2022 McLaren MCL36 Bows With Bold New Livery, Team Also Unveils Contenders For Indycar And Extreme E

McLaren just unveiled the MCL36, their car for the 2022 Formula 1 season. However, that’s not all, as the team also took the wraps off their entries for Indycar and Extreme E.

Starting with the MCL36, which will be driven by Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, the car wears a bold new livery for 2022. It’s still in McLaren’s signature Papaya Orange and blue, but the blue has gotten much lighter and there’s much more black than before. Additionally, the entire livery design has changed, with a multitude of stripes replacing the color block design of years past.

But aside from the new look, the car also has what is probably the most unique approach to the 2022 regulations yet. Some of the highlights include pullrod suspension, concave front wing endplates, and rectangular side pod intakes. However, the most interesting feature of all is the car’s overall shape. Whereas teams like Aston Martin and Haas have gone with a body that tapers inwards toward the bottom, the McLaren has straight sides. Additionally, the car’s top-down profile features a much more pronounced “coke bottle” design than the wide and blocky Aston Martin, but not as exaggerated as the narrow, tapered Haas.

Onto their Indycar contender, the livery features a similar design to the MCL36’s, albeit with less blue. Driving the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet will be Pato O’Ward, while Felix Rosenqvist will be in the No.7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. As for their Extreme E SUV, it too wears the same orange, blue, and black as the team’s open-wheelers, as they’re supposedly trying to unite all their motorsport teams under the same McLaren brand. Piloting the all-electric SUV will be Tanner Foust and Emma Gilmour.

“I’m delighted to see us launch all three McLaren Racing programmes across the Formula 1, IndyCar and Extreme E championships today,” said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing. “This is a first for us as a team, and in the wider world of motorsport, and it’s been fantastic to see how excited the fans have been as they get ready to join us on the next part of our journey.”