When McLaren rolled out of the garage at the start of 2006, Pedro de la Rosa was driving the MP4-21 with an orange testing livery which it had also used on previous occasions. However, this livery also came between a change in race liveries, with the striking chrome design being used for the first time in 2006.
The new livery ran for the first time in Valencia during pre-season testing but the car itself was a disappointment. The MP4-20 had been quick but unreliable the year before, whereas its successor was less competitive as Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya failed to win a race - the first time McLaren had not won in a season since 1996.
