McLaren has officially unveiled the livery for its 2026 Formula 1 challenger, presenting the design during an online launch broadcast from the Bahrain International Circuit.
With the opening pre-season test now just two days away, the Woking-based team opted to go public early, offering fans their first proper look at the colour scheme that will carry the team into the new era of regulations. The familiar papaya remains front and centre, continuing the visual identity used on last year’s championship-winning MCL39.
The launch featured McLaren’s unchanged driver pairing of reigning World Champion Lando Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri, who were joined by Team Principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown. Chief Marketing Officer Lou McEwen and Chief Designer Rob Marshall also took to the stage to talk through the visual direction of the new livery.
Staying true to a long-standing tradition, McLaren has elected to carry over the look of a title-winning car into the following season after securing both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships in 2025. Alongside the unmistakable papaya base, the 2026 championship design again incorporates anthracite elements, complemented by subtle flashes of teal.
That same design language extends to the drivers’ racewear, with Norris and Piastri set to compete in race suits featuring a bold, all-papaya front.
“We’re delighted to present our 2026 challenger’s livery from our second home, Bahrain,” said McLaren CEO Brown. “The iconic papaya continues on the MCL40 as we keep our tradition of carrying championship-winning liveries through to the next season. Racing performance is also at the forefront of design when exploring creative routes, and we’ve balanced creative direction with aero considerations to create this striking 2026 competitor.
“Thank you to all our committed shareholders and partners, without whom we simply wouldn’t be able to go racing, to our fans for their continued support, and to our team of people who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point in the exciting new era of Formula 1. We’re all excited to see it hit the track.”
Team Principal Stella highlighted both the significance of the reveal and the scale of the challenge ahead as Formula 1 prepares for its biggest technical reset in years.
“It’s fantastic to reveal the livery for our 2026 challenger, the MCL40, as we reach an important milestone in our team’s incredible work and dedication before we begin racing this year,” he said.
“2026 marks a new challenge as we take on a new era of Formula 1 regulations. We also go into the season as an independent challenger facing five top manufacturers who all want to beat us. While we have the benefit of the lessons learned from our success in the past few years, the whole grid is restarting from zero and our past achievements count for nothing.
“Our objective is to hit the ground running, and we have the best combination of team, driver pairing, collaboration with Mercedes HPP, partners, and fans to be able to do this. We will continue to focus on creating the conditions to succeed as we approach our biggest challenge to date. It should be a fantastic season of racing for the fans, and we’re excited to get going.”
The MCL40 has already completed its first on-track running, having appeared at the recent Barcelona Shakedown. For that outing, the car ran in a one-off black and grey camouflage livery while McLaren evaluated the Mercedes-supplied power unit ahead of the new campaign.
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Norris will also race with the number 1 this season, having secured the 2025 Drivers’ Championship by beating Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the title. Any defence, however, comes with an added layer of difficulty as every team seeks to unlock performance under the all-new 2026 regulations.
The new McLaren livery will make its first competitive appearance during the opening official pre-season test in Bahrain from February 11–13, with all 11 teams focused on gathering as much data as possible. A final testing window at the same venue follows on February 18–20.
“It’s good to be back in Bahrain to reveal the livery for this season,” said Norris. “The design looks great and I’m excited to continue racing in the colours which were part of our huge success last year.
“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.
“A big thanks to everyone who’s played a part in designing and building this car to get us to this milestone. A shoutout to all of the fans who show up week in week out and thank you to our partners for their support. I’m ready for this year and I can’t wait to get back on track and keep pushing forward.”
Piastri echoed that enthusiasm as he prepares for his own role in McLaren’s title defence.
“The new livery on our MCL40 looks excellent, and it’s great that we have carried through our championship-winning design from 2025. It’s always fun to race in a papaya car. Thank you to everyone back at the factory, our fans and our partners for their support.
“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. 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 – let’s do it!”
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