zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
The 2018 McLaren Formula One Car: Now With More Blue And Less Honda
The 2018 McLaren Formula One Car: Now With More Blue And Less Honda-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:16

Life is full of disappointments, but not many have been as crushing as the story of the McLaren Honda Formula One team. The return to that partnership conjured images of the Senna-Prost glory days, but it mostly meant DNFs, engine failures and . But for 2018, things will be different! Hopefully.

Behold the MCL33, McLaren’s F1 car for 2018. It’s notable for a lot of reasons: a return to the iconic papaya orange livery, a nice dash of purple or violet blue thrown in for good measure, the inclusion of the cockpit halo like all new F1 cars, and most importantly, Renault power. This is the first time in McLaren’s five-decade racing history that one of its F1 cars will get a powerplant from the French manufacturer.

The return to McLaren’s most important historic colors wasn’t taken lightly. McLaren chief Zak Brown of the team’s desire to “improve [their] fortunes” and return to respectability for 2018.

They have almost nowhere to go but up. Since 2015, the team’s Honda engines have been plagued with reliability and power problems, and last year it finished ninth in the constructors’ championship with zero podium finishes overall. It has been a tremendous waste of Alonso, a fan favorite and easily one of the best drivers in the game right now, just one who’s been hobbled by a deeply lackluster car.

I’m eager to see if the McLaren Renault era will be different.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
We're At Mid-Ohio For The Honda Indy 200
We're At Mid-Ohio For The Honda Indy 200
And by “we” I mean me, specifically. I’m here at the legendary Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course all weekend to cover the Honda Indy 200. This is not only the first time I’ve covered an IndyCar race, but the first time I’ve ever been to one, period. I’m pretty excited to...
Feb 11, 2026
NASCAR Makes The Best Donuts
NASCAR Makes The Best Donuts
I can set aside the Tim Hortons vs. Dunkin vs. Round Rock vs. Voodoo vs. Gourdough’s vs. some shop you’ve probably never heard of before debate for a second to say you’re all wrong. NASCAR makes the best donuts. Here’s a full minute of beautiful donut footage from Joey Logano....
Feb 11, 2026
Only Watching The Battle For First Is Missing The Point
Only Watching The Battle For First Is Missing The Point
Here’s a shot of one of the looniest on-track battles I’ve seen on a race track in a long, long time. It was from last weekend’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Lime Rock, and these Caymans were going at it like their lives depended on it. Neither car...
Feb 11, 2026
Lewis Hamilton Is Having An Extra #Blessed Break From F1
Lewis Hamilton Is Having An Extra #Blessed Break From F1
It’s time for Formula One to take a mid-season break, with almost a month separating last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix and their next race in Belgium. What’s Lewis Hamilton doing? Making sweet catches mid-air while doing sick jumps into the lake, that’s what. We tend to snark on Lewis’ bizarrely...
Feb 11, 2026
IndyCar President Derrick Walker Resigns Amid Controversial Season
IndyCar President Derrick Walker Resigns Amid Controversial Season
IndyCar President of Competition and Operations Derrick Walker announced his resignation yesterday, effective August 31. Per Walker’s own remarks to , he has stayed longer than the duration of his original contract and wants more time to concentrate on his Tudor United SportsCar team, Team Falken Tire. “I signed up...
Feb 11, 2026
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Aug. 1-2, 2015
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Aug. 1-2, 2015
Welcome to the Jalopnik , where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? It’s WRC Finland weekend! That’s practically...
Feb 11, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved