McLaren MCL60 - 2023 Monaco Grand Prix

McLaren Racing’s competitor for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, the McLaren MCL60’s moniker commemorated 60 years since Bruce McLaren originally founded the team in 1963. In the hands of Lando Norris, in his fifth season with the team, and rookie driver Oscar Piastri, the MCL60 sought to build on the platform of its predecessor, the MCL36, in the era of ground-effect regulations that aimed to provide closer racing and more on-track action for fans.

The MCL60 retained the unusual front pullrod, rear pushrod suspension layout that was reintroduced with the MCL36, but featured tighter sidepod geometry with a more aggressive undercut, partly intended to free up space for ground effect inlet tunnels. The radiator inlet on the engine cover was lengthened, and the floor edge cut-out was shifted forwards, closer to its positioning on most other teams' cars. Whilst the team believed they had addressed the shortcomings of the MCL36, a change in design philosophy during development in 2023 hampered initial progress at the start of the season. This initial specification of the MCL60 proved uncompetitive by McLaren’s high standards, exhibiting inefficient and draggy aerodynamic performance and high tyre degradation. However, Norris and Team Principal Andrea Stella both still expressed strong belief in the potential of the chassis. After earning just 14 points from the races in Australia and Azerbaijan during the opening four rounds of the season and a significant upgrade package failed to make any progress, the team made some key personnel changes and structural re-organisation. Only three points followed in the following three races, all scored in Monaco.

The new technical leadership delivered its first upgrades package, featuring extensive changes to the sidepods, bodywork, and floor, ahead of schedule, though these were only fitted onto Norris’ car in time for the Austrian Grand Prix. The effect was instantaneous, Norris qualifying third in the sprint shootout. A technical fault thwarted his sprint race ambitions, but the Briton scored fourth position in the Grand Prix, marking a complete turn in the fortunes of the team. Further upgrades followed for the British Grand Prix, where Norris qualified and held onto second position even challenging the season-dominating Max Verstappen for the first laps of the race, whilst Piastri started third and only missed earning his first podium due to an untimely safety car. The momentum carried on into the next race in Hungary, Norris following with a successive second place and his Australian teammate finishing fifth despite suffering floor damage. Points continued to be scored in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, before further upgrades were introduced in Singapore. The team hit their best period of the season, scoring six podiums across the four races in Singapore, Japan, Qatar and the United States. Norris earned four of those podiums, whilst Piastri quickly followed up his first podium in Formula 1 in Suzuka, with an extraordinary sprint race victory and second position in Qatar. Further points would follow for the duo in Mexico, before Norris would challenge Verstappen for pace in Sao Paulo, qualifying on sprint pole, but ultimately finishing second to the Dutchman in both the sprint race and the Grand Prix. Another double points finish illustrated the season’s progress and consistency, as the team firmly claimed fourth place in the championship ahead of Aston Martin.

Overall, the MCL60 earned nine podiums, three fastest laps, and scored 302 points, earning McLaren fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. Furthermore, the car earned one sprint victory, three further sprint podiums and two sprint poles. Lando Norris secured sixth place in the Drivers' Championship standings with 205 points, his joint best season performance, whilst Oscar Piastri earned ninth place in the Championship with 97 points during his first season in Formula 1.

This fine 1:8 scale model is of the McLaren MCL60 as raced to ninth position by Lando Norris in the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on the 28th May 2023. Both Norris’s #4 and Oscar Piastri’s #81 cars were adorned in a special Triple Crown Livery, as part of McLaren’s 60th Anniversary celebrations. The livery honoured the team’s unique achievement in winning the three most prestigious events in motorsport: the 1974 Indy 500 with Johnny Rutherford, the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix with Alain Prost, and the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya. The MCL60s were painted in three distinctive segments, each celebrating the first win in each race: striking papaya elements at the rear of the car referenced McLaren’s maiden Indy 500 winning M16C/D; the sharp ice white centre harked back to Alain Prost’s Monaco winning MP4/2; whilst the front end was finished in black in tribute to the F1 GTR that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on McLaren’s first attempt.

Norris qualified tenth in Monaco, just ahead of Piastri in eleventh. Both moved up a place in the race to finish ninth and tenth respectively, overtaking the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda in the final laps as he ran off the road, giving the team its second double points finish of the season. Both cars were the fastest on track when wet conditions arrived in the closing stages, showing the pace potential of the MCL60 that McLaren would seek to exploit later in the season.

The McLaren MCL60 is limited to just 99 pieces at 1:8 scale.

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This model is a part of the McLaren MCL60 Collection.

Discover the McLaren MCL60 Collection >