McLaren Unveils 2023 Formula 1 Car With Anniversary Livery, Signs Rookie Driver

The livery remains very similar to last year's paint scheme, combining the same papaya orange, light blue, and satin black hues. Orange has been Bruce McLaren's color of choice for many years back in the 1960s and 1970s, so it makes sense to see it again on the anniversary car. While similar to the previous layout, the 2023 livery sports more orange on the wing and a bit more black on the engine cover and side pods.

The car's name, on the other hand, is a bit of a departure from the recent nomenclature. Originally referred to as the MCL37, a natural continuation of last year's MCL36, the 2023 single-seater was renamed MCL60. The new name commemorates 60 years since Bruce McLaren founded McLaren Motor Racing in 1963.

The outfit was born out of Bruce's desire to compete in the Australasian Tasman Series. Following Cooper's refusal to develop a 2.5-liter engine, as permitted by the series at the time (the team wanted to stick to the F1-spec 1.5-liter), McLaren set up his own team and races custom-built cars.

Three years later, Bruce raced his very own F1 car, the McLaren M2B, at the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix. The team has been part of the championship ever since, amassing 57 consecutive seasons under its belt. And it didn't take for McLaren to become successful, as the team finished the 1968 season in second place. Come 2023 and the British outfit has won 20 Formula 1 constructors' championships and a whopping 183 races.

But McLaren's massive success on the motorsport scene goes beyond Formula 1. The team also won the Indy 500 three times, dominated the Can-Am series from 1967 to 1971, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans at its first attempt (in 1995 with the F1 GTR).

Perhaps the even bigger news is the addition of a rookie driver to the lineup. Lando Norris will be joined by Oscar Piastri, a 21-year-old Australian that won consecutive Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Oscar replaces Daniel Ricciardo, who left McLaren to join Red Bull Racing as a third driver for 2023.

Piastri joined the Renault Sport Academy in 2020 and had his first Formula 1 test with Renault later that year. He was appointed as Alpine F1 Team's reserve driver for the 2022 season, but also tested with McLaren following an agreement between the two teams. In 2022, Piastri was linked with main driving seats at Williams and Alpine, but he eventually joined McLaren.

As for Lando Norris, it will be his fifth consecutive season with the British team. Norris finished seventh in 2022 and achieved his best championship run yet, sixth position, in 2021. The Brit has yet to win a Grand Prix, but scored a second-place finish in 2021, five additional podiums. He has finished in the top five 19 times.

McLaren will, of course, be looking to improve on last year's performance, a rather modest fifth place in the constructors' championship. The British team hasn't won the championship since 1998 and its last seasonal podium dates back to 2020.

The 2023 Formula 1 championship commences on March 5 in Bahrain and comes to a halt on November 26 in Abu Dhabi. The season will include 23 races and 10 teams.