme, well done McLaren! Nobody will having trouble picking the McLaren from the rest.

    1. I am confused by f1 Fans. First they want Orange, then they rip on last years livery for being Ugly, Lazy, Bad Design…. and now they celebrate THIS? I mean the car doesn’t even have a livery, it’s just colored. What a weird bunch…

      1. Sometimes simpler is better.

        1. @robbie its not simple, its dull, bland, …. Sauber last year was simple, as an example.

          1. @mrboerns To each their own.

          2. Orange is never dull. Never bland.
            The Ferrari this year looks amazing too. Guess what. They have more red. Red is never dull.

            MORE orange. MORE red. This is good.

  5. Ironically, this looks like a 2016/2017 Renault has had a baby with a 2017 McLaren. Which it actually sort of has.

  6. it’s gorgeous, the blue highlights are well places. looove it!

  7. Someone please enlighten me: the sidepods should be swept back at a 75 degree angle right? The McLaren looks almost like it has them swept forward at that angle. How does that work?

    1. Looking at the top view, I think they covered that 75-degree rule with the black pieces of bodywork you see underneath the sidepods.

  8. Vettel fan 17 (@)
    23rd February 2018, 7:20

    The orange and blue really go together.

  9. This year is McLaren ahead of RB. Mark my words…

    1. Doubt it but it would be great for F1. It’s just…first year with the Renault? Besting RBR? Besting Max in his RBR who should be stronger than last year? That would certainly be a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for Mac.

    2. McLaren are not in the same league as Red Bull, best they set realistic targets and by the look of this thing that’s probably best, beating Renault should be a realistic aim. They might be near the top of the midfield which is their level.

    3. Ya very difficult to read much into these pics but compared with other teams McLaren have started from a safe place and I’m sure this is the first step in a plan with many iterations spanning a number of years. Redbull on the other hand alook like they are pushing the boat out and reaching for that top spot.

      Just my very speculative none scientific opinion :)

  10. I’m not sure about the side pods, looks different to what other teams are doing, which could be great or a disaster.

  11. Looks great but still weird with no sponsors on the engine cover.

    Cant they just write “MCLAREN” on the side in blue? Would really tie the design together

    1. that will cost them $ 25 million a year

  12. This livery has still big potential. The sidepods are empty and they might cover it with some sponsor or who knows,with “Stoffel” & “Fernando” like the old days. I can’t say that i am the biggest fan of the blue, i would prefer silver but still its a very decent livery!

  13. The livery’s better then I thought it would be, but still preferred last year’s. Hopefully McLaren keep up their good chassis work and the Renault engine lets them compete

  14. Michael Brown (@)
    23rd February 2018, 7:39

    About time McLaren went to orange!

  15. It’s probably one of the ugliest cars I’ve seen in F1. Not a fan of their papaya orange colour to begin with, then you throw blue on the wings along with some black on the halo and you’ve got yourself a visual circus. It’s absolutely dull from a side angle as well.

    I actually loved the look of the Mclarens from 1996 to 2014. I think in their last 3 seasons, they’ve looked as bad as they’ve performed on track.

    It doesn’t bother me that the car is ugly though… as long as it’s fast, thats all that matters.

    1. @todfod Livery-wise I agree, it’s horrendous.

      It’s something you would find in a toy shop, and to put it on a McLaren of all things.

      It demonstrates that we are listening to our fans

      And it demonstrates what a bad idea that is.

      1. @balue

        And it demonstrates what a bad idea that is.

        Haha, yes, I totally agree.
        They are not asking their fans for ideas for the aero or suspension architecture, so why are they asking them about the livery design?

        Cheap fan-pandering is the worst thing any brand can do. It’s extremely short-sighted and it’s ALWAYS nostalgia-driven, instead of progress-driven.

        We all know living in the past is a bad thing in general, but especially in competitive environments.

      2. It also demonstrates what a good idea that is.
        Funny how that goes.

    2. @todfod WHAT?!?
      It’s EASILY the best looking car so far for 2018. The clean few-winglest sidepods, the clean livery (pure orange, black accessories, nice blue touches, isolated blue shark fin), the best looking nose (shape, subtle roundness, the gills), all about it!

      And you simply cannot say it’s one of the ugliest cars you have seen if you like other cars when the current generation of cars look all alike like never before, come on. If that McLaren is ugly to you, then all the 2018 cars are ugly to you.

      1. I guess we all have different tastes, I think this is the best looking Mclaren since the old Marlboro sponsorship days, those black and grey cars were ok but the reflective silver was horrendous, I never understood why they persisted with it. Race Cars are fun and should be bright, not all shaded out as if they are ashamed and trying to look like businessmans saloons. They just gotta get some sponsorsorship on that engine cover.

        1. those black and grey cars were ok but the reflective silver was horrendous, I never understood why they persisted with it

          Because Ron. It’s that simple really.

        2. Michael Ward
          Perfectly said!!

      2. McLaren is the ugliest and most disappointing car to look at. It will go better than it looks, maybe 4th or 5th fastest. Big teams are a long way away.

    3. I agree. They could have done it better. Ferrari, for instance, has sponsors on the sidepods, so it doesn’t look too bared.

      1. I agree with that, Ferrari has solved their sponsor placement really well. as for the McLaren, as a McLaren fan, this is actually… disappointing.

        doesn’t look bad. in fact it looks must better than last year’s mess. but when it became clear they were going with a papaya colour scheme this year, I expected them to go all-out with the design, not just throw a bucket of orange on top of it. for god’s sake, look at some of the fans design around the web, all better looking than this. look at Ferrari, that this year has done the whole single colour design very well. look at last year’s Nando’s Indy car! look at your own test livery from some years back: you have those on your own garage!!! this, Zak, is why you don’t bring marketing people to do a designer’s work! ;)

        I don’t know, maybe it’s just the lack of sponsors on the side (some black would contrast with the orange really nicely), but this just looks like meh

    4. It’s probably one of the ugliest cars I’ve seen in F1.

      My thoughts as well.

  16. Nice livery, but I don’t really like the car and those “fins” on top of the side pod are hideous. I hope those don’t work so that they can get rid of them!

    1. Those “fins” are vortex generators and re-energize the airflow so it works more effective downstream.

      Guaranteed they will work.

      1. @homerlovesbeer
        Their function has nothing to do how ugly they are.

  17. This livery is working so much better for me. There was something a bit uncomfortable looking about the MCL32. Dare I say it, this could be a modern classic.

    Beyond the paint work it looks really tidy, if a little basic after *that* SF71H! I’m intrigued to see what the experts make of it. All the teams seems to be doing their own thing, which for me is really exciting. I’m glad the field has some variation again.

  18. Love the orange, not convinced by the blue, even less convinced by the lack of sponsors but hopefully that’ll change.

    1. I’m guessing the blue harks back to the early 1970s cars, but if so it would be better for it to be in the rear wing only.

      1. @john-h Alpine blue

      2. Magnus Rubensson
        23rd February 2018, 15:24

        1972 McLaren CanAm car had a very similar orange + blue colour scheme:
        https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2016/02/05/fifty-years-later-theres-still-no-racing-like-the-original-can-am-series/

        I believe Peter Revson’s Indy McLaren also had a similar orange + blue livery (same year, 1972).

  19. Isn’t this their 2017 car just painted to show off the new livery?!

    Anyways

    Last year when mclaren had orange car it looked pretty hideous in the launch images. This one does as well. I think I might say last year it looked little better. But in natural light on the track it didn’t look that bad. The same is probably true for this as well. I just wish the car had better paint scheme. This looks like something a backmarker team would use because they ran out of money to buy paint. They could at least use slightly different shades of orange to spice it up little.

    One thing that caught my eye is that it doesn’t even say mclaren anywhere on the car. At least mclaren could paint the names of the drivers with some artistic flair on the sidepods like they did in 2006 for example. Kinda weird the team name is not nowhere on the car.

    As far as the tech details go this car probably has the smallest air inlets and most basic structures around the front side pods. An area which other teams are much more aggressively using.

    1. The name McL is on the stubby nose. So, Fernando is sponsoring his own car, he owns Kimoa, I think.

      1. Alonso owns a sponsor on his own car? Pay driver alert…

        1. But…. we recently proved here, Alonso always was a paydriver ;)

  20. Racecar is racecar backwards
    23rd February 2018, 7:59

    McLaren announce new title sponsor for 2018 – Irn Bru

    1. And we were all fooled to think that Force India was in talks with a drinks company.

      PS which country is biggest papaya producer?
      And the plot thickens.

  21. Cool livery color scheme. I was expecting it to be 100% orange, though, and not the front and the rear wings + part of the engine cover to be blue, but a cool looking car nevertheless.

  22. Looks like a back of the grid car but surely it will be the 4th best team as a minimum.

  23. IKEA entered F1?

    1. You know Ikea isn’t orange, right?

  24. Happy to see more orange! Wasn’t sure at first having seen the studio shots, but not I’ve seen pictures of it outside, I love it! Should look even better on track!

    Bravo Mclaren for listening to the fans!

  25. Congratulations to McLaren for going back to their heritage papaya orange. Now all they need is sponsorship from Reynolds Aluminum.

  26. Orange and blue. Hmm, I think Zak Brown might be about to announce a sponsorship deal with Howard Johnson’s.

  27. This time is the proper orange. I’m sure most McLaren fans are loving it.

    1. I think they missed an opportunity here. A darker color on the engine cover would have better contrasted with the flames coming from the exhaust. However, i might be proven wrong if the renault proves to be more of a ‘smoker’ in the tradition of the early 2000s Hondas

  28. First Lenovo, then Dell….at this rate HPQ will return to Williams any time soon

  29. Nicest looking McLaren since they were silver! Would be a perfect billboard for IKEA, matches their colour scheme.

    1. How can more than one person have mistaken orange for yellow and forget the Sauber from a couple of years ago?

  30. They should have painted the whole of the front wing blue. They could have done the same to the halo too. It would have made the car look more striking – orange and blue – not that isn’t striking already. I wonder why they’re leaving those black parts on the front wing and the halo unpainted?

  31. Love Alonso’s new helmet livery – striking, to say the least!

  32. Thanks to everyone that moaned for that hideous orange. I hope it’s better in natural light than this.
    Though I won’t care much if it’s fast. Problem is, it looks like the most basic design of all cars so far, I’m really worried. I hope it’s not the car we will see in Melbourne or that I’m guessing wrong about this design performance.

    1. @spoutnik – Prodromou told that McLaren is getting ready a big update for Melbourne.

    2. On track it looks a lot like the orange McLaren used in early 2006 for pre-season testing. And I adored that car.

      1. @hahostolze Agreed that in natural light this orange looks way more warm. The presentation pictures are just ugly actually. Now the real worry is the design that look so basic. I hope the big upgrade brings actual performance. If they can’t fight the Red Bulls, 2018 will be a failure.

  33. On track, I think it’s a seriously good looking (if somewhat simple) car. Also, as some people pointed out, on track the blue doesn’t look blue, looks almost black. Good look, in my opinion.

  34. Genuinely think the side-pods/barge-boards are gonna look different in Australia from what we see here.
    Fantastic livery though.

    1. Not sure how those taco chips attached to the sides (just above the intake) are gonna help.
      Does anyone know how it adds to aero advantage ?

      1. Those are vortex generators and re-energize the airflow so it works more effective downstream.

        Guaranteed they will work.

  35. Really excited to see new Orange MCL33. It will be very easy to spot. Hopefully in races its spotted in the top positions.

  36. One of the worst color combos i’ve ever seen on an F1 car

  37. MORE ORANGE!

  38. They just need to steal Hispania Racings idea and write ‘THIS COULD BE YOU’ on the side!

  39. Great livery, direct heritage from the original McLaren M8 series Can-Am cars and also widely used on the Road-car range. Not sure about the ‘hedgehog’ spikes on the top of the side pods…………

    1. Those are vortex generators and re-energize the airflow so it works more effective downstream.

      Guaranteed they will work.

  40. Black is so much better for the Halo then body colored… The Red Ferrari Halo looks like ****.

    1. Every halo looks like ****.

      1. Halfway up toilet seat.

  41. A better shade of Orange, blurgh at the Blue but that was probably at Alonso’s insistence looking at his new helmet! I’m surprised Dell didn’t want their logo in that blue as well.

    The car looks quite plain to me, under developed, but what on earth is all of that gubbins in the overhead shot between the front axle and the sidepods!

    I look forward to the Torro Rosso’s blasting past them down the straights. ;)

  42. Glad the car is still orange but I strongly preferred the orange of last year’s car.

  43. Anything was going to be better than last years livery, which was one of the worst I’ve ever seen, but this looks pretty good! adds some colour to the grid

  44. Nice livery. The blue actually blends well with papaya orange. The car looks good from front but still too barren from side and top view. I think a blue streak like the white one in MCL32 for the sidepod can be used to fill the sidepod before they got title sponsor and put McLaren logo for engine cover, under the guise of McLaren Automotive if need to. Also I’d love to see McLaren chevron back in the top of sidepods instead of nothing.

  45. Yes! Finally the Papaya orange we asked for! Classic, elegant and simple! Looks better on the track! I hope they have a great year, it’s about time.

  46. Simply uninspiring, they could have done much better, what I used to like in the times of Ron were the liveries, they just nice to look, beurk.

  47. Looks great, the blue is a surprise but goes well, and they’ve tried to make the horrible fin disappear.
    Why does it need logos plastered all over it?
    I hope they stick with this livery for a bit because they’ve changed so much in recent years, they kind of lost their identity as well as their way.

  48. I think it is gorgeous.

  49. I love it, and dare I say it – the Halo looks good on this car.

    Ferrari and McLaren seem to have done the best at marrying the aesthetics of the Halo with the rest of the car. Mercedes didn’t even try!

  50. Wow. That on-track photo is gorgeous. The car looks even better in natural light.

  51. Hands down, the ugliest livery ever. And I mean, EVER!
    I can’t remember anything from the past 50-60 years that looked this bad, in terms of livery and color scheme.

    1. Wow! Oh well, thank goodness we all have different finger prints or wouldn’t life be boring.

    2. Allow me to refresh your memory

    3. you did mean to place this comment under last year’s McLaren reveal, right?

      1. @maciek

        I would…
        …until this one came out! :)

        Last year’s one was a bit cheap looking, but this one… this is just a whole new level. Looks like some cheap toy.
        Ferrari also has just one basic color with black and white here there, but their livery looks much more professional.

        I honestly think this wasn’t done by a professional designer. It can’t be. Or at least, not with a heavy “input” from the management.

        1. well, the problem with professional designers is that sometimes they come up with stuff like last year’s livery, which in my opinion your comment suits perfectly. I think this is a welcome change; the biggest problem is that it’s bland on the side and all it would have taken to make it better would have been a few diagonal stripes along the sidepods.

  52. BMW GP Engineering
    23rd February 2018, 13:20

    Blue and Orange looks great, although it seems a touch lazy. Would have been nice to see the blue extend into the engine cover perhaps, even some cheat lines would be better. That huge orange space space on the rear looks poor, even if they put Mclaren, the speed mark logo or perhaps a big number or driver name, anything to fill it in till they get themselves a primary sponsor.

  53. The prettiest car on the grid to me hands down. Love the simplicity around the side pod area, but if I’m not mistaken, Mclaren said the car would go thru a substantial upgrade by Melborne, so the side pod area may be just as crowded as all the other teams as well. I also thought they would have used black as the contrasting color, but wow that blue (which was used on Alonso’s car at Indy last year) is positively stunning. The lack of sponsors is fine as well, kinda takes u back to years gone by when teams weren’t hog tied to sponsors before the escalating cost of the sport. Having said that, I’m sure those blank areas won’t stay blank the entire year. And lastly, there are enough tracks on the schedule that won’t call for brute horsepower, so if that Renault engine is anywhere near reliable, Alonso will be in the hunt for the title this year, and could win next year. Alonso doesn’t have to start on pole, just the second row, because of his incredible starts, and possibly the third row will see him on the podium consistently.

  54. Finally I see smile in Fernando’s face again :)
    Looks like Ferrari copied nose design of McLaren…

  55. The bset looking so far list:
    1 Ferrari
    2 McLaren
    3 Sauber
    4 Williams
    5 Haas
    6 Red Bull
    7 Renault
    8 Mercedes

    1. 1. Renault
      2. McLaren
      3. Ferrari
      4. Sauber
      5. Haas
      6. Mercedes
      7. Williams
      and the Williams isn’t even bad. Great liveries all around so far!

  56. Of course the team that hasn’t got Verstappen has got to have an Orange and blue car

    (seriously though the Livery would’ve fitted his fans really well)

    1. Maybe he’s going to want to drive a McLaren in 2019 :)
      Looking at the aero, it’s obvious they’re going for a bases-first approach, but the front of the car is very complex, which leads me to think they’re taking risks with the aero. The vortex generators at the side, close to the bodywork, and the very complex rear wing probably mean they’re going for a lower drag, lower mechanical grip approach.

  57. I like this little anti-Honda take on the livery :)

    https://twitter.com/_McMike_/status/967012588553990144

    1. Lol that’s hilarious.

  58. The fact that it looks like the 97” Mastercard-Lola gives me little hope…..

  59. Well, I’m not really a fan of this livery. Especially with the no-sponsor sidepods. I like color on the grid, and I don’t dislike the orange, but the livery just seems a bit lazy. As in “you wanted paprika orange (I know.. it’s papaya), now you’ve got orange”. Turns out (mostly) just orange is just not that exciting, especially when you do not have the sponsors to compliment the livery.

    I’ve also got the feeling they are behind schedule if you look at what other teams came up with at the sidepod area. From a team as McLaren, known for their innovations, I expected something more special. Now I am well aware that complicated aero isn’t a guarantee for success, but it reminds me of last years Red Bull, which was also launched very basic. I guess they needed to comprimise a lot to fit in the Renault, instead of Honda compromising a lot to fit in the McLaren, which took more time in development.

    1. To be fair, they only had a matter of months whereas Red Bull have been running with Renault architecture since, well forever.

  60. I have no idea why they chose this colour because of some fan nostalgia for the 1960’s. This is the heritage colour of the Can-Am team not the F1 team and personally I would have preferred a scheme that stylised the revitalisation of the team, not a glance in the rear view mirror.

    1. Well to each their own, but it is also a tribute to Bruce McLaren himself, no? I think some Mac fans have been hoping for this type of paint scheme for a while now, but I think this is just as much for the team as for the fans. I can’t think of a better way to forge ahead post-Honda disaster, than to turn the page and start fresh with a reminder of who started them, and how they got started to begin with, all over the car. The orange Can-Am cars were iconic. I don’t see anything wrong with a little nostalgia now when they are trying to shed themselves (revitalize) of the last 3 years.

      I like it more every time I look at the pics.

  61. It’s about the worst use of orange and blue since the R27.

  62. It’s amazing how people are mever happy. “Fewer grey or silver cars” they say. We now have a cool looking Mclaren, back to their traditional colour in much the same way the Lotus/caterham outfit were doing. Mclaren were only silver because of West tabacco sponsorship and then being the Mercedes outfit pre 2010. I for one love these teams sticking to the traditional colour.

  63. That huge empty space on the side pods. What better way to sell advertising space. I hope this car really stands out in broadcasts and I hope they get a worthy sponsor and more so that they prove their own worth this year.

  64. The official photos of the car against the white background are bloody awful! But out on the track, it looks stunning!!

  65. Any have looked at their rear suspension ? They put a fake arm that goes at the bottom of the floor to control the link/spring setup. Look carefuly. Their rear suspension just return to pushrod instead of pullrod…

  66. Serban Bobiceanu
    24th February 2018, 21:14

    Brakes my heart to see one of the ugliest cars on the grid, it’s not even papaya orange, and that blue…still loving mclaren tho, it’s not all about the looks, but about how good the car will be!

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