The 2026 F1 Monaco Grand Prix kicks off this week at the Circuit de Monaco, and the special-livery cycle is starting to land. McLaren dropped the biggest swing of the round so far with a retro orange-and-black throwback to mark the team's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix start. Charles Leclerc unveiled a white-and-red race suit inspired by the Monaco flag for the home race that means more to him than any other on the calendar. Ferrari has not confirmed any car livery changes, and Lewis Hamilton has not been shown wearing the same suit as Leclerc, so the special-suit reveal so far is a Leclerc-only one. We are tracking every reveal here and grading each one as it lands. For the sister tracker on the Miami weekend earlier this season, see our F1 Miami GP special liveries breakdown, and for Suzuka see our F1 Japanese GP special liveries breakdown.
Updated Sunday June 1 with the McLaren 1000th GP livery and the Leclerc Monaco race suit. We will keep updating this post through the Monaco GP race weekend as new reveals drop.
1. McLaren · 1000th Grand Prix Retro Livery
The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix is McLaren's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix start, and the team marked the milestone with a one-off retro orange-and-matte-black livery on the MCL40. The base paint shifts from the standard papaya-dominant 2026 livery to a heavier black foundation with the classic McLaren orange concentrated on the nose, sidepod tops, and rear wing. The number "1976" sits on the rear panel as a nod to McLaren's first World Drivers' Championship that year with James Hunt in the M23, and the photoshoot itself is staged in front of a black-and-white fragmented McLaren typography wall installation that doubles as a visual signature for the 1000th-start milestone. Sponsor branding stays in place across the chassis with Gemini, Dropbox, Dell, Cisco, OKX, DeWalt, and Pirelli all reading clean against the retro base.
This is a B- for us. The 1000-start milestone deserves a bigger swing. McLaren's most iconic visual identities across 60 years of F1 history have always leaned chromatic. The 1976 M23 was white-with-red Marlboro stripes. The 1988 MP4/4 was red-and-white Marlboro turbo. The 1998 MP4/13 was silver West Mercedes power. The 2008 MP4-23 was chrome Vodafone. Even the modern papaya-orange era from 2017 forward is bold-on-bold. Reducing the 1000th-start livery to a black-base-with-orange-accents reads more "limited edition merch drop" than "we have done 1000 of these races." We like the typography wall and the 1976 callout. We wish the car itself committed harder to a real era recreation, or at least to a louder color story.
Standard McLaren Livery vs Monaco 1000th GP Special
Before · Standard 2026 McLaren F1 livery
After · Monaco GP 1000th-start retro livery
The 2026 base car flips the orange-to-black ratio. Standard McLaren runs papaya orange as the dominant color with black accents in the wing tips and floor edges. The Monaco 1000th-start livery reverses the proportion, with matte black taking over the majority of the bodywork and the orange concentrated in the front and rear graphic moments. The 1976 numerals and the typography-wall photoshoot are the milestone callouts that turn this from a regular black-and-orange repaint into a 1000-start tribute.
More Photos of the McLaren Monaco GP Livery
Images via McLaren F1
Grade: B-
2. Ferrari · Charles Leclerc Monaco Home Race Suit
Ferrari revealed a special Monaco Grand Prix race suit for Charles Leclerc ahead of his home race weekend, and this one earned the A- treatment for us. The suit flips the standard Ferrari race suit color story. White is the dominant color instead of Ferrari's traditional red, with red accents running from the collar through the sleeves and down both legs of the suit. The design language is a direct lift from the Monaco flag, the white-and-red horizontal split that the principality carries on every government building, every flagpole, and every postcard from the Cote d'Azur. The HP title sponsor logo stays on the chest opposite the Ferrari prancing horse crest, the race number 16 sits on the leg, and a matching all-white cap with the red Ferrari roundel completes the look. The ocean and sky studio backdrop is the smartest framing choice on the entire reveal, locking Leclerc's Monaco identity into the visual story before he even pulls onto the circuit.
This is the kind of one-off driver kit that the Monaco round absolutely deserves. The home-race-suit tradition for Leclerc has been building across his Ferrari tenure, and the 2026 version is the cleanest execution of the format yet. White-and-red is the right palette. The ocean backdrop is the right framing. The HP sponsorship integration sits cleanly against the new color story without forcing the placement. The Ferrari prancing horse stays exactly where it belongs. We dock half a grade for the missed opportunity to put any Ferrari red on the chassis to match, since the car itself stays in the standard 2026 livery for Monaco with no announced changes.
More Photos of the Leclerc Monaco Race Suit
Images via Scuderia Ferrari
Is Lewis Hamilton Wearing the Same Suit?
No. The white-and-red Monaco flag suit unveiled by Ferrari is a Leclerc-only one-off tied specifically to his home race in the principality. Lewis Hamilton has not been shown wearing the same kit at the time of writing, and Ferrari has not announced a matching version for Hamilton. The expectation is that Hamilton runs his standard 2026 Ferrari race suit at Monaco. Hamilton fans on social media have already started asking whether Ferrari will produce a similar one-off home-race suit for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone later in the calendar, where Hamilton would have the same hometown context Leclerc has at Monaco.
Grade: A-
Not Yet Revealed (As of 2026-06-01)
The following teams have not announced a Monaco GP full-car one-off livery as of Sunday. Monaco has historically been a low-livery weekend on the grid since most teams treat it as a high-stakes points race where any change to the car risks distracting from the trophy chase, but we have seen partner-driven one-offs in past seasons. We will add more as they drop:
- Ferrari has not announced a Monaco car livery. Only the Leclerc race suit covered above.
- Mercedes has not announced a Monaco GP livery or race suit.
- Red Bull has not announced a Monaco GP livery or driver helmet drop.
- Aston Martin has not announced any Monaco GP reveal yet. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso are the drivers to watch for any home-race-adjacent moments since neither is Monegasque but the team's European headquarters sit close to the principality.
- Williams, Sauber, Haas, Cadillac, Alpine, and VCARB have not announced Monaco-specific reveals.
If your team is missing from the revealed sections above, refresh this post through race week. We update each time a new livery or helmet or driver suit drops.
The Verdict
McLaren has the only confirmed full car livery of the Monaco round so far, and the 1000th-start retro treatment lands at a B- with us for not committing harder to a real era recreation. Charles Leclerc has the strongest individual reveal of the weekend with the white-and-red Monaco flag race suit, which lands at an A- for the cleanest home-race driver kit execution Ferrari has done in years. Lewis Hamilton is not wearing the same suit. We will close out the official Monaco rankings after Sunday's race and add anything that drops between now and the green flag, including any partner-driven specials, driver helmet one-offs, or unannounced Ferrari chassis tweaks for Leclerc's home weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many F1 teams have confirmed special liveries for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix?
One team has confirmed a full one-off car livery for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix as of Sunday June 1. McLaren unveiled a retro orange-and-matte-black throwback livery on the MCL40 for the team's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix start, with 1976 numerals on the rear panel as a nod to James Hunt's championship year in the M23. Ferrari has not announced a Monaco car livery but did reveal a Charles Leclerc Monaco home race suit. No other team has announced a Monaco-specific car livery, race suit, or driver helmet drop yet.
What is the McLaren 1000th Grand Prix livery for the 2026 Monaco GP?
The McLaren 1000th Grand Prix livery is a one-off retro orange-and-matte-black paint scheme on the 2026 MCL40 chassis that marks the team's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix start at the Circuit de Monaco. The base paint shifts from the standard papaya-dominant 2026 livery to a heavier matte black foundation with classic McLaren orange concentrated on the nose, sidepod tops, and rear wing. The number 1976 sits on the rear panel as a tribute to James Hunt's first World Drivers' Championship for McLaren in the M23.
Why does the McLaren Monaco livery have 1976 on the rear panel?
The 1976 numerals on the rear panel of the McLaren Monaco GP special livery reference James Hunt's 1976 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship win for McLaren in the M23. It was the team's first World Drivers' Championship and is one of the most iconic seasons in McLaren's 60-year F1 history. The 1976 callout ties the 1000th-start milestone livery back to the team's championship heritage instead of forward to a modern moment.
What is Charles Leclerc's special Monaco GP race suit?
Ferrari revealed a special white-and-red race suit for Charles Leclerc at the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, inspired by the colors of the Monaco flag. White is the dominant color instead of Ferrari's traditional red, with red accents running from the collar through the sleeves and down both legs. The HP title sponsor logo sits on the chest opposite the Ferrari prancing horse crest, the race number 16 sits on the leg, and a matching all-white cap with the red Ferrari roundel completes the look. The reveal was photographed against an ocean and sky studio backdrop that evokes the Mediterranean coastline of Monaco.
Is Lewis Hamilton wearing the same Monaco GP race suit as Charles Leclerc?
No. The white-and-red Monaco flag race suit unveiled by Ferrari is a Charles Leclerc-only one-off tied specifically to his home race in Monaco. Lewis Hamilton has not been shown wearing the same kit at the time of writing, and Ferrari has not announced a matching version for Hamilton. The expectation is that Hamilton runs his standard 2026 Ferrari race suit at Monaco. Hamilton fans have asked whether Ferrari will produce a similar one-off for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which would be Hamilton's home race equivalent.
Why is McLaren running a special livery for the Monaco GP?
The 2026 Monaco Grand Prix is McLaren's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix start, a milestone the team is marking with a one-off retro orange-and-matte-black livery on the MCL40. McLaren has been competing in Formula 1 since the 1966 season and the 1000-start mark is one of the highest in F1 history, joining Ferrari and Williams as the only constructors to reach four-figure Grand Prix starts.
Is Charles Leclerc from Monaco?
Yes. Charles Leclerc was born and raised in the Principality of Monaco and is the first Monegasque Formula 1 driver to win a Grand Prix at his home race, the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. His Monaco home-race moment is one of the calendar's biggest annual storylines and Ferrari has consistently produced one-off Leclerc race suits for the Monaco weekend across his Ferrari tenure.
When is the 2026 F1 Monaco Grand Prix?
The 2026 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix takes place at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, with practice and qualifying running Friday and Saturday and the race scheduled for Sunday. Monaco is one of the most iconic rounds on the Formula 1 calendar and the only street circuit weekend on the schedule where qualifying typically decides the race outcome due to the difficulty of overtaking on the narrow Monte Carlo streets.
Will Ferrari run a special car livery at the 2026 Monaco GP?
Ferrari has not announced a 2026 Monaco GP special car livery as of Sunday June 1. The team's only Monaco-specific reveal so far is the Charles Leclerc home race suit covered above. The standard 2026 Ferrari livery will run on both the Leclerc and Hamilton chassis for the weekend unless the team announces a late one-off through race week.
