Racing
© Jonathan Borba
McLaren will celebrate its 1000th Formula 1 grand prix start at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix with a special MCL40 livery carrying the message “McLaren Never Quits,” and the team will keep the design on the car again in Spain.
The milestone lands at the same venue where McLaren began its world championship story in 1966, when founder Bruce McLaren raced the M2B in Monaco. McLaren says that makes it only the second constructor after Ferrari to reach 1000 grand prix starts, giving the weekend added weight beyond a standard one-off design reveal.
The commemorative look combines metallic papaya and anthracite, with “1000” graphics on the MCL40 and references to key moments in the team’s history. McLaren said the car includes nods to its first race, victories, championship wins, the Triple Crown and its world-record 1.8-second pit stop at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will also wear special race suits matched to the livery.
McLaren is tying the anniversary directly to its broader history with a grid ceremony in Monaco on Thursday 4 June. Its first F1 car, the M2B, will line up alongside the current MCL40, with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella, Norris, Piastri, Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali and invited McLaren grand prix winners from across the team’s history due to take part.
Brown said the setting made Monaco the right place to mark the occasion. “Lining up on the grid to race McLaren’s 1000th Grand Prix in Monaco this year provides a perfect opportunity to recognise our rich history in motorsport,” he said. Brown added that the team’s message was rooted in its ability to endure difficult periods as well as successful ones: “Throughout our past, this team has always shown grit and determination, whether that be in periods of success or the trickier times. McLaren Never Quits, and this livery and the moment on Thursday is a special way to celebrate how far we’ve come.”
That anniversary also underlines the scale of McLaren’s record in Formula 1 since its first Monaco start. The team lists 203 grand prix wins, 561 podiums, 177 pole positions, 13 drivers’ championships and 10 constructors’ championships across its first 1000 entries.