McLaren has revealed a striking new livery for the Monaco GP. This design has been inspired by their long-standing alliance with sponsors, Gulf Oil.
When the F1 community got a glimpse of the design, they were in awe.
The car has lost its papaya colours for Gulf Oil’s blue and orange colour scheme.
McLaren had built a significant amount of hype before the striking reveal on social media. Taking a look at the fan’s reactions, the car is an absolute masterpiece.
McLaren has been associated with Gulf Oil for a long time. It was them who had designed this livery for the outfit during the time of its founder, Bruce McLaren.
The brands then parted ways, only to rejoin and revive their partnership last year.
Gulf International CEO, Mike Jones, spoke about how the idea for the livery came about.
“Zak and I started thinking about the history of Gulf and McLaren, to look into what we can do, and it developed from there,” he said.
He added, “When we did the launch last year, the fan reaction was unbelievable and we were taken aback. 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?”
The car will be a one-off
McLaren boss Zak Brown had to consult the FIA before implementing this design change.
While it is rare for a team to go for a one-off design, it is even rarer to make it a permanent one. Thus, McLaren will be keeping this as a special piece.
“At this point, we only intend to run it at Monaco,” Zak Brown said.
“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.”
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