Meet the new MCL36, McLaren’s latest Formula 1 race car. Many believe this is the car that could challenge Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari for podiums this year, and strictly from a visual standpoint, it certainly looks like a winner.
The MCL36 was built according to an entirely different set of regulations, which aim to provide closer racing and better on-track action for fans. The car was designed under the leadership of Technical Director James Key and assembled by the outfit’s team in Woking.
Visually, it comes with multiple changes compared to its predecessor, the MCL35M, spearheaded by the return of ground-effects aerodynamics. In terms of the livery, Papaya Orange (Fluro Papaya) is still prominent on the car, only this time it’s accented by this so-called New Blue.
The new livery is clearly inspired by last year’s special Gulf livery, which the team used exclusively at the Monaco Grand Prix. There’s also a lot of black on the car, basically making this a tri-tone livery – it all comes together nicely though, as orange, black and light blue are contrasting colors.
As for the driver lineup, it consists once again of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, the latter having just extended his contract with McLaren for another 4 years, to the tune of £80 million ($108 million). That’s roughly what NBA star Jaylen Brown earns from the Boston Celtics.
“With a blank sheet of paper, the team here at McLaren have been working hard to establish a competitive platform for this and future seasons. However, we know we’ve only just begun to unlock performance from this regulation set, and that one of the key features of the 2022 season will be the intense development war as teams assess each other’s designs and innovate new ways of generating downforce through ground-effect,” said Key during the car’s unveiling.
Visually, it comes with multiple changes compared to its predecessor, the MCL35M, spearheaded by the return of ground-effects aerodynamics. In terms of the livery, Papaya Orange (Fluro Papaya) is still prominent on the car, only this time it’s accented by this so-called New Blue.
The new livery is clearly inspired by last year’s special Gulf livery, which the team used exclusively at the Monaco Grand Prix. There’s also a lot of black on the car, basically making this a tri-tone livery – it all comes together nicely though, as orange, black and light blue are contrasting colors.
As for the driver lineup, it consists once again of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, the latter having just extended his contract with McLaren for another 4 years, to the tune of £80 million ($108 million). That’s roughly what NBA star Jaylen Brown earns from the Boston Celtics.
“With a blank sheet of paper, the team here at McLaren have been working hard to establish a competitive platform for this and future seasons. However, we know we’ve only just begun to unlock performance from this regulation set, and that one of the key features of the 2022 season will be the intense development war as teams assess each other’s designs and innovate new ways of generating downforce through ground-effect,” said Key during the car’s unveiling.