Despite having a fairly lackluster season so far, McLaren Racing has been known to put on a show. After all, it’s crucial to keep sponsors happy, even if your car isn’t meeting expectations — especially when you’re hoarding most of them. Aside from the usual activities and collaborations, nothing seems to generate hype as much as a one-off livery, and what better place to do it than for the race in Monaco?
McLaren’s “Triple Crown Livery” is a tribute to the team’s victories across three disciplines of motorsport: Formula 1, Indycar, and Endurance. The fabled triple crown takes its name after arguably the three most prestigious races in those categories: the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The new paint job ties together the team’s 1974 Indy 500 win with Johnny Rutherford, the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix with Alain Prost, and the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas, and Masanori Sekiya.
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The rear-most segment of the special liveried car features Papaya orange elements, inspired by the McLaren M16C/D that delivered the team’s first-ever brickyard victory. The center portion is a hommage to the livery sported on the 1984 Mclaren MP4/2, while the front end represents the black livery worn on the McLaren F1 GTR that won Le Mans at its first attempt.
Meanwhile, away from the glitz and glamour of Monaco, the Arrow McLaren team will run four different special liveries on each of its cars taking part in the 2023 Indianapolis 500, which, just like the F1 race, takes place on Sunday, May 28.
Fans who had hoped for a return of the stunning Gulf Oil-inspired one-off retro livery of two years ago may be disappointed, but of course Gulf no longer sponsors McLaren’s F1 team, moving to Williams from the 2023 season. Meanwhile, the Triple Crown livery won’t be a one-race occurrence either, with the team set to run it at the Spanish Grand Prix held a week after Monte Carlo.
