McLaren has decided to give the 2024 Formula One World Championship and early kick-off after they unveiled their livery for the new season.
The move which caught many by surprise, takes ‘fan favourite’ elements of papaya and anthracite, with a touch of chrome that was part of a special livery the team used during the 2023 British Grand Prix. That race is marked by some as the one in which the fortunes of the historic team turned around after Lando Norris qualified in second and finished the race there while team-mate Oscar Piastri finished the race in a still impressive fourth-place following a third-place qualifying position.
In a statement on McLaren’s website, CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown, said:
“We’re delighted to launch our 2024 Formula 1 livery ahead of the new season. The design looks awesome, and I can’t wait to go racing and see it come to life on track next month.
“We didn’t start 2023 as we wanted but Andrea and the team did a great job following the organisational restructure coming into action, and the hard work continues as we carry that excellent momentum into the 2024 campaign.
“I’m confident the exciting pairing of Lando and Oscar will continue to create more mega memories together after such an impressive second half of last year which saw the team finish fourth in the championship with 302 points. These are all steps forward from the year before as we continue our mission to push and compete at the front of the grid.
“We’re looking forward to achieving our ambitions and with our valuable partners and fantastic fans on board, they will play an integral part in the journey this season. We’re grateful for their continued support and know they also share our passion for success.”
Team Principal, Andrea Stella, added:
“After a busy and productive off-season, we head into 2024 with our sights set on continuing our journey towards the front of the grid. Last year allowed the team to set a strong foundation for the future through continued hard work, commitment, effort and talent.
“With our new infrastructure upgrades and people in place, we must continue to elevate our standards and incorporate high performance in everything we do.
“The 2024 livery looks great and I’m looking forward to seeing our exciting driver line-up of Lando and Oscar take the MCL38 to track next month.
“The support of our commercial partners and incredible fans will play an important part as we continue to remain united together as a team throughout the upcoming season. We still have a lot of work to do before we hit the track for the first race in Bahrain, but we’re all focused on delivering against our objectives and starting the season on the right footing.”
British driver, Lando Norris, also commented:
“I’m looking forward to the new season ahead, it will be my sixth in Formula 1 and I’m hoping to carry the momentum we gained as a team at the end of last season to hit the ground running in Bahrain. The new livery looks great with the inclusion of segments from last year’s enhancements, I’m sure the fans will love it as much as me.
“Everyone at the factory has worked incredibly hard in the off season, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the 2024 car to challenge our competitors towards the front of the grid.”
Ahead of his second season in Formula One, Oscar Piastri said:
“The 2024 livery looks really cool and I’m looking forward to racing in the iconic colours of McLaren for a second season. I made some special memories with the team in my rookie year, securing two podiums and a Sprint win.
“I‘m going to work hard alongside the whole team to take those results into the start of the new season and compete well with our competitors to give the fans more memorable moments.”
The team will unveil their new 2024 challenger in full on February 14th ahead of a shakedown at Silverstone the same day. Mercedes will also unveil their new car on the same day as well as taking to the track at the home of the British Grand Prix.