McLaren unveils testing livery for F1 2026 vehicle, anticipates debut.
McLaren has unveiled the initial images of the vehicle that Lando Norris will utilize to defend his Formula 1 championship, albeit presented in a temporary testing livery.
The MCL40 is set to take to the track for the first time at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya later this week as F1 preseason testing commences during a private session.
Each team is permitted to operate for three days within a five-day timeframe this week, and the reigning constructors’ champions have chosen to delay their first day to Tuesday or Wednesday to optimize development time.
When it appears on the track in Barcelona, the MCL40 will sport an all-black livery prior to the unveiling of its race livery on February 9 in Bahrain—two days ahead of the second preseason test at the Bahrain International Circuit.
McLaren intentionally decided to postpone its initial running day to later in the week to maximize development time and to test the car on a dyno at AVL’s advanced automotive testing facility in Austria last week.
“We aimed to provide ourselves with as much time as possible for development,” team principal Andrea Stella stated last week. “As you may know, you are allowed to test for three days out of the five available in Barcelona, and we will begin on either day two or day three for our three-day testing.”
Regarding the choice to utilize the AVL facility, Stella remarked: “I believe this has become standard practice in Formula One, allowing you to finalize some essential systems of the car.
“This is significantly more than what can be accomplished when testing some of these subsystems [on rigs], such as the gearbox on a gearbox rig and dyno that we might have here at MTC. AVL is a facility we have been utilizing for some time.”
Seven of F1’s 11 teams are anticipated to take to the track on Monday in Barcelona, but Ferrari has also confirmed it will wait until Tuesday to commence its first of three days at the test.
Despite McLaren entering the season as defending champions, Stella indicated that the magnitude of regulatory changes for 2026 negates any advantage from 2025.
“We are champions, but we do not carry the championship status into 2026,” he stated. “Everyone will start from the same point. Everyone will begin from scratch.
“Our internal narrative is that any success we achieve must be earned. We will have to prove ourselves on the track. That is our mindset, that is our philosophy.”
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The images shared by McLaren on Monday likely do not include some of the intricate details of the MCL40, but chief designer Rob Marshall mentioned that no significant upgrades are anticipated between now and the first race in Australia on March 8.
“Between Barcelona and Melbourne, I believe what you see is likely what we will present at the first race,” he said. “A significant portion of our focus will be on understanding this [package].
“Additionally, we must consider what our competitors are doing. We need to be inspired by their potential achievements and what they may or may not reveal to us.
“We will need to concentrate intensely on comprehending this car. It is quite complex. Everything is new.”
Norris, who clinched his first F1 title at the concluding round of the 2025 season, will be joined by Oscar Piastri at McLaren for a fourth consecutive year in 2026.
Source: espn.com
