McLaren hit the track with its stunning one-off Monaco Grand Prix colours on Thursday.
McLaren has ditched its usual papaya livery for the ironic blue and orange scheme of sponsor Gulf Oil at Monte Carlo this week.
It has already proven to be a hugely popular with F1 fans.
The new-look car hit the track for the first time on Thursday during the first practice session ahead of Sunday’s showpiece race, where McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo are looking to build on the team’s encouraging start to the season.
The McLaren-Gulf link goes back to the late 1960s, when the two companies worked together in Can-Am and F1.
Gulf’s iconic colours have featured on a number of racing cars in the past — including the McLaren F1 GTR that finished second at the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours — but has never before raced in Formula One.
McLaren decided to make the change for this weekend’s race after seeing mock-ups created by fans last year following the announcement of the partnership.
The throwbacks do not just stop with the colours of the car.
Ricciardo, winner of the Monaco Grand Prix in 2018, is also racing with an old-school style helmet design.
Daniel Ricciardo Monaco Retro.@danielricciardo pic.twitter.com/hp4JOHF7tE
— Jens Munser Designs (@JMD_helmets) May 19, 2021
The Monaco Grand Prix is live on ESPN2 at 8.55AM ET on Sunday.