The McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team have today confirmed they will no longer be using the iconic MP4 prefix in the name of their latest machine, as they re-invent themselves following the departure of Ron Dennis.
The tag, which stood for Marlboro Project Four, was introduced by Dennis back in 1981 when he mastered a takeover of McLaren with his Project Four Racing team.
Brit John Watson was the first driver to race with the MP4 signature at the 1981 Argentinian Grand Prix, and it now looks like Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso have the honour of driving the last McLaren stamped with the MP4 moniker.
Now Dennis has moved on from the team he helped to secure seven constructors championship titles, the Woking based squad decided it was time to start afresh too, and announced on social media on Friday that their 2017 model would be known as the MCL32.
The MCL32 will be unveiled on February 24, just prior to the start of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, and will be the first time we get to see McLaren’s all new look, and welcome in a new era at Woking under Zak Brown.
It is also believed that McLaren will be changing their colour scheme this season, seeing a return in some form of the infamous orange livery of the past. That will please fans, who have been calling for its revival for some time, after four decades of it being absent.
“A change is as good as a rest” as they say, so here’s hoping this reinvention will also boost their performance levels!
