Photo of the day: McLaren dress a P1 GTR in F1 colours

McLaren’s F1 racer – the MP4-31 – is about as good looking as it is competitive. In other words: not very.

With predecessors such as the iconic MP4/4 and future descendants (hopefully) including the staggering MP4-X, there’s something about the current livery that captures the woe and mire that McLaren are stuck in at present.

Dark, dull, not very memorable... you get the idea.

However, apply the same colours to a more exciting canvas and suddenly the orange (call it red all you like) and black paintjob seems infinitely more appealing.

McLaren has done exactly that with a P1 GTR in order to celebrate the fact that F1 is returning this weekend following its month-long summer break.

The forthcoming race at Spa is the first of nine remaining grands prix on this year’s calendar, in which time the Woking outfit will hope to improve on seventh place in the constructors standings.

If they don’t pick up the pace soon, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button might as well enter the P1 GTR instead...