AMSTERDAM – When the 2017 McLaren-Honda Formula 1 racing car was launched on February 24, fans caught their first glimpse of the MCL32's new Tarocco Orange livery - a color developed by AkzoNobel in conjunction with McLaren-Honda.

The company's color expertise has enabled the world championship winning Formula 1 team to maintain links to their 1960s roots and heritage, while bringing a new image and sparkle. The new Tarocco Orange color provided a striking contrast to matt black and gloss white finish when the new car was launched at the McLaren Thought Leadership Centre, in Woking, UK.

"Our color and coatings expertise shows up in many unexpected places, even in Formula 1," said Peter Tomlinson, Managing Director of AkzoNobel's Vehicle Refinishes business. "We share a passion with McLaren for creating efficient, high-performance technology. McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team is known for their iconic livery, and the new color will add a new chapter to this, which we are proud to be part of."

The two companies have been working closely together since 2008, when AkzoNobel first became official supplier of paint solutions to the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team. McLaren-Honda will use the company's premium Sikkens brand for its Formula 1 cars for the whole of the 2017 season, which starts in Melbourne, Australia, on March 26.

Added Jonathan Neale, COO of McLaren Technology Group, "Since McLaren began its partnership with AkzoNobel, we've always been looking at ways to push paint technology to its furthest extent. We've already explored the practical limits of chrome finishing, reducing our carbon footprint and reducing curing times. Now, with the McLaren-Honda MCL32, we're really leveraging AkzoNobel's color expertise and technology. The results are stunning.

"We've also made significant progress in reducing the average curing time of bodywork parts by more than half, and lowering the paint shop's carbon footprint by up to 80%. We will continue working with AkzoNobel on further innovations as we investigate coating possibilities, both for now and for the future."

Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will drive the 2017 MCL32.