McLaren will roll into Monaco this week looking a shade more reflective than usual.
To mark the team’s 1000th Formula 1 start — a milestone it will hit on the streets of Monte Carlo — the MCL40 will run a one-off livery at both the Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix. It’s a rare club McLaren is joining: only Ferrari has previously reached four figures in grand prix starts.
The design change is deliberately more than a quick sticker job. McLaren has darkened its papaya, pairing it with heavier black sections and switching to white race numbers, while “1000” motifs are worked into the car. The same theme carries onto Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s race suits, which will be predominantly black with “1000” branding and a papaya flash on the left shoulder.
What’s interesting is the intent behind it. McLaren isn’t just celebrating longevity; it’s trying to tell a story across eras — the peaks, the lean spells, and the modern rebound — all in a weekend where F1’s noise tends to drown out anything that isn’t lap-time.
As part of the commemoration, references to key moments from the team’s history will feature throughout the livery. McLaren has also chosen to nod to more recent calling cards, including its record 1.8-second pit stop from the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix — a reminder that in the current age, “heritage” isn’t only measured in old trophies and sepia photography.
There’s a bit of symmetry to the venue, too. McLaren’s first entry under its own name came at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix, with Bruce McLaren at the wheel. Sixty years on, the team is using the same race to underline a thread of continuity that’s become increasingly rare in a championship now defined by corporate churn and rebrands.
The occasion won’t be confined to the paintwork. McLaren will stage a pre-weekend ceremony in Monaco, and the team’s first F1 car — the M2B — is set to appear alongside the current MCL40 on the grid on Thursday. Every living McLaren grand prix winner has been invited, with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also due to attend.
Zak Brown, McLaren Racing’s CEO, framed the milestone in typically punchy terms: a chance, he said, to reflect on “our past, our present and our future” — and to put a spotlight on the resilience that’s defined the team through both title years and tougher periods.
“Throughout our past, this team has always shown grit and determination, whether that be in periods of success or the trickier times,” Brown said. “McLaren never quits.”
It’s a familiar line from Woking, but it lands differently when you consider the context. A 1000th start isn’t just a celebration of showing up; it’s a statement about having stayed relevant enough — competitively, commercially, culturally — to keep earning a place on the grid. In Monaco of all places, where history hangs off every corner and every barrier, McLaren is leaning into that symbolism.
And then there’s the other, unavoidable truth: a special livery is also a way of putting the spotlight on the now. Norris and Piastri won’t be driving a museum piece through Casino Square; they’ll be trying to maximise a weekend where millimetres decide everything. The nostalgia is the garnish. The race still matters.
McLaren’s message, fittingly, is forward-facing. Brown signed off with: “Here’s to 1000 more.” In Formula 1, that’s the only kind of anniversary toast that really counts.
