Italian Grand Prix: How Formula One team are paying homage to their New Zealand roots at Monza

In celebration of their 60th birthday, McClaren will be sporting their original crest at Monza.

When the two McLaren cars line up on the grid for Formula One’s Italian Grand Prix this weekend, there will be a hint of New Zealand on their cars.

In celebration of McLaren’s 60th anniversary, Brit Lando Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri will both have a Kiwi featured on their respective cars, with the team displaying their original logo.

While now based in the UK, McLaren Racing was founded by New Zealander Bruce McLaren in 1963 as the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Team.

McLaren drove in the team’s Grand Prix debut in 1966 in Monaco, after driving for Cooper between 1958 and 1965. McLaren earned several podiums racing for his own team, including a Grand Prix win in Belgium in 1968, before he died in a testing accident in 1970 at the age of 32.

He wasn’t the only Kiwi driver to win a Grand Prix in a McLaren, with Denny Hulme winning six times during his time with the team from 1968 to 1974. No New Zealander has driven for McLaren since Hulme’s last season in Formula One in 1974.

The original logo was only used fleetingly by the team, with the coat of arms-style badge being replaced with the orange “Speedy Kiwi” logo in 1967. The Speedy Kiwi disappeared in 1981, before the “speedmark” - which resembles a heavily stylised version of the Speedy Kiwi - was introduced as part of the 1997 logo update, which remains today.

In an open letter to McLaren fans at the start of the 2023 Formula One season, chief executive Zak Brown said he wanted the season to be a celebration of their history.

“From humble beginnings, the company, founded by the legendary Bruce McLaren in 1963, has grown to be one of the biggest and most successful outfits in the history of the sport,” Brown wrote.

“Today, our aim is to continue the legacy that Bruce started and strive for future success on the race track.

“In 2023, as we celebrate 60 years of this great organisation, we plan to reflect on the amazing achievements along the way: 12 Drivers’ and eight Constructors’ World Championships in Formula One, 183 Grand Prix wins, three victories at the Indianapolis 500 and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans at our first attempt - not forgetting our incredible automotive heritage, creating the most pioneering road cars in the world.”

Results-wise, this season has been a slog for those in papaya with just two podiums from 13 races. Norris finished second in back-to-back races in Great Britain and Hungary, while he and Piastri have combined for 13 top-10 finishes.

With nine races left in the season, they sit fifth in the Constructors’ Championship - 90 points behind fourth-placed Ferrari.

The original logo won’t be the only speedy Kiwi on the track at Monza this weekend, with Liam Lawson getting his second straight start with AlphaTauri following Daniel Ricciardo’s hand injury suffered at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend.

Lawson took the late opportunity in his stride for a 13th-placed finish in the Dutch Grand Prix, and will be looking for a similarly strong performance in Italy with a full week of preparation under his belt.