The Formula One team McLaren is celebrating 60 years since it was founded by New Zealand entrepreneur Bruce McLaren. While the brand is becoming globally recognised and participates in a number of racing categories, the F1 team is hardly a vision of success.
The team has just 14 points after five races and has been spectacularly leap frogged by Aston Martin who are second in the constructors’ championship holding off the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.
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Today’s news of a works deal arrangement between Aston Martin and Honda for the new F1 engine formula due in 2026 further gives the impression that McLaren is falling behind the curve.
The coming weekend sees the 107th running of the Indy500 together with the F1 Monaco GP and McLaren is represented in both.
On both sides of the pond McLaren is celebrating its triple crown historic racing triumphs having won the Monaco GP, the Indy500 and the Le Mans 24 hour race. Liveries from each of these events are displayed on three of the Indycars racing at the IMS and the F1 cars will bear a combined livery consisting of a combination of the colours from each era.
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Indy500 cars throwback liveries
The livery rules are different in the two racing series with each car allowed its own design in Indycar. In F1 the two cars within a team must display identical liveries which even must be symmetrical in design.
The most eye catching of the Indycar designs is on the Felix Rosenqvist number 6 car which reflects the livery of the McLaren MP4-2 in which Alain Prost won the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix.
Pato O’wards full black machine is a throwback to the McLaren win at Le Mans in 1995 where the all black Gordon Murray designed McLaren F1 GTR triumphed in the hands of Yannick Dalmas, JJ Lehto and Masanori Sekiya.
Celebrate triple crown wins
The #7 car of Alexander Rossi is draped in papaya and blue to celebrate McLaren’s 1976 Indy 500 win, which saw Johnny Rutherford take his second Indy victory in a rain-shortened race aboard the McLaren M16.
In Formula One the McLaren cars will contain a mix of papaya, white, and black .
The team’s CEO Zak Brown tells the official website, “Having achieved the greatest accomplishment in motorsport by completing the Triple Crown, we are proud to celebrate the rich history of McLaren Racing with a special livery at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.”
Combo livery for F1 cars
“In line with our 60th-anniversary celebrations and honouring the legacy of Bruce McLaren, the unique livery pays homage to the three victories which form the Triple Crown accolade.”
The rear of the car will Baer the papaya colours which signifies the livery of the team’s first ever win at the Indy500.
In the middle of the car is the white from the iconic 1980’s Marlboro liveries and specifically the 1984 win at Monaco.
Finally the front of the car will be black as a tribute to the Gordon Murray designed McLaren F1 GTR which won Le Mans in 1995.
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Agony for Charles, ecstasy for Checo #MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/7BjlL8IpXB
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 23, 2023
