McLaren may have endured an underwhelming first five races of the F1 season but they will certainly look a million dollars at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The traditional papaya livery has been temporarily replaced this weekend with a striking mix of papaya, white and black.
But what exactly is the reason behind Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri driving around the streets of the Principality with a fresh new look?
Here is why McLaren have a different colour car for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Why are McLaren running a different livery in Monaco?
The new design is a ‘Triple Crown’ livery, which celebrates the team’s past victories at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The three races are regarded as motorsport’s most prestigious events and together they are referred to as the Triple Crown.
McLaren completed the treble with victory on their Le Mans debut in 1995 to become the first – and to date only – team to achieve the full set.
McLaren have decided to recognise their achievement this weekend with both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indy 500 taking place on Sunday.
The papaya remains at the back of the car to celebrate their maiden Indy 500 win with Johnny Rutherford at the wheel of the M16C/D in 1974.
The white in the middle of the car pays homage to the MP4/2 Alain Prost drove to victory in Monaco in 1984.
And the black occupying the front is a nod to the McLaren F1 GTR that won Le Mans in 1995 with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya Le Mans success.
The car will feature the livery in all three practice sessions, in qualifying and in the race itself on Sunday.
The livery will also be present at next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, which is being held one week before this year’s Le Mans.
In addition, the team will run four different special liveries on their cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the 500.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said: ‘Having achieved the greatest accomplishment in motorsport by completing the Triple Crown, we are proud to celebrate the rich history of McLaren Racing with a special livery at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.
‘In line with our 60th anniversary celebrations and honouring the legacy of Bruce McLaren, the unique livery pays homage to the three victories which form the Triple Crown accolade.’
McLaren also ran a special livery in Monaco in 2021 when they decked their car in the blue and orange colours of their iconic sponsor Gulf Oil.
MORE : Lewis Hamilton left out of Monaco Grand Prix ‘Mount Rushmore’
MORE : Why you should keep watching F1 – even if Max Verstappen and Red Bull are unbeatable
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Share your views in the comments below
First appear at Why do McLaren have a different livery at the Monaco Grand Prix 2023?
