INDIANAPOLIS – McLaren Racing has unveiled the livery for the No. 66 car that Fernando Alonso will drive in an attempt to qualify for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 in May.
The car, built at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England, sports the unique McLaren papaya orange, which echoes the color chosen by Bruce McLaren for the team’s first Formula One Grand Prix entry in 1966 and reflects the livery of the McLaren Formula 1 team’s MCL34.
This year’s scheme for both racing series features a complementary blue that nods to the team’s racing heritage, while the choice of No. 66 is to honor McLaren’s first victory at the Brickyard, achieved with Mark Donohue’s Penske-run M16 in 1972.
“The reveal of the No. 66 car and livery is an important moment for McLaren Racing’s journey to the Indianapolis 500,” said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing. “It represents the beginning of the next phase of our program, and reflects a tremendous amount of hard work by our specialist Indy 500 team at the McLaren Technology Centre. We are all looking forward to seeing the No. 66 out on track for the first time on April 24.”
The No. 66 race car is en route from the England to the United States ahead of the open test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 24. Meanwhile, its sister test car will take to track at a closed test at the Texas Motor Speedway on April 9, in the hands of Alonso.
The Indianapolis 500 is the final jewel in the Triple Crown of Motorsports for Alonso, who already has victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Monaco Grand Prix during his career.
“I’m excited we are finally able to reveal to the world the No. 66 car which I’ll be racing with McLaren at the Indy 500 in May,” said Alonso. “The team at the McLaren factory has worked very hard to build this car ready for our return to the iconic Brickyard and I think it looks fantastic in the 2019 McLaren Racing colors. My hopes for the race remain the same, to win and achieve the Triple Crown, and I’m looking forward to meeting the fantastic U.S. fans who made me feel so welcome first time around.”