McLaren has shown photos of their new 2018 F1 car MCL33, which will use Renault power units for the first time in a new papaya orange – blue color combination.
The team showed their new car through an online presentation three days before the start of the pre-season testing in Barcelona, day after Mercedes and Ferrari showed their new 2018 cars.
The new McLaren has almost entirely orange bodywork with blue rear wings and partially blue front wing and the contrast is highlighted with additional blue details such as driver numbers and the engine cover fin.
The color combination is similar to that used by Alonso in the 2017 Indy 500 series and closer to the original McLaren colours from late 60’s, with which they started compete in Formula 1, as opposed to last year’s orange, black and white combination.
The McLaren MCL33 will be tested for the first time this afternoon in the Spanish Navarra track, where the team will take the first of two filming days to record promotional materials for no more than 100 kilometers.
The new car continues the concept of its predecessor with a very similar nose, front and rear wings, and a very narrow airbox above the driver’s head, but there are also more lateral and higher side openings for coolers like the new Ferrari to get more free space for the airflow around their lower part.
Also, the new MCL33 has a very interesting series of small vortex generators at the top of the sidepods, similar to the MCL32, but in a larger number.
The complexity continues in the floor area, which is longitudinally cut out almost to the rear wheels, and in the area behind the front wheels McLaren has continued with a series of blades, fins and slits that prepare airflow for this key area at the beginning of the floor.
