Zak Brown, executive director of McLaren Honda Formula One Team, has been forced to defend his team’s new black and orange livery following the division of opinion amongst fans.
Despite it being a nod to the McLaren heritage, the MCL32 has instead reminded fans of more recent paint schemes such as the one used by Spyker F1 Team and Virgin Racing.
But Brown has insisted that a lot of thought and deliberations went into the decision, and believes that “die-hard” fans will be appreciative of the change.
“It is hard-on livery,” he said. “It was ultimately a dozen people involved in the whole process. We went through tonnes and tonnes of liveries and you got lots of different opinion.
“For the die-hard McLaren fans, they will notice the arc at the back is the McLaren speed mark. Picking up on that, we think the orange stands out and is quite a bright orange. And then of course when you walk up on the car, you see the black is a different type of finish.
“We wanted something that was elegant, impactful – and there was a lot of TV work done. So when you see it from the front, it will look like an orange car and it is not until you turn to the side that you pick up that it is not fully orange.
“I think it is one of those that is pretty subjective as to what is a great paint scheme and what is not a great paint scheme. Personally we love it, but I am sure that if you ask 100 people, hopefully the majority will love it, but you will get some different views.”
