McLaren will mark their 1,000th start in a Formula 1 grand prix in Monaco this weekend with a special livery for their MCL40.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s cars will carry special graphics highlighting the milestone at the Monaco and Spanish grands prix. McLaren is the second team in F1 history to record their 1,000th start: Ferrari became the first to do so in 2020.
The team has also arranged for its first F1 car, the M2B, to be displayed on the grid on Thursday ahead of the race weekend. The team’s drivers will attend along with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, team principal Andrea Stella and Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. The team has also invited all its living grand prix winners to attend, which will include seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, who now drives for Ferrari.
This will be the fifth time in six years McLaren has produced a special livery for the Monaco Grand Prix. It ran a pale blue colour scheme for sponsor Gulf in 2021, used a ‘Triple Crown’ theme in 2023, marked 30 years since Ayrton Senna’s death in 2024 and sported a livery based on one of its sixties cars last year – when Norris won the race.
“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,” said Brown. “We’re only the second team to reach this incredible milestone, so what better moment to reflect on our past, our present and our future.”
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2026 Monaco Grand Prix
Published by
Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 – when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing. View all posts by Keith Collantine