McLaren released digital renders of the MCL40 in a black-and-silver one-off test livery for the Barcelona shakedown. The images show Oscar Piastri’s No. 81 alongside reigning champion Lando Norris’s No. 1 and reveal technical changes including a drooped nose, ramped sidepods and a return to front push‑rod suspension, plus slightly larger Mastercard logos.

McLaren said the scheme is a temporary test livery and will stage an official full‑season reveal on Feb 9. The team said the MCL40 is designed to build on the MCL39’s performance. The MCL39 is credited with 14 wins and back‑to‑back constructors’ titles, a run that culminated in Norris’s drivers’ crown, and the new car reflects an ambitious, 20‑month redesign affecting chassis, power‑unit integration and tire work.

The team will skip the opening day of the five‑day Barcelona shakedown and is likely to use three of the five days, possibly starting on day two or three. The MCL40 had not completed any filming or shakedown runs before the limited running. Chief designer Rob Marshall said the restricted programme is likely to mirror what McLaren will take to the first race rather than beginning from a deliberately basic baseline.

Team principal Andrea Stella framed the compressed test plan as a way to maximise on‑track development and said the wider programme remains on course despite the scale of the redesign. McLaren is targeting the Australian Grand Prix in March as its first competitive reference point to validate the car in race conditions; several rivals have also adopted staggered Barcelona schedules.

Sources