McLaren has gone for a radical departure of its livery of the last two decades, opting for retro orange and black on its 2017 car, the MCL32.
The switch back to the colour, long associated with McLaren and its early days in motor racing, has been rumoured and teased for months since Zak Brown took over as team CEO following Ron Dennis' departure from the McLaren Group. The break from the Dennis era goes further than the livery, with the 'MP4' prefix --standing for Marlboro Project Four and used for its F1 car names since Dennis' arrival in 1981 -- dropped in favour of the all-new MCL.
The car itself features the long sharkfin which has become a characteristic of the new 2017 cars. Also of note are the tiny sidepod air intake inlets, while its airbox -- positioned above the driver's head -- is much smaller than other models released this year. It has also adopted the stubbed nose end favoured by all its rivals except Mercedes.
McLaren is entering the third year of its partnership with Honda, but the team has been unable to recreate the glory days of the late 1980s and early 1990s -- it has not scored a win or a podium since Honda returned in 2015.
Fernando Alonso remains at the team for a third season and is joined by 2015 GP2 champion and junior driver programme graduate Stoffel Vandoorne, who had mad his debut last year's Bahrain Grand Prix when he deputised for the Spaniard and finished ninth.