On the eve of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, McLaren Honda have unveiled a completely overhauled livery for their MP4-30 chassis.
In a press release from McLaren released today, the team said, "The new livery improves the MP4-30’s visual impact, optimising it for not only bright sunshine but also for the floodlights increasingly used in twilight and night races. The result is a dynamic, predatory, graphite-grey colouration, complemented by McLaren-dayglo 'Speedmarks' and keylines, reducing the reflection issues caused by our latest chrome-silver treatment."
More of the McLaren speedmarks have been added to the top of the sidepods and the nose of the car. The number font on the front of the car has also been altered to a more distinct style, and the McLaren logo has been added to the rear wing. The change in livery does not bring with it the addition of a title sponsor, which McLaren has been without since the departure of Vodafone at the end of the 2013 season.
Behind the aesthetic overhaul, racing director Eric Boullier and the rest of the McLaren Honda personnel have been working diligently to bring the pace of the MP4-30 and its Honda power unit up to speed with the front runners. They are yet to score a championship point this season, with Fernando Alonso recording the team's best finish to date in Bahrain - in 11th - and Jenson Button unable to start the race due to recurring electrical issues.
“We’re certainly going into the beginning of the European leg of the season with a positive frame of mind," said Boullier. "Of course, we can never be satisfied with our results until we’re fighting for regular victories. However, I’m very pleased with our progress and the efforts of the entire team – both within McLaren and Honda – and we go to Spain hopeful that we can make further progress there.
“During the three-week break between Bahrain and Spain, we’ve been working very productively on every front to bring improvements to the car. We know that one fix or upgrade won’t provide a significant upturn in performance, so we’re united in our continued efforts to bring further gains to both chassis and power unit, in terms of both reliability and outright performance, step by step."
Is the new-look McLaren MP4-30 an improvement over its previous livery? Will the team continue to close the gap to the front runners in this weekend's race in Catalunya? Discuss this in the comments below, and for more F1 discussion, check out the Formula 1 forums at RaceDepartment.
