Change at McLaren
If F1 has changed era with the takeover by Liberty Media, McLaren has also decided to turn the page on the Ron Dennis years. It will adopt a new color for its cars, which will also bear a new name.
If Ron Dennis is the historical figure of McLaren, the new leaders at Woking seem determined to turn the page after his departure was announced last November.
Thus, McLaren announced this week that it has decided to change the name of its chassis. Historically, they were all called MP4. This naming originated from the 1980 merger of McLaren with Ron Dennis’s Formula 2 team, named Project Four. The initials “MP” referred to “Marlboro Project” at a time when the cigarette manufacturer was the main sponsor of the team. Starting this season, McLaren chassis will bear the much more transparent name of MCL, beginning with the MCL32, the 32nd chassis from Woking.
2017 is all about change, and our car name is changing too. Ladies and gents, get set for the McLaren-Honda MCL32. #MCL32 #ChangeYourName pic.twitter.com/Q2WJmR4us7
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 3 février 2017
But this should not be the only change. The other will be much more visible with a change in the livery of its cars. Indeed, the current gray was adopted in 1997 when Marlboro ended its sponsorship of McLaren. This then allowed the team to highlight its engine manufacturer, Mercedes.
But since the sale of the shares held by Mercedes and the switch to Honda, this visual identity no longer necessarily holds marketing interest. That’s why McLaren should return to its origins, with a predominantly orange livery. Although there hasn’t been an official announcement on this matter yet, the team has engaged in subtle teasing on social media, with several messages featuring touches of orange.
Note here the impact of Zak Brown’s arrival as executive director. The American, a specialist in the commercial aspects related to F1, recently explained to the official F1 site that digital represented a major change in functioning and that it represents a significant focus of his strategy in the coming years: « The biggest change in sports marketing over the past few years has been the arrival and widespread adoption of social media by sports fans. McLaren’s digital platforms are very busy and popular. We have nearly seven million followers on social media. I am active on social media myself, as are Eric, Fernando, and Stoffel. It’s important but also fun. »
He therefore develops this strategy by favoring these networks to make their announcements, rather than the traditional press releases, which are more reserved for announcements related to technical and corporate partnerships.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
