Formula 1 fans are all in agreement after seeing ‘nasty’ McLaren 2026 livery

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McLaren have unveiled their 2026 Formula 1 challenger, the MCL40, ahead of the next pre-season test in Bahrain.

The defending champions revealed the MCL40’s design and livery in Bahrain on Monday ahead of the next test at the Sakhir International Circuit this week. They will be looking to grab their third consecutive constructors’ title and second drivers’ championship in a row in 2026.

Lando Norris won his maiden F1 title by just two points last year, taking the number one plate from Max Verstappen. Teammate Oscar Piastri finished third, having led the standings for 15 race weekends in 2025.

Will Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri always be on good terms?

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Heading into 2026, the Woking outfit will certainly be one of the contenders for the title. The F1 paddock think McLaren can challenge Mercedes for the championship, given that the latter are expected to have the fastest engine on the grid this year.

Piastri says reliability problems will not be an issue in 2026, giving McLaren one less thing to worry about going into their title defence. But while the MCL40 may work well, not many fans think it is good-looking.

F1 fans left disappointed by McLaren’s ‘nasty’ 2026 livery

McLaren have opted for continuity with their 2026 livery, keeping the papaya and black colours from previous years. The MCL40 does feature more papaya, however, particularly on the nose and the rear wing.

But F1 fans could not help but be disappointed by the unveiling on X (formerly Twitter). They did not have kind words for McLaren and their new look, or lack thereof, for 2026.

Here it is 👀 McLaren reveal their MCL40 livery…

What do you think, hit or miss? 👇

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“Threw a big opportunity with all the changes in regs to bring in something new and make it exciting. It looks….exactly the same,” wrote one fan.

“YES MCLAREN GIVE US NOTHING,” said one user, while another agreed: “About as anticipated… basically the same as last year.”

Many fans were not impressed with the design at all, with one commenting: “How can you make the same livery even UGLIER?!?!” Another said: “Nasty just like last year.”

Finally, one user reacted by saying: “Be so fr all that just for the car to look almost identical to last year’s who do Mclaren think they are?”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris react to McLaren’s 2026 livery

Piastri and Norris reacted to the new car design on McLaren’s official YouTube channel, stating how the team have not changed what has brought them success over the years.

Piastri said: “I think it looks great, obviously, a bit more papaya this year, especially at the front, which is nice.

“Obviously, keeping with a very similar livery to what’s been successful for the last few years. Just a small tweak, but it’s good to see that there’s more papaya on there.”

Norris then added: “Similar things. Yeah, some small tweaks like Oscar said. The main thing is we keep the papaya, we don’t change things too much, as much as I love the test livery that we had.

“This is the one that’s always going to be better throughout the course of the season on TV and all those things, so sticking to what worked.”