McLaren's New F1 Challenger Sports Classic Papaya Orange Paint
The McLaren Formula 1 team has unveiled its challenger for the 2018 racing season, the MCL33.
The MCL33 has been painted in the British outfit’s iconic papaya orange and blue colour scheme, which first appeared on a McLaren F1 car 50 years ago. The same shade of orange appeared on company founder Bruce McLaren’s wildly successful Can-Am racecars in the 1960s and ’70s, and was revived for McLaren F1 driver Fernando Alonso’s Indy 500 bid last year as well.
For 2018, McLaren has ditched former engine supplier Honda, which failed to provide it with a competitive power unit during their three seasons together. In the place of the Honda engine will be a Renault – marking the first time one of the French manufacturer’s engines has found its way into a McLaren F1 car. Renault power units took three F1 wins last year in the back of the Red Bull RB14, although they were rebadged TAG-Heuer for marketing purposes.
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“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,” driver Fernando Alonso said of the switch from Honda to Renault. “The car certainly looks very neat and well thought-out, and I think the new colour looks really great; really eye-catching.”
“I just want to get behind the wheel now!”
Alonso will get to do just that when Formula 1’s official pre-season test kicks off on February 26th in Spain. After a dismal season last year, the McLaren team will be hoping to get off to a strong start with a successful outing to Circuit de Catalunya.
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Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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