McLaren is to bring the iconic Gulf Oil colours to Formula 1 for the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
Famous for adorning the iconic Ford GT40 and Porsche 917, and more recently Aston Martin, in Le Mans, the well recognised blue and orange has not been seen in the top level of motorsport. This is set to be rectified at the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, taking place on 20-23 May.
McLaren has a deep-rooted and successful history with Gulf, and the two companies revived their relationship in July last year, when the team announced the brand’s return as a strategic partner.
“Gulf and McLaren have a relationship that dates back to 1968 and is one of the most successful partnerships in motorsport,” commented Mike Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Oil. “We are incredibly excited to pay tribute to this heritage with our classic livery design at the Monaco Grand Prix, the most spectacular and stylish event on the Formula 1 calendar.
“To see the reaction of both Lando and Daniel as well as the whole McLaren team to this livery has been really special and we are thrilled to unveil it to motorsport fans around the world. The distinguished racing blue and fluro orange Gulf colourways are iconic, so to mark our return to Formula 1 and showcase the livery in Monaco with McLaren is a great celebration of our bold and colourful place within the sport.”
Raising awareness
The team will carry Gulf’s racing blue colourway alongside an orange stripe, based closely on Gulf’s classic design, for the entire race weekend of the Monaco Grand Prix. The theme will feature on both MCL35M race cars, the race suits of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, the race team kit and across all team social media platforms.
Additionally, Lando and Daniel will wear race helmets with bespoke retro designs, especially created for the event, to be raffled for the team’s mental health charity partner, Mind.
Images courtesy of McLaren F1
A key feature of this campaign is a bespoke range of merchandise that allows fans to own their part of the special weekend. The merchandise line, inspired by the design of the Gulf liveried MCL35M, features a range of team wear and lifestyle clothing. The limited-edition merchandise can be purchased from the McLaren store here.
“This will be McLaren’s homage to Gulf’s celebrated race car design,” added Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing. “We’re enormous fans of brave and bold design, and the striking Gulf blue is among the most loved liveries in racing, a celebrated piece of culture which transcends the world of motorsport.
“Design has always been important to McLaren – you see this in everything we do from our return to papaya to our stunning headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre. We’re excited to exhibit this as a team and celebrate our proud association with Gulf in Monaco.”
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