MCLAREN TO RUN SPECIAL TRIBUTE LIVERY AT MONACO

McLaren will add some more colour to their livery for the Monaco Grand Prix in partnership with Gulf Oil International.

The special one-off tribute livery to be run on Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris’s MCL35Ms is a throwback to one of the most iconic liveries in motorsport history, although it’s the first time that it has appeared in Formula 1.

The two brands have a long history of success together starting back when Bruce McLaren founded the team. After reviving their partnership in July 2020, it was only a matter of time before a McLaren race car once again wore the famous Gulf design.

“This will be McLaren’s homage to Gulf’s celebrated race car design,” said Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO.

“We’re enormous fans of brave and bold design, and the striking Gulf blue is among the most loved liveries in racing, a celebrated piece of culture which transcends the world of motorsport.”

“Design has always been important to McLaren – you see this in everything we do from our return to papaya to our stunning headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre.”

“We’re excited to exhibit this as a team and celebrate our proud association with Gulf in Monaco.”

The team will carry Gulf’s racing blue alongside an orange stripe, based closely on Gulf’s classic design, for the entire race weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix.

“Gulf and McLaren have a relationship that dates back to 1968 and is one of the most successful partnerships in motorsport,” said Mike Jones, Gulf Oil CEO.

“We are incredibly excited to pay tribute to this heritage with our classic livery design at the Monaco Grand Prix, the most spectacular and stylish event on the Formula 1 calendar.”

“To see the reaction of both Lando and Daniel as well as the whole McLaren team to this livery has been really special and we are thrilled to unveil it to motorsport fans around the world.”

“The distinguished racing blue and fluro orange Gulf colourways are iconic, so to mark our return to Formula 1 and showcase the livery in Monaco with McLaren is a great celebration of our bold and colourful place within the sport.”

Additionally, Lando and Daniel will wear race helmets with bespoke retro designs, specially created for the event, to be raffled for the team’s mental health charity partner, Mind.

The 2021 Monaco Grand Prix will not be the first time a McLaren race car has carried the iconic Gulf livery. The #41 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail finished second at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans while sporting Gulf’s racing blue and fluro orange colour scheme.

The Monaco Grand Prix gets underway this Thursday with Free Practice 1 scheduled for 19:30 AEST.

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