McLaren brings back a piece of its past in new brand identity revamp

The main change introduced by McLaren’s new brand identity is the ‘McLaren’ wordmark, inspired by the signage of the McLaren family’s service station in Remuera, Auckland, where Bruce McLaren built the car that secured his first victory. This location holds particular significance in the company’s history, as it was where Bruce McLaren built the car that delivered his first victory.

The iconic Speedmark, however, is being retained, ensuring that one of the most recognisable elements of McLaren’s visual identity remains in place rather than being replaced altogether.

Papaya will continue to serve as McLaren’s primary colour, but the new identity expands the palette with additional colours inspired by different periods in the company’s history. This gives McLaren greater flexibility in how its visual identity is used across its various activities. The Speedy Kiwi also remains part of the brand, preserving an important connection to Bruce McLaren’s New Zealand roots and the origins of the company.

David Woodhouse, Chief Creative Officer at McLaren Automotive, explained that the brand has always been defined by a willingness to challenge convention and pursue new ideas rather than simply follow established trends.

He described the updated visual identity as a reflection of that mindset, representing McLaren’s continued evolution and providing a new expression of its ambition, creativity and determination to move forward.

Lou McEwen, Chief Marketing Officer at McLaren Racing, highlighted how the company’s long history across both Racing and Automotive continues to be shaped by Bruce McLaren’s original vision. She said the refreshed identity is intended to connect that heritage with McLaren’s future ambitions, retaining familiar symbols and elements that resonate with fans, partners and employees while creating a more unified expression of the brand’s direction.

McLaren heads to Baku with its most significant upgrade package of the second half of the season, as the team looks to improve the MCL40 with a new floor, fresh aerodynamic components and the return of its rotating ‘Macarena’ H-Wing.

The new floor is primarily aimed at improving aerodynamic efficiency and addressing one of the MCL40’s weaknesses in slower corners. McLaren will also introduce an updated version of its ‘Macarena’-style H-Wing. The rotating rear-wing concept was removed in Madrid because that specification was not suited to the required downforce level. For Baku, McLaren has developed a version designed for a slightly higher-downforce range, although the circuit’s exceptionally long straight could still lead the team to revert to the flatter Monza specification for the race.

McLaren Chief Technical Officer Rob Marshall admitted that the team has not always been able to accurately predict its performance level this season. He explained that the team continues to learn about the current generation of cars at every event, with the MCL40 having both exceeded and fallen short of expectations at different races throughout the year.

Marshall also highlighted the unique challenge presented by the Baku City Circuit, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix combining Formula 1’s longest straight with some of its slowest corners, creating significant compromises for teams to manage.