McLaren Abandons Long-Running MP4 Naming Scheme for Its 2017 F1 Cars

From Road & Track

For nearly 40 years, McLaren has used a single naming scheme for its Formula One cars, all starting with "MP4," for McLaren Project Four. It started in 1981, when Ron Dennis joined the team with the hope he'd turn the program into a success, and for 36 years, it's been at the start of every chassis title since. Up until now, that is.

With the departure of Ron Dennis as McLaren's F1 chief, new boss Zak Brown is implementing some changes around McLaren. The first of which is dropping the historical MP4 name for 2017. The new chassis will instead be called the "MCL32," ending a decades-long tradition in an attempt to freshen-up the brand and its image.

And that's not all. Later this month McLaren is set to unveil its new livery for the upcoming season, and according to the teaser it tweeted last month, it should be drastically different from the current color scheme.

Will all of these changes result in a successful season? We'll just have to wait until the first race in Australia to find out.

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