McLaren 2006 livery out...

[magracer]

Check it at: www.mclaren.com or www.f1-live.com.

It seems the silver arrows are chrome arrows now. That's not silver, that's chrome. We'll have to see if that helps them be more visible at the grid and see if the reflectiveness doesn't arise complaints from other drivers.

This was already noted in the McLaren MP4/21 thread but I thought it deserved a new one

[6'bore]

They've thought well ahead haven't they......lol

[Zytek_Fan]

I believe that is the MP4/21 that you can see at McLaren's headquarters

[Zytek_Fan]

McLaren has unveiled the striking new livery that will adorn the cars of Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya in 2006.

The livery of the MP4-21 – the first new colour scheme since the loss of West sponsorship due to stringent laws on tobacco advertising - features prominent Johnnie Walker branding on the sidepods and a vibrant red on both the front and rear wings.

The livery also has an innovative surface coating, perfected by McLaren over the past six months, which achieves a high level of reflectivity and will be totally new to Formula One.

That innovative reflective finish is something the team believes will give its sponsors a little bit extra in 2006, with McLaren already being one of the most photographed outfits in the paddock.

"A lot of research and months of work have gone into creating this unique chrome finish," marketing managing director Ekrem Sami said. "We are always looking at innovative ways to allow our sponsor partners to differentiate their brands from the competition through their partnership with the team and this unique livery is designed to be extremely photogenic.

"Team McLaren Mercedes had the highest audited 'Share of TV Voice' in 2005 - and we hope that this new identity will contribute to us retaining that status."

Sami also added that the new livery would be the foundation of future colour schemes for the team - which welcomes Vodafone as title sponsor from 2007 onwards.

"When we created our previous livery in the mid nineties we established what we believed then was an innovative and groundbreaking new identity for McLaren Mercedes," he said. "What we have launched today is as revolutionary and we hope it will be the foundation of the team's livery for many years to come."

Both Raikkonen and Montoya have given the new livery the thumbs up ahead of the opening round of the season in Bahrain, with Raikkonen impressed by the design put together by the McLaren team.

"I have only seen illustrations of the new livery until now but they do it no justice," he said. "It looks fantastic and should create a bit of a stir when we drive it on tracks around the world. If we can make the car as fast as it looks then we will be in good shape."

Montoya was also pleased with what he saw when shown the car for the first time.

"Wow!" he said. "What a beautiful looking car. I have obviously been testing the MP4-21 quite a bit already but seeing the car like this is something else."

[johnnyperl]

yuck!

[carsnut]

looks pertty nice, just like the orange livery

[Dino Scuderia]

Will take getting used to....but not bad.

[blackcat77]

Absolutely awful. I'm not a fan of McLaren, but I really liked their West paintscheme, which looked classy compared to the garish schemes on the other cars. I see they've lowered themselves to the level of the rest.

[dimlight]

Well i think it looks wonderful. Better than that boring paint from last year.. maybe this year ill buy the cap if it wears those colors.

[fpv_gtho]

Just imagine the heat distortion in Bahrain when their first engine lets go for the season

[Coventrysucks]

The (three pointed) star that shines twice as brightly, shines for half as long.

About lap 35 in fact.

[Zytek_Fan]

I think the red portions are reserved for Vodafone

[Zytek_Fan]

Absolutely awful. I'm not a fan of McLaren, but I really liked their West paintscheme, which looked classy compared to the garish schemes on the other cars. I see they've lowered themselves to the level of the rest.

Doing away witht tobacco sponsorship is not lowering the status of a team. I hope you know that the majority of the countries that hold GPs have a ban against tobacco billboards, sponsorship, etc

[Zytek_Fan]

Just imagine the heat distortion in Bahrain when their first engine lets go for the season

Kimi has been talking to Mercedes about their engines and he hopes that they can be more reliable. Hopefully the driveshaft won't let go like it did so many times in 2005

[fpv_gtho]

Their recent history doesnt bode well for them.