McLaren used a special livery on the weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix, ditching its usual papaya orange and using the famous Gulf Oil colors to paint the cars of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.
The team also opted to alter its look at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, teaming up with British American Tobacco’s Vuse brand, for a special design that included artwork created by artist Rabab Tantawy .
Although it is true that in championships such as IndyCar unique designs are common due to commitments with sponsors, in Formula 1 the vast majority of teams also tend to maintain the same decoration throughout the season.
Zak Brown felt that there was significant value in using unique decorations from time to time. But he acknowledged it was important that the changes be limited to ensure they remain special after the “huge” fan reaction in 2021.
“I think you have to do it in a very limited way, like we’ve done so far, that’s the right balance,” Brown said when asked by Motorsport.com about plans for future special or unique liveries.
“We want to keep our identity and at the same time make special designs, but if we do it all the time, it loses its special character.”
“(In Abu Dhabi) it was promoted by the sponsors. I think it gives a certain vibrancy, it brings a great message. In this case, it was a female artist from this area, so it’s a great way to draw attention to various topics”.
“Of course, our fans like to support us. You see a lot of Gulf caps and shirts out there. So it’s another way to get the support of the fans. Everyone voted (the Monaco decoration) with a thumbs up , so to speak, showed their enthusiasm.”
“It is something that we want to do and that we will continue to do, but not very often, because our own identity is lost and the essence of what is special is lost,” concluded the McLaren man .
Alfa Romeo and Red Bull were the only other two teams to use special designs last year. The Swiss team added some green elements to their usual livery to celebrate their home race in Italy at Monza, while the energy drinks team paid tribute to Honda by changing their livery at the Turkish GP (it was planned for Japan).
