P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Why is McLaren’s 2026 F1 car not orange?
McLaren will showcase an all-black F1 livery for their Barcelona shakedown, a temporary look before their official 2026 design reveal in February.
The team is participating in a private test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya until January 30, causing a break in the F1 livery launch season.
While several teams have already unveiled their liveries, Williams, Cadillac, Aston Martin, and McLaren will reveal theirs in February after the Barcelona testing.
McLaren, last year’s champions, will unveil their 2026 livery on February 9, with the Barcelona testing beginning on February 3.
McLaren’s delay in testing was due to development reasons, skipping the first day and facing weather challenges before finally debuting on day three.
The shakedown is a crucial pre-season health check for teams to test new design features without any limit on laps, with Sky Sports F1 covering the Barcelona action.
