McLaren inadvertently offered a partial glimpse at their 2019 car on social media on Thursday before deleting the image.
The British outfit first updated their logo but it was a larger header which gave more away than perhaps intended with a direct look down the centre of the car plus the inadvertent confirmation of a new sponsor.
The instantly recognisable Coca-Cola logo can be seen on the rear wing which suggests a new deal has been reached between McLaren and the drinks giant after first appearing on the side-pod turning vanes in the final races of last year.
CEO Zak Brown recently spoke of the challenge of attracting new sponsors, pointing to political and economic uncertainty as factors impacting F1’s appeal.
“It’s as hard as it’s ever been,” he said at the Autosport International Show. “Corporations are a bit nervous to invest long-term because they are not quite sure if something happens over here what does that mean.
“It does put everything into a bit of a slowdown and holding pattern.
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“We were fortunate to bring on about five new partners last year, and we’ll announce another at least two this month that we’ve signed so we are making good progress,” Brown added.
“It certainly hasn’t come to a stop but it’s slowed things down and some of the craziness that’s going on around the world doesn’t help.”
As for the car itself, not too much can be read into the image so we’ll have to wait for ‘McLarentine’s Day’ on February 14th for the big reveal.
