Fernando Alonso and McLaren Racing have debuted the livery that will adorn the Spaniard’s Chevrolet-powered ride for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 this May.
Unsurprisingly, the livery looks similar to the livery that is seen on the 2019 McLaren Formula 1 car, featuring the same papaya orange base and blue geometric pattern on the rear. Many of the team’s F1 sponsors have also hopped on board for the Indy 500 entry, including Dell, Huski Chocolate and Petrobras.
As McLaren revealed previously, Alonso has elected to run No. 66 for his second attempt at the Indy 500. The number appears to be a throwback to the No. 66 McLaren-Penske entry of Mark Donohue, which won the 1972 Indy 500 and gave the British manufacturer its first win in the American race.
This will be the first time the two-time Formula 1 champion has used the 66 across any race series. He used No. 14 throughout his long Formula 1 career and ran No. 29 on his McLaren-Honda Indy 500 entry in 2017.
Alonso’s Indy 500 ride was assembled at the McLaren Technology Centre in Britain and is currently en route to the United States ahead of the first open test at Indianapolis on April 24th.
“The reveal of the No. 66 car and livery is an important moment for McLaren Racing’s journey to the Indianapolis 500,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “It represents the beginning of the next phase of our programme and reflects a tremendous amount of hard work by our specialist Indy 500 team at the McLaren Technology Centre.”
Due to McLaren’s limited experience at Indianapolis in the modern era, it is receiving technical support from fellow British team Carlin for the race. Carlin, which is also a Chevrolet-powered team, is currently in its second full season of IndyCar racing and has one Indy 500 under its belt in which its drivers finished 18th and 22nd.
McLaren previously acquired a second Dallara IndyCar chassis for testing purposes. Alonso is set to appear in this car at the IndyCar open test at Texas Motor Speedway on April 9th, which will give him the opportunity to test the series’ universal aero kit on an oval for the first time.
The No. 66 McLaren-Chevrolet will appear on track for the first time later this month.
Source: McLaren Racing
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Comments
Nice Car!! Good Luck!!
Having missed the original Can-Am McLaren / Chevy effort and would turn 2 years old a few months after their win at Indy, I am so excited for the return of the McLaren / Chevy I am almost wetting myself.
When will the official team apparel be available for purchase? T-shirts, jackets, caps, vests, etc??