The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix yesterday wasn’t just the last race of 2018 Formula 1 season, it was the last Formula 1 race for McLaren driver Fernando Alonso. The two-time Formula 1 World Champion was seen racing in a unique, one-off livery on his MCL33, a special gesture arranged by McLaren for giving his 18-year Formula 1 career to a special closure.
The special livery is based on the distinctive blue, yellow and red colours on his helmet, which pay homage to his home region of Asturias in northern Spain. The livery is emblazoned across the engine cover. If you take a closer look at the tricolour cube on the top and sides of the cockpit, it is actually an FA insignia. One-off liveries are rarely seen on F1 in recent years. Last time McLaren did it was 32 years ago — the usual red and white Marlboro livery was changed to yellow and white for the 1986 Portuguese Grand Prix.
While Alonso has bidden farewell to Formula 1, ending it with an 11th-place finish, we will still see plenty of him behind the steering wheel. He has confirmed to compete in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota next season and give the Indy 500 a second attempt in May. He also mentioned he will be “open for different things” including full season racing in 2020.
