Motorsport Off Topic Thread
- Thread starter Shimmy
- Start date
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 19,491
- Location
- LU7
Ah so there is some kind of respect being paid to Mercedes then. McLaren when silver/chrome when Marlboro left and West joined didn't they? That was when McLaren obviously had the clean break, title sponsor wise, to have their own colour scheme. So it is possible that when Honda come along, McLaren could drop silver/chrome. A return to red/white then would be nice to evoke memories of their Senna/Prost/Marlboro dominating days.
Pretty much.
Title sponsorship is just another type of sponsorship though. It doesn't mean they are the biggest. A few years back Williams had AT&T title sponsors, but they were way down the list of the teams sponsors in terms of how much money they bought in.
Mclaren having a solid sponsorship package is more important than just having someones brand in the team name. Didn't they say their finding this year is greater than last year, even with the loss of Vodafone?
Ah so there is some kind of respect being paid to Mercedes then. McLaren when silver/chrome when Marlboro left and West joined didn't they? That was when McLaren obviously had the clean break, title sponsor wise, to have their own colour scheme. So it is possible that when Honda come along, McLaren could drop silver/chrome. A return to red/white then would be nice to evoke memories of their Senna/Prost/Marlboro dominating days.
Mclaren already have an epic motorsport colour scheme... but unfortunately choose to use it only in their GT division
.
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 19,491
- Location
- LU7
I read something saying that the shareholders, Dennis, Ojjeh etc were going to pass up their dividends for this year/season and that doing that helped with the budget.
The classic McLaren orange?Mclaren already have an epic motorsport colour scheme... but unfortunately choose to use it only in their GT division
The red/white colour has nothing to do with Honda and everything to do with Marlboro - the M in MP4 originally stood for Marlboro remember. Philip Morris sponsored McLaren for 22 years of which only 5 were with Honda.
Soldato
- Joined
- 7 Mar 2005
- Posts
- 19,491
- Location
- LU7
Looks alright, I suppose. 
Have they ever raced with that colour, apart from in the early days. They've just used it as a testing livery a few years ago, well during the Hakkinen/Coulthard era wasn't it?
Have they ever raced with that colour, apart from in the early days. They've just used it as a testing livery a few years ago, well during the Hakkinen/Coulthard era wasn't it?
but it isnt P&G sponsoring them , its only a (much) smaller single entity
I don't think Mclaren under Ron Denis has ever raced in orange in F1.
They tested in orange when they transitioned from Marlboro to West in the 90s, and again when West went and they adopted the chrome in the early 00's, but that's it, from what I remember?
They tested in orange when they transitioned from Marlboro to West in the 90s, and again when West went and they adopted the chrome in the early 00's, but that's it, from what I remember?
Be that as it may, look at how many Honda-powered racing cars in motorsport history have been red and white.
Wonders if AT&T bought in technology (that might not be reflected out right as income) as well as cash?
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Oct 2005
- Posts
- 6,243
- Location
- North of Watford Gap
Looks alright, I suppose.
Have they ever raced with that colour, apart from in the early days. They've just used it as a testing livery a few years ago, well during the Hakkinen/Coulthard era wasn't it?
At least twice - 1996 or 1997 (1996 I think) and 2005 or 2006. It's far better than their current livery, which, on TV at least, is quite dark and dull. I've never been a fan of the chrome livery either, though I did quite like the West-based livery which came before it.
From what I remember, it was more of a PR exercise. They offered AT&T a cheap deal on title sponsorship as it gave the impression of a solid team financially, which in turn attracted other investers. The fact AT&T got title rights cheap didn't come out until much later.
Orange has been used on a McLaren F1 car during RD times, only once. Just before the west title sponsor they went testing with a orange car driven by Hakkinen, it is sat at work at the moment along with a few other "specials". I personally think it looks great.
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Oct 2005
- Posts
- 6,243
- Location
- North of Watford Gap
They must have painted over those with new liveries, this is the only one that remains in orange for sure.
Check the store cupboards
[Sexy car]
2006 MP4-21
I havent yet been to where they keep the cars that are not on display, its on my to do list
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Oct 2005
- Posts
- 6,243
- Location
- North of Watford Gap
It was the MP4/21. The MP4/12 looks much, much better without the horns and various other extremities though.
Edit: Beaten by Skeeter while I checked which year (and had a look in my photos to see if I had my photo from the Donny Museum, where the MP4/12 dressed in orange was, circa 2004).
Edit: Beaten by Skeeter while I checked which year (and had a look in my photos to see if I had my photo from the Donny Museum, where the MP4/12 dressed in orange was, circa 2004).
Last edited: