McLaren F1 color palette
SportsMcLaren F1's color identity is defined by its iconic Papaya Orange, complemented by deep black and neutral gray tones for a modern, high-contrast look. The palette reflects the team's racing heritage and innovative spirit.
mclaren.comMcLaren F1 colors
Click any swatch to copy its hex. Hover for RGB and HSL.
Brand colors
The colors people recognise.- McLaren Papaya OrangePrimary255, 135, 0
- McLaren Carbon BlackSecondary34, 30, 31
- McLaren Electric BlueAccent0, 196, 179
Surfaces
Page, cards and dividers.- McLaren Light GrayBackground245, 245, 245
- McLaren WhiteSurface255, 255, 255
- McLaren Silver GrayBorder197, 197, 197
Text
Three tiers of copy.- McLaren Carbon BlackText34, 30, 31
- McLaren Medium GraySecondary text110, 110, 110
- McLaren Muted GrayMuted text163, 163, 163
Semantic
Feedback and state colors.- McLaren Success GreenSuccess0, 199, 129
- McLaren Warning YellowWarning255, 195, 0
- McLaren Error RedError255, 59, 48
- McLaren Info BlueInfo0, 145, 234
Use McLaren F1's colors in your project
Pick a format, copy or download. Everything below is generated from the exact hex values above.
mclaren-f1-palette-colors.css · Paste into your global stylesheet.
:root {
--info: #0091EA;
--error: #FF3B30;
--accent: #00C4B3;
--border: #C5C5C5;
--primary: #FF8700;
--success: #00C781;
--surface: #FFFFFF;
--warning: #FFC300;
--secondary: #221E1F;
--text-muted: #A3A3A3;
--background: #F5F5F5;
--text-primary: #221E1F;
--text-secondary: #6E6E6E;
}Contrast and accessibility
Every text tone tested against every surface, per WCAG 2.1.
Text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
15.1:1
Pass
Text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
16.5:1
Pass
Secondary text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
4.7:1
Pass
Secondary text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
5.1:1
Pass
Muted text on background
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.3:1
Fail
Muted text on surface
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.5:1
Fail
McLaren F1 gray and neutral colors
The quiet part of the McLaren F1 palette: page background, card surfaces, dividers and the three text tones that sit on them. Click a value to copy it.
- McLaren Light GrayBackground
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- McLaren WhiteSurface
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- McLaren Silver GrayBorder
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- McLaren Carbon BlackText
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- McLaren Medium GraySecondary text
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- McLaren Muted GrayMuted text
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
About McLaren F1's colors
McLaren F1’s palette is built around the vivid Papaya Orange, contrasted by deep black and balanced with cool neutrals. The accent blue adds a modern, technical edge to the scheme.
High contrast between orange and black for visibility.
Neutral grays provide balance and readability.
Accent blue used sparingly for highlights and digital elements.
Psychology
Papaya Orange signals energy, speed, and innovation, aligning with McLaren’s racing legacy. The black and gray tones convey professionalism and technical precision.
Evolution
The Papaya Orange has been a McLaren hallmark since the 1960s, briefly replaced but revived as the brand’s signature in recent years. The supporting palette has modernized with more digital-friendly grays and accent colors.
Where McLaren F1 uses each color
- Primary
Papaya Orange is used on race cars, team apparel, and key website highlights.
- Secondary
Carbon Black appears in navigation bars, backgrounds, and car liveries.
- Accent
Electric Blue is reserved for digital callouts and subtle graphic details.
- Backgrounds
Light Gray and White are used for website backgrounds and printed materials.
- Text
Carbon Black and Medium Gray are used for primary and secondary text, while Muted Gray is for captions and disabled states.
- Semantic
Success Green, Warning Yellow, Error Red, and Info Blue are used for status indicators in digital interfaces.
McLaren F1 color questions
Hex codes, RGB values, neutrals and how to use the palette.
The official McLaren F1 brand color is Papaya Orange, hex code #FF8700. This color is used as the primary highlight across all McLaren F1 branding.
The RGB value for Papaya Orange is (255, 135, 0). In CMYK, it is approximately (0, 47, 100, 0).
McLaren F1 uses Carbon Black (#221E1F), Medium Gray (#6E6E6E), Muted Gray (#A3A3A3), and Silver Gray (#C5C5C5) for neutral tones. These are used for backgrounds, text, and UI elements.
Papaya Orange should be used for primary highlights and call-to-action elements, while black and grays provide structure and readability. Accent and semantic colors are reserved for digital or special use cases to maintain brand consistency.
The secondary color is McLaren Carbon Black, #221E1F, and the accent is McLaren Electric Blue, #00C4B3. Together with the primary they make up the three brand colors at the top of this page.
4 of 6 text and background pairings meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast. The contrast section above shows every pairing with its exact ratio.
Use the export block on this page. It gives you CSS custom properties, a Tailwind config, W3C design tokens or a shadcn/ui theme built from these exact hex values, with copy and download buttons.
Yes. Export the Claude Code skill, Cursor rules or Codex prompt from the same block. The agent then applies McLaren F1's colors consistently when it generates UI.
Make something in the spirit of McLaren F1
Start from this palette's mood and get an original 13-color system for your own project, contrast-checked and ready to export.