McLaren is running this special livery for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

McLaren has unveiled the special livery it will be running at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which, lest we forget, is the last time we’ll see Daniel Ricciardo in action in F1 for the foreseeable future. A moment of silence for the Honey Badger, please.

Created by Lebanese artist Anna Maria Aoun - professionally known as Anna Tangles - the livery features her work most prominently on the front wing and sidepods, and is meant to provoke ‘a sense of calm and focus not dissimilar to the zone drivers enter’ while racing.

Meanwhile the design lines are said to be inspired by racetracks. So almost literally racing lines, then.

Apparently Tangles quit an office job to pursue her dreams as an artist, and now she finds her work being applied to the most exclusive kind of carbon fibre canvas imaginable. Pretty cool, no?

“As a lifelong F1 fan, I never believed that I would one day have my artwork showcased at a Grand Prix,” said Tangles. “I dedicate my spare time to training and encouraging other artists, particularly other Middle Eastern female creatives, to embrace their passion and skills, and so it’s a privilege to be a part of a community that supports the same ambition of empowering underrepresented artists in this way.”

Tangles was recommended by Rabab Tantawy, the artist behind last year’s season-ending McLaren livery, which is becoming something of a tradition via the Driven by Change initiative between the team and Vuse.

And that’s not the only time McLaren has adopted a one-off paint job recently: who else remembers the ultra-cool Gulf livery used at the Monaco Grand Prix last year? Inspired 2022’s (normal) livery, come to think of it. And that cyberpunk special a couple of months back in Singapore...

McLaren of course needs a big result this weekend: after a double DNF in Brazil last time out the team finds itself trailing Alpine by 19 points in the fight for fourth place in the constructors’ standings, with millions of dollars of prize money at stake.

Reckon the Lando Norris and Danny Ric partnership can end on a high?