McLaren might be about to make a popular decision
In a nod to its past, or at least an iconic few years, McLaren looks set to be reverting to its famous papaya orange for its 2017 McLaren-Honda. Or at least incorportating it into its new livery.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but the teaser images coming out of the marketing department in Woking are making it plain: change is coming, and it involves orange.
Its roots lie in sports cars, and on someone else’s Can-Am. Teddy Mayer was taken by the bright orange rival, and reasoned it would show up on television more clearly – and in the mirrors of rivals. So they painted the dominant Can-Am car orange, and the M7A was the first McLaren to wear papaya orange in Formula 1, in 1968. By 1974, the growing importance of sponsorship meant it was discarded in favour of Marlboro’s red and white. It made a brief comeback in 2006, during testing, but has since been reserved for the team’s GT racing exploits.
So look back at some orange McLarens of old, and recent times.
Laurent Mekies arrives as Red Bull F1 team principal with a series of immediate challenges to solve and long-term issues to tackle. He'll either sink or swim, says Mark Hughes
Former McLaren F1 team-mates Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard are set to renew old rivalries in a new Evening with... tour – they told James Elson all about it
In Formula 1, driver contracts may look iron-clad on paper, but history shows that some of its biggest stars have made dramatic early exits
Former McLaren F1 ace told James Elson about his private audience with The Beatles' George Harrison, who played an unreleased grand prix-themed song