2026 McLaren F1 car livery launch: how to follow live
McLaren presents its colour scheme for the 2026 F1 season in Bahrain on Monday
McLaren will unveil its definitive livery for the 2026 Formula 1 season on Monday ahead 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 taking place today in Bahrain before the start of testing on Wednesday.
The design was a one-off and the now traditional papaya colour will return to the final livery, 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 is aiming to defend both titles in 2026
McLaren
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
McLaren will officially launch its car next month
McLaren
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 started running on Tuesday, 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
Lando Norris
Contract through at least 2026
Norris is contracted to McLaren through at least the end of 2027, providing stability as the team navigates the new regulatory cycle. The deal, signed during McLaren’s resurgence, keeps the reigning champion at Woking through a period when his market value has never been higher.
Oscar Piastri
Contract through at least 2026
Piastri’s long-term future at McLaren was secured through a multi-year contract extension announced in 2025. The deal locked him down “for the long term”, according to the team, so the Australian is likely to partner Norris for a least a couple more seasons.
