Every new era has that moment.

The one that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The minutes where time stands still, where every word of reaction and commentary hits you that much harder. This moment might have marked the start of prolonged success, or it could have been a standalone point in time, as part of an era that shone brightly but briefly.

For this iteration of papaya-coloured McLarens, that moment was when we crossed the line in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Constructors’ Champions for the first time in 26 years.

Each era of McLaren has had its own example, whether that be the red and white-liveried M23s in the 1970s, driven to titles by Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt, the revamped designs of the prolific 80s and early 90s, raced by Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, or Mika Häkkinen’s silver Championship winners in the late ‘90s. Lewis Hamilton’s title-winning chrome car had arguably the most famous of them all…

Those of you who lived through those periods will know what each moment is. 

Each of those eras also had its own recognisable livery. Each season saw subtle tweaks to the car’s look, as the design evolved, but the basic concept remained the same for a period of sustained success, until that era came to its natural end and a fresh livery took its place.

When Fittipaldi turned up to pre-season testing after winning our first Championship in 1974, his M23 was almost identical. Hunt, Prost, Senna, Häkkinen and Hamilton all experienced this after their title wins too.

The concept of our livery has never changed the season after the winning a Championship title. You don’t mess with success, as they say. At least not when it comes to aesthetics (take from that what you will).

Our current car is no different.

And so, you’ll have noticed that when we pulled the covers off the car at The O2, our 2025 livery looked familiar. You’ll have spotted a few changes, subtle developments, such as the revamped driver numbers and a new race seat, but the overall concept remains the same.

That’s because we believe we’re in the early stages of a new chapter in our storied history, and that this design will be at the centre of this era. Just like the iconic liveries of our past were in their snippets of history.

And maybe, in decades to come, fans will yearn for a return to this papaya-coloured livery of the 2020s.