McLaren took the opportunity to surprise the Formula 1 world and publicly take the covers off their 2025 challenger before everybody else.

Running a one-off camouflage livery for a filming day at Silverstone with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri behind the wheel, the MCL39 has been out on track.

McLaren MCL39: The first F1 2025 car to publicly hit the track

Norris and Piastri both had the chance to sample the MCL39 at Silverstone, with a camouflage papaya-and-black colour scheme being used on the car before it has its true livery unveiled at London’s O2 Arena on February 18.

McLaren took the opportunity to take in pit stop practice, alongside using both drivers for their initial laps around Silverstone, with specific black race suits used.

All this was done to keep the veil of secrecy on the MCL39, with some of the elements of the car kept under wraps by the nature of its paint scheme.

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The team initially announced the car’s launch via social media, with a short video of the MCL39 pulling out of the garage at Silverstone.

Williams had been slated to be the first team to pull the covers off its 2025 challenger on Friday 14 February, but this move sees McLaren beat the Grove-based team to the punch.

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