McLaren unveils familiar papaya livery for 2026 challenger MCL40

The McLaren Racing Formula One team has unveiled its familiar papaya livery for the new MCL40 that will defend the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.

During a live stream broadcast from Bahrain ahead of the vital pre-season testing week, drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were on hand with team principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown to talk about the new car.

MCL40 is giving main character energy 👑#McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/hjLuiQQtPZ

— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team 🧡 (@McLarenF1) February 9, 2026

According to the team’s official press release, ‘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.’

“We’re delighted to present our 2026 challenger’s livery from our second home, Bahrain,” commented CEO Brown at the online unveil.

“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.”

Defending world drivers’ champion Norris added that he was delighted with the look of the car and excited to once again hit the circuit for the pre-season test.

The tradition continues…🧡🏆#McLarenF1

— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team 🧡 (@McLarenF1) February 9, 2026

“It’s good to be back in Bahrain to reveal the livery for this season,” said Norris. “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.”

Oh we can’t wait to see more of these two in 2026 😆#McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/OJBnr3Qtek

— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team 🧡 (@McLarenF1) February 9, 2026

The forthcoming 2026 season represents one of the biggest changes in regulations for many years and it’s a challenge that will test the limits of both man and machine.

“2026 marks a new challenge as we take on a new era of Formula 1 regulations,” added team principal Stella. “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.”