McLaren Racing today revealed the livery for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team’s MCL40, its 2026 challenger. 

Streamed live from the home of our long-standing shareholders, Bahrain, CEO Zak Brown, Team Principal Andrea Stella, drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Chief Marketing Officer Lou McEwen, and Chief Designer Rob Marshall showcased the papaya livery on the team’s new car. 

Historically, when winning a Championship, McLaren have carried the successful livery through to the following season. After the victories in the 2025 Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships, the 2026 livery continues this tradition, using the iconic papaya colour palette alongside striking anthracite and small hints of teal.  

This design language also carries through to the drivers’ overalls, where Lando and Oscar will don an all-papaya fronted fire suit, with an all-anthracite back, highlighting the drivers’ numbers 1 and 81 in the team’s colours.  

The team continues to be supported by some of the world’s biggest brands. The representation of many of these on the livery highlights the key role they play in the McLaren Mastercard F1 Team’s ability to go racing. 

The MCL40 made its on-track debut in the recent Barcelona Pre-Season Shakedown and was developed under the new regulations, which challenged teams to design entirely new cars. The new livery will take to the track on Tuesday, 10 February for the team’s promotional filming day, ahead of the first Bahrain Pre-Season Test, commencing on Wednesday, 11 February.  

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: 

“We’re delighted to present our 2026 challenger’s livery from our second home, Bahrain. 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.” 

Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren Mastercard F1 Team, said: 

“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.   

“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.” 

Lando Norris, Driver, McLaren Mastercard F1 Team, said: 

“It's good to be back in Bahrain to reveal the livery for this season. 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.” 

Oscar Piastri, Driver, McLaren Mastercard F1 Team, said: 

“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!”