McLaren hints at 2017 livery change

Jan.19 - McLaren executive Zak Brown has confirmed reports the British team might be set for a livery change in 2017.

With supremo Ron Dennis now ousted, speculation suggests the Honda-powered marque might return to its roots and switch to its traditional orange this year.

"We have been showing the McLaren guys and girls and we are very excited," Brown is quoted by Spain's El Confidencial.

"I think the fans will be happy to see how the car will look, both technically and aesthetically," he added.

It also appears that good sponsorship news is on the horizon, with a photo on Twitter of Stoffel Vandoorne wearing a Castrol-logoed grey team t-shirt having emerged.

It comes as McLaren loses its long-time oil sponsor Mobil to Red Bull.

Finally, Brown said McLaren is determined to keep its top driver Fernando Alonso on board beyond 2017, with talks about a new contract to be discussed this year.

"We would like to keep Fernando, of course," the American is quoted by Auto Bild.

But Brown also admitted that it will be an "exciting" year on the driver market, with Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari deal also set to run out.

"He is also without a contract for next year, so it will be an exciting year on the market," he said.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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