McLaren: Whitmarsh likes the idea of an orange livery

In 2014, Vodafone will no longer be the title sponsor of the McLaren team. The future MP4-29 is therefore not expected to inherit the red sides of its predecessors, and with rumors about the possibility of Honda returning as an engine supplier by 2015, some are even dreaming of an entirely new livery for the Woking cars.

Although many imagine a return to the iconic red and white livery of the McLaren-Honda years—though it was actually the colors of the team’s sponsor, Marlboro—some would prefer to see the Woking firm return to its historical color: orange. An idea that would not displease McLaren team director Martin Whitmarsh: “I really like the idea,” he admitted last weekend to the media gathered in Barcelona. “Orange is a really beautiful color, especially on the McLaren. For the moment, we use it for GT races and it looks good. We will continue to go in that direction.” And the Englishman clearly opened the door for an orange livery for 2014: “We know that today’s Formula 1 requires great visibility for sponsors, but if we were to find one who liked orange, then why not?”

Statements that could revive the trail leading to Gillette, whose Fusion Power razors are often presented in packaging or displays dominated by orange, but mainly comments that increasingly support the hypothesis of an imminent “break” between McLaren and Mercedes, its engine supplier for over fifteen years. Indeed, McLaren had swapped its red and white livery for a predominantly gray – then chrome – livery in honor of its partnership with the German brand, thus returning to the tradition of the Silver Arrows. It is therefore difficult not to see in Martin Whitmarsh’s statements an open door to a change of engine supplier at the very moment when it can be read in the columns of the Japanese newspaper Nikkei that an imminent announcement might be made, confirming the return of Honda as an engine supplier starting in 2015.

For the record, contrary to popular belief, Bruce McLaren did not adopt the orange livery for national reference. In the early days of car racing, cars were generally painted in their national colors – blue for France, red for Italy, green for Great Britain, etc. Traditionally, New Zealand cars were green and gray, with orange being by default the color of Dutch racers. Being heavily involved in lucrative North American competitions at the start of his career, Bruce McLaren preferred to use the orange color for convenience, as it was easier to distinguish on the television screens of the time. The team, which now races under the British flag, is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its competitive debut this season.