McLaren MCL33
McLaren's first customer Renault car, an orange-and-blue 2018 challenger that exposed the team's chassis weaknesses.
- Power
- 900 bhp
About the McLaren MCL33
After ending its Honda partnership, McLaren built the MCL33 around the customer Renault R.E.18, redesigning the engine bay, gearbox and rear suspension mounting points to fit it. The car launched in an orange and blue livery that paid tribute to the team's earliest cars, and it featured a radical rear suspension that combined the upper elements into a single piece. Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne began with fifth and ninth in Australia, but the switch exposed weaknesses in the chassis, and the cars reached the top ten in qualifying only twice all year. McLaren finished sixth in the Constructors' Championship after Force India's early-season points were excluded, and Alonso left Formula One at the end of the season.
McLaren MCL33 specs
The McLaren MCL33 produces 900 bhp (671 kW).
| Make | McLaren |
|---|---|
| Model | MCL33 |
| Years | 2018 |
| Type | Race car |
| Body style | Open-wheel single-seater |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Engine | 1.6L turbocharged V6 hybrid (Renault R.E.18) |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 1,600 cc (1.6 litres) |
| Induction | Turbocharged |
| Power | 900 bhp (671 kW) |
| Redline | 15,000 rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed seamless-shift semi-automatic sequential |
| Drivetrain | Rear-wheel drive |
| Weight | 733 kg (1,616 lb) |
| Power-to-weight | 1228 bhp per tonne |
Typical figures for the standard car; options, markets and model years vary. Where our specs come from
McLaren MCL33 rarity in CarSpot
The McLaren MCL33 is a Unicorn card in CarSpot, with a rarity score of 42 out of 100. The rarest tier: hypercars, one-offs and cars built in tiny numbers, typically fewer than about 500. A Unicorn card is worth 320 XP.
Each model's tier starts from a 0–100 score based on its value plus its power or production numbers. Once enough players have spotted a model, how often it is spotted can move it up or down one tier. How CarSpot rarity works
Rarity is a collectible game mechanic, not an assessment of real-world scarcity or value.
McLaren MCL33 fun facts
- It was McLaren's first car with a French-built engine since the Peugeot-powered MP4/9 of 1994.
- Tight packaging and insufficient cooling left burn marks on the rear of the engine cover during pre-season testing.
- Lando Norris, later the 2025 world champion, carried out testing and development work on the MCL33 alongside Oliver Turvey.
