Fernando Alonso’s fond memories of the 2017 Indianapolis 500 extend beyond the race.
Alonso told Motorsport.com on Wednesday that he hasn’t yet seen McLaren’s 2018 Formula One challenger, but hopes the car’s livery is similar to the orange one that he ran in the Indy 500.
“I’ll be happy with any color, but McLaren and orange is part of our DNA, so it will be nice if we see some orange like the IndyCar,” Alonso said. “You know, that was a great event and a great McLaren car there.”
Orange is a color that appears throughout McLaren’s history, though it was absent from the squad’s color scheme for a while before it was reintroduced in 2017. That said, its livery still was predominantly black, and not particularly eye-catching.
McLaren executive director Zak Brown reportedly wouldn’t give any indication as to the color of its 2018 F1 challenger, though he noted the team wants to return to having a stand-out look.
“That is what McLaren always was,” Brown told Motorsport.com. “With our lack of competitiveness, we have kind of blended in. We need to get back to being a team that people are envious of. I feel we are on our way.”