McLaren Unveils MCL40 in "Papaya" Colorway for F1 2026
The Bahrain reveal showcases McLaren’s evolved papaya-and-black look as Norris and Piastri gear up for a new rules era.
Summary
- McLaren has unveiled the papaya-heavy MCL40 livery for the 2026 Formula 1 season at a launch event in Bahrain
- The reigning double world champions carry their championship-winning colour scheme into a new era of chassis and power unit regulations
- Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stay on as McLaren’s unchanged driver pairing as the team targets another constructors’ and drivers’ title defence
McLaren has taken the covers off the MCL40 in Bahrain, revealing a 2026 livery that leans hard into the team’s iconic papaya and black palette while adding subtle tweaks rather than a full reset. The new look arrives as McLaren heads into F1’s regulation reboot as back-to-back constructors’ champions and with Lando Norris preparing to defend the drivers’ crown he sealed in Abu Dhabi last year. The launch was staged at the Bahrain International Circuit and streamed globally, underscoring how central the desert venue has become to McLaren’s new-era narrative.
Underneath the familiar colours sits a car built for radically revised rules, with smaller, lighter chassis and overhauled hybrid power units reshaping how teams find lap time. McLaren has already put an all-black stealth version of the MCL40 through a private shakedown in Barcelona, logging hundreds of kilometres to debug systems before official testing. With Norris running the number 1 plate and Oscar Piastri pushing to turn last season’s title challenge into something bigger, the message from Woking is clear. The livery might celebrate continuity, but the intent is to master F1’s 2026 reset faster than anyone else on the grid.
