McLaren reveals testing livery as F1 title defence begins

McLaren unveiled its provisional livery for the 2026 Formula 1 season on Monday morning as the team hit the track in Barcelona, marking the beginning of a campaign in which it will attempt to prove last year’s double championship triumph was no fluke.

The Woking team presented a largely black “stealth” car ahead of the first day of running in Spain, with an official launch expected to take place once the five-day test is over.

“A McLaren livery without papaya? No, no, no. This design is a one-off, created for a specific purpose, and will only be used this week in Spain,” the team said.

The 2025 season represented McLaren’s return to the summit of Formula 1 after more than two decades in the wilderness.

Lando Norris claimed his first drivers’ title while the team secured the constructors’ crown, vindicating years of patient rebuilding under the stewardship of Andrea Stella.

The 2026 reset, however, represents a substantially different challenge.

The incoming technical regulations represent the most significant reset Formula 1 has seen in over a decade, reshaping both chassis philosophy and power unit architecture in ways that could fundamentally alter the competitive order.

McLaren enters this new era as a customer team running Mercedes power units, a status that raises questions about whether the Woking outfit can sustain its success without the structural advantage enjoyed by works manufacturers.

However, those concerns must be tempered by reality.

McLaren won both championships in 2025 as a customer, proving that intelligent development and operational excellence can overcome any theoretical disadvantage.

The team has committed heavily to the 2026 project, redirecting resources early to maximise its preparation for the regulatory reset.

Whether that investment translates into continued competitiveness will become clear soon enough, but McLaren arrives at this crossroads with momentum and confidence that few rivals can match.

Norris enters the season as the reigning world champion, attempting to become the first British driver since Lewis Hamilton to successfully defend a title.

Alongside him, Oscar Piastri returns for his fourth season with McLaren.

The partnership delivered championships in 2025, but the dynamic between them was not without tension.

How McLaren manages that relationship in 2026 – particularly if both drivers are fighting for wins regularly – will be crucial once more.

A harmonious garage helped deliver titles last season. Maintaining that equilibrium whilst allowing both drivers to race could determine whether McLaren’s success proves fleeting or sustainable.

McLaren 2026 F1 car reveal live stream

The provisional livery revealed ahead of testing will be replaced by the final design on 9 February, when McLaren hosts its official team launch at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The event will be broadcast online at 15:00 GMT, with team principal Andrea Stella, CEO Zak Brown, and both drivers set to unveil the livery that will adorn McLaren’s 2026 challenger.

McLaren shakedown and testing schedule

McLaren opted to skip the opening day of the Barcelona shakedown, choosing to maximise development time rather than rush its 2026 challenger to the circuit.

The team will instead begin running on Tuesday or Wednesday, a calculated gamble that prioritises car refinement over early track mileage.

McLaren will then join the rest of the teams in the second and third tests in Bahrain next month.

McLaren’s 2026 car

McLaren arrives at the new regulatory era as reigning champion, but with the knowledge that past dominance offers no protection when the rulebook is rewritten.

The Woking-based team continues its partnership with Mercedes as a customer power unit supplier, a relationship that has underpinned its return to competitiveness but now faces fresh scrutiny as engine performance, as well as integration of the package, becomes critical under the new regulations.

McLaren’s strength has always been in extracting maximum performance from customer powertrains through superior chassis work and aerodynamic efficiency, a philosophy that served it well during its 2025 title campaign and one it must now replicate under entirely different technical constraints.

The MCL40A represents McLaren’s interpretation of regulations designed to level the playing field, a machine built on the momentum of championship success but without any guarantee that what worked in 2025 will translate into 2026.

McLaren 2026 F1 driver line-up