McLaren has revealed that the team will be sporting a one-off livery at the Monaco Grand Prix, inspired by their sponsors Gulf Oil.
Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris will pilot the new-look MCL35M which will include the drivers’ overalls, bespoke helmets, and team kit following a renewed partnership between Gulf Oil and McLaren in 2020.
The team will also introduce limited merchandise for fans to purchase.
“This will be McLaren’s homage to Gulf’s celebrated race car design,” said Zak Brown, McLaren CEO. “We’re enormous fans of brave and bold design, and the striking Gulf blue is among the most loved liveries in racing, a celebrated piece of culture which transcends the world of motorsport.
“Design has always been important to McLaren – you see this in everything we do from our return to papaya to our stunning headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre. We’re excited to exhibit this as a team and celebrate our proud association with Gulf in Monaco.”
Norris, who has already seen the livery earlier in the week, is convinced that the colours will be a stand out at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix.
“I think everyone can agree it will be the best-looking car on the grid by a very long way,” said Norris as quoted by Motorsport.com. “I said to Zak [Brown] that it was even better than our current livery. But he didn’t sound so convinced by that!”
“Of course, I love it. It’s cool. I mean, I didn’t need another reason to get excited for Monaco. So I’ve got to control myself, save some energy for next weekend,” added Ricciardo.
“But it’s awesome. And as long as you look good, that’s the first box you’ve got to tick. And we’re certainly doing that.”
F1 rules dictate that the team needs to seek approval from the FIA and FOM in order for substantial differences to the cars’ livery. Mike Jones, CEO of Gulf Oil International explained that the change was a push from the fans.
“We were having fans who’d already painted their own mock-ups, and they were sending personal messages back on social media saying, ‘why don’t you do this?’ Said Jones as quoted by Motorsport.com
“So Zak and I started thinking about the history of Gulf and McLaren, to look into what we can do, and it developed from there.”
Brown is adamant, however, that the livery will not be a regular change for the team.
“At this point, we only intend to run it at Monaco,” said Brown, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “I think if you’re going to have a special livery, you keep it special. It’s something, as you all know, that isn’t done that often in Formula 1.
“I’m excited to see fans’ reaction, and in Monaco I think it’s going to be the star of the show.”
