Ahead of the launch of its new Formula 1 car, McLaren has announced an unexpected twist on its naming convention…
Since 2017, McLaren has used ‘MCL’ as its car naming system, eschewing the previous ‘MP4’ convention which began in 1981. 2017 saw the launch of the MCL32, before 2018 gave us the MCL33 and so on until last year’s MCL36.
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However, the 2023 McLaren F1 car, which will be launched on February 13, will be called the MCL60.
The historic brand has chosen MCL60 to commemorate 60 years since Bruce McLaren founded his racing team. Since then, McLaren has won eight constructors’ championships and 12 drivers’ titles.
The new name will also be followed by a new driver line-up, with debutant Oscar Piastri joining incumbent driver Lando Norris at the papaya-coloured team, following Daniel Ricciardo’s departure at the end of last year .
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