McLaren has unveiled its livery for the 2026 Formula 1 championship season, retaining the design that led to championships in the previous two seasons.
The team based in Woking, England, have won the past two F1 constructors’ championships, while Lando Norris secured his maiden drivers’ championship last season.
The current design, a papaya and anthracite colour scheme, dates back to 2024 when McLaren won the constructors’ championship. They stuck with the design in 2025 and have again kept the winning design for the 2026 season.
The McLaren MCL40 will have a similar livery design to the 2024 and 2025 challengers, when McLaren won the F1 constructors’ championships. (Supplied: McLaren)
The MCL40 was unveiled in Bahrain ahead of a promotional filming day and two preseason tests this month.
Australian Oscar Piastri enters the 2026 season having narrowly missed out on the drivers’ championship in 2025.
Piastri won seven grands prix and led the championship for much of the season, but a form slump in the final third of the year allowed teammate Norris to claim the title.
But 2026 presents a new set of challenges for all teams and drivers. The engine and chassis regulations have been overhauled for this season, one of the largest regulation changes in F1’s history.
In a statement following the launch of the MCL40 livery, Piastri said he was entering the 2026 season with confidence.
“We’ve got a big challenge ahead with the new regulations, but I come into this year with a lot of positivity and ready to tackle this new era of Formula 1 head on,’ he says.
“We’ve taken a lot of good learnings from last year, so I am feeling stronger than ever, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve this year.”
Lando Norris will carry the number one on his car in 2026, an honour reserved for the previous year’s champion.
Lando Norris will drive with the number one on his car as the reigning F1 drivers’ champion. (Supplied: McLaren)
Norris became the first McLaren driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 to win the F1 drivers’ championship, sealing the title with a third-place finish in the Abu Dhabi finale.
Norris is the first McLaren driver to race with the number one since Jenson Button in 2010, who drove for McLaren after winning the 2009 drivers’ championship with Brawn GP.
With a new season dawning, Norris said he enters the 2026 campaign filled with anticipation and excitement as the reigning champion.
“To win the Championship with the team I’ve been with since the beginning was incredible. We’re coming into this year as World Champions, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in this new era of Formula 1,” he said in a statement.
“I’m ready for this year, and I can’t wait to get back on track and keep pushing forward.”
The first of two preseason testing sessions will be held in Bahrain from February 11-14.
The F1 season begins with the Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne from March 6-8.