McLaren have changed the naming convention of their F1 cars following the departure of Ron Dennis.
When Ron Dennis took over McLaren in 1981 the team was merged with his Formula 2 team, called Project Four Racing. It was a new era for the team and as a result the cars got a name change – the first car built under Ron Dennis wasn’t called the M31 (as it would have been under the previous system) but instead called the MP4 (McLaren Project 4).
Now Ron Dennis has left McLaren they’ve made the decision to change the name again. Instead of the 2017 car being called the MP4-32, it will instead become the MCL32.
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) February 3, 2017
With one Ron Dennis tradition broken, another is expected later in month when McLaren reveal a new livery that’s promised to actually be interesting.