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Check out the orange McLaren-Honda racecar that might actually win a race

Following the announcement that Fernando Alonso, two-time F1 world champion, would drive a McLaren-Honda IndyCar in this year's Indianapolis 500, we now get to see the car. Naturally, being a McLaren, it's painted in the company's official orange hue. It's actually even more orange than the company's Formula 1 cars, which are two-tone: orange and black. The reveal of the car's livery comes in conjunction with Alonso's first testing day at the Indianapolis Speedway, which you can watch live, here. Alonso has never participated in the Indy 500 before, nor has he been behind the wheel of Indy cars. That doesn't mean he can't win, though. Fellow Formula 1 racer Alexander Rossi took home the win last year, and that was his first time at the 500. Rossi also won in an Andretti-backed, Honda-powered car, just as Alonso will this year. So it isn't unreasonable to think Alonso could win, or at least place well. Certainly his odds are better than driving one of the beleaguered McLaren-Honda F1 cars at Monaco that same weekend. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jenson Button returns to F1 at Monaco while Fernando Alonso drives at Indy

MANAMA (Reuters) - Britain's Jenson Button will stand in for Fernando Alonso at next month's Monaco Formula One Grand Prix while the Spaniard competes in the Indianapolis 500 on the same day, McLaren announced on Friday. "I'm thrilled to be making a one-off return to Formula One racing, and I couldn't think of a better place to make that return than my adopted home Grand Prix: Monaco," the 37-year-old said in a statement at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Monaco resident Button handed over his McLaren seat to Belgian rookie Stoffel Vandoorne at the end of last season but remained under contract to the team with the possibility of returning in 2018. He won the showcase race in 2009 on his way to the title with Brawn GP. Honda-powered McLaren have endured a tough start to the season, with no points from two races, but Monaco's tricky street circuit could suit their car better and is also one where drivers can make the difference. Button will be the most experienced driver in the race as he makes his 306th start, with the Briton third in the all-time list behind the retired Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher. He is also the last driver to win a race for McLaren, in Brazil in 2012, but cannot hope for such success this time. FAVORITE TRACK "It's one of my all-time favorite racetracks," said the winner of 15 grands prix who made his Formula One debut 17 years ago with Williams. "OK, I realize we won't have a realistic chance of repeating my 2009 victory, but I think we'll have an opportunity to score world championship points, which will be very valuable to the team in terms of constructors' rankings. "As for Fernando, I hope he not only fares well at Indy but enjoys it too." McLaren announced earlier in the week that double world champion Alonso would compete at Indianapolis with a car run by Andretti Autosport, last year's winners. McLaren racing director Eric Boullier said Button, who has kept his fitness up by competing in triathlons, would spend time in the team's simulator but there was no need for him to join an in-season test in Bahrain next week. "I rang him and his first reaction was, 'Great, I'm so excited," said the Frenchman of their short conversation after initial text exchanges. "You could feel the excitement on the phone was real. "Jenson was the choice from day one, the obvious choice by far," he told reporters.

Supercar group McLaren to cut 1,200 jobs amid coronavirus pandemic

British supercar manufacturer McLaren Group, which includes the Formula One team, said on Tuesday it would cut 1,200 jobs under a proposed restructuring program as it deals with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The move is expected to impact jobs across the group's applied technology, automotive and racing businesses, the company said in a statement. The cancellation of motorsport events, the suspension of manufacturing and retail activities around the world and reduced demand for technology solutions have hurt the group's revenue generating activities, the company added. "It is a course of action we have worked hard to avoid, having already undertaken dramatic cost-saving measures across all areas of the business. But we have no other choice but to reduce the size of our workforce," Executive Chairman Paul Walsh said. The job cuts represent more than a quarter of the group's workforce of just over 4,000, according to Sky News, which first reported the news. The group is majority owned by Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat. McLaren was the first Formula One team to furlough staff in April because of the pandemic. It has a headcount of just over 800 people, which is expected to be reduced by around 70. Formula One is due to introduce a $145 million budget cap next year as the sport seeks to cut costs and help the 10 teams survive. McLaren is the second most successful team after Ferrari in the sport's history and gave Mercedes' six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton his debut in 2007. It finished fourth in 2019 and has just signed Australian Daniel Ricciardo to partner Britain's Lando Norris in 2021. Sky News reported on May 14 that McLaren was seeking to raise up to 275 million pounds ($339.57 million) by borrowing against its Woking headquarters and collection of historic racing cars. Related Video: