McLaren shock F1 world with sudden MCL38 livery launch

McLaren became the first team to unveil their 2024 Formula 1 car livery in a surprise announcement on Tuesday afternoon.

McLaren had undergone a revamp of the branding on their social media channels on Monday, including deleting all of their previous posts on Instagram, while three of their rivals announced the dates of their respective car launches.

But come Tuesday, another teaser video was followed by the sudden arrival of the colours of the MCL38, the team’s 2024 challenger.

McLaren unveil colours of MCL38 with surprise announcement

The name of the chassis goes back to McLaren’s previous naming structure for their cars after the MCL60 in 2023, to celebrate the team’s 60th anniversary, with the skipping of the MCL37 to reflect this.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said: “We’re delighted to launch our 2024 Formula 1 livery ahead of the new season. The design looks awesome, and I can’t wait to go racing and see it come to life on track next month.

“We didn’t start 2023 as we wanted but Andrea and the team did a great job following the organisational restructure coming into action, and the hard work continues as we carry that excellent momentum into the 2024 campaign.

PlanetF1.com recommends

F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?

F1 2024 calendar: Car launch dates, pre-season testing, TV schedule

The 2024 McLaren look. 😍 #WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/ouMJiH9mrI

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) January 16, 2024

“I’m confident the exciting pairing of Lando and Oscar will continue to create more mega memories together after such an impressive second half of last year which saw the team finish fourth in the championship with 302 points. These are all steps forward from the year before as we continue our mission to push and compete at the front of the grid.

“We’re looking forward to achieving our ambitions and with our valuable partners and fantastic fans on board, they will play an integral part in the journey this season. We’re grateful for their continued support and know they also share our passion for success.”

Team principal Andrea Stella added: “After a busy and productive off season, we head into 2024 with our sights set on continuing our journey towards the front of the grid. Last year allowed the team to set a strong foundation for the future through continued hard work, commitment, effort and talent.

“With our new infrastructure upgrades and people in place, we must continue to elevate our standards and incorporate high performance in everything we do.

“The 2024 livery looks great and I’m looking forward to seeing our exciting driver line-up of Lando and Oscar take the MCL38 to track next month.

“The support of our commercial partners and incredible fans will play an important part as we continue to remain united together as a team throughout the upcoming season. We still have a lot of work to do before we hit the track for the first race in Bahrain, but we’re all focused on delivering against our objectives and starting the season on the right footing.”

Read next: Christian Horner exclusive: Sergio Perez challenge set as Red Bull 2025 fight begins