McLaren MCL60 - 2023 United Kingdom 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 second position by Lando Norris in the Formula 1 Aramco British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit on the 9th of July 2023. Both Norris’s #4 and Oscar Piastri’s #81 cars were adorned in a special Chrome Livery as part of McLaren’s 60th Anniversary celebrations. Developed in partnership with Official Primary Partner Google, the design is a nod to the fan-favourite chrome livery, which ran from 2006 to 2014; an era which was defined by Lewis Hamilton’s drivers’ world championship in 2008, and was the same year in which Google launched its pioneering Chrome browser.

Norris and Piastri earned the team its best qualifying performance of the season, starting second and third, only beaten by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. The Briton jumped Verstappen at the start to the huge delight of the home crowd, the Dutchman forced to go defensive to keep the other McLaren of Piastri behind over the next few corners. The slower starting Red Bull was soon to recover; by lap 5, with DRS at his disposal, the reigning champion reclaimed the lead, and rarely looked troubled after. The McLaren teammates then looked to manage the race together, in an attempt to keep Verstappen in their sights, whilst holding off the Ferraris and Mercedes from behind. The duo maintained position for the majority of the 52-lap encounter, only for Piastri to pit just before the Safety Car was deployed for a smoking Haas on Lap 34. Cue a race for the pits and, while the majority of the front-runners chose soft tyres, the McLarens went for the harder compound leaving them potentially vulnerable to the faster tyres behind. What followed was a thrilling, multi-lap exchange between Norris and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who jumped Piastri when the race was neutralised. Norris made his McLaren as wide as possible on several occasions as he expertly managed his tyres to keep the Mercedes behind and claim a successive second place finish. Piastri, meanwhile, held off the challenge of the other Mercedes of George Russell to claim fourth, the best result of the Australian rookie’s burgeoning F1 career so far.

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 >