Oscar Piastri’s team surprised fans by releasing a series of images showcasing its livery for the new year that will adorn the MCL38 which will be unveiled on February 14.

The images show a 2022-spec McLaren bedecked in its now traditional papaya and carbon livery for the upcoming campaign.

It is a largely familiar colour scheme, although the cyan that adorned last year’s car has been removed.

The design has been further tweaked to incorporate aspects of the livery McLaren carried during the Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix last year.

Then, the livery was designed to celebrate the success McLaren has enjoyed in winning the Monaco GP, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Indianapolis 500, and included a dayglo chevron akin to the famous red and white combination the team carried in F1 from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s.

Aspects of that have returned, with the orange on the nose creating a similar shape (as it has done for several seasons), complemented by the papaya shape on the car’s rear quarter.

Though tobacco advertising is banned, McLaren remains partnered with BAT, which owns Velo (among other similar brands), a nicotine pouch brand whose logo has been featured on the cars for several years.

Through that relationship, OTR branding found its way onto McLaren’s cars at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.

The images released are not of the 2024 car, the team playing it coy following an immensely promising season last year.

Following a slow start that saw senior personnel acknowledge the MCL60 was not where it needed to be, it dramatically reversed its fortunes mid-season.

An upgrade package introduced for the Austrian Grand Prix saw Lando Norris challenge for the podium and secure the team’s first top-three finish of the season with second at the British Grand Prix a week later.

Further updates followed, most notably in Singapore, as McLaren became a genuine frontrunner and arguably Red Bull Racing’s nearest and most consistent challenger in the latter part of the year.

As that was taking place, off-track the team was busy finalising its new wind tunnel and simulator, while in the first week of the year, two crucial new hires joined the team.

Rob Marshall has come across from Red Bull Racing as technical director of engineering and design, while David Sanchez has joined as technical director of car concept and performance.

Both form part of the technical executive team, which works closely with team boss Andrea Stella, in a three-pronged department revitalised by Stella a year ago.

After languishing 10th and last in the constructors’ championship after the opening two rounds, McLaren recovered to fourth by the end of the season.

The highlight of the year, alongside the nine podiums, was Piastri’s victory in the Qatar F1 Sprint after the rookie secured pole position for the 100km encounter.