McLaren will run a special one-off Gulf Formula 1 livery on both cars during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
The distinctive blue-and-orange livery will take over the entire car, with the drivers wearing matching overalls and special team kit also being used.
The iconic livery’s only previous F1 appearance is believed to have been on the Scuderia Rondini privateer entry of Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi that made a handful of appearances in 1976.
McLaren’s 2021 design is a reimagining of the look of the Gulf McLaren F1 GTR sportscars of the mid-1990s, one of which finished second overall in the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours.
There are no plans to continue with the Gulf livery beyond the Monaco GP weekend, with the McLaren MLC35Ms reverting to their regular colours for the following race in Baku.
Drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo will also wear special helmet designs in Monaco, which will subsequently be raffled to raise money for health charity partner Mind. Norris’s will be Gulf-inspired, while Ricciardo’s design a McLaren heritage theme.
A range of limited-edition Gulf McLaren merchandise has also been released.
“This will be McLaren’s homage to Gulf’s celebrated race car design,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
“We’re enormous fans of brave and bold design and the striking Gulf blue is among the most loved liveries in racing, a celebrated piece of culture which transcends the world of motorsport.
“Design has always been important to McLaren – you see this in everything we do from our return to papaya to our stunning headquarters, the McLaren Technology Centre.
“We’re excited to exhibit this as a team and celebrate our proud association with Gulf in Monaco.”
Gulf’s history with McLaren stretches back to its initial involvement with the organisation from 1968-1973, with the current multi-year strategic partnership starting in the middle of 2020.
“Gulf and McLaren have a relationship that dates back to 1968 and is one of the most successful partnerships in motorsport,” said Gulf Oil CEO Mike Jones.
“We are incredibly excited to pay tribute to this heritage with our classic livery design at the Monaco Grand Prix, the most spectacular and stylish event on the Formula 1 calendar.
“To see the reaction of both Lando and Daniel as well as the whole McLaren team to this livery has been really special and we are thrilled to unveil it to motorsport fans around the world.
“The distinguished racing blue and fluro orange Gulf colourways are iconic, so to mark our return to Formula 1 and showcase the livery in Monaco with McLaren is a great celebration of our bold and colourful place within the sport.”
