Brown defends McLaren's new F1 livery

While some quarters embraced the striking new look, others were not as convinced – and suggested it was just a repeat of paint scheme that former teams Virgin and Spyker had used in recent years.

Brown insists, however, that the team put a great deal of thought into the rebranding, and is adamant that the design is one that will appeal to hardcore McLaren fans.

"It is hard-on livery," he said when asked if the team could have done a better job. "It was ultimately a dozen people involved in the whole process. We went through tonnes and tonnes of liveries and you got lots of different opinion.

"For the die-hard McLaren fans, they will notice the arc at the back is the McLaren speed mark. Picking up on that, we think the orange stands out and is quite a bright orange. And then of course when you walk up on the car, you see the black is a different type of finish.

"We wanted something that was elegant, impactful – and there was a lot of TV work done. So when you see it from the front, it will look like an orange car and it is not until you turn to the side that you pick up that it is not fully orange.

"I think it is one of those that is pretty subjective as to what is a great paint scheme and what is not a great paint scheme. Personally we love it, but I am sure that if you ask 100 people, hopefully the majority will love it, but you will get some different views."

New era

The MCL32 is the first car that has been launched after the departure of long-time company chief Ron Dennis, and marks the start of a new era for the outfit.

Brown felt it important the team did something different now, but said it was not afraid to embrace its past either.

"Our past is awesome and we must never forget our past, that is who has made up who we are today," he said.

"We see change in management: companies change logos, companies change names, so I think it is natural progression that over time you hit reset button along the way, just like [with] the great Bruce McLaren, that team the torch was passed to the MP4 era. And now we have the MCL era.

"It is exciting times and we are very proud of our history, one that I love to see. I love walking up and down the boulevard and seeing the Senna and Hakkinen cars. It is something we are very proud of and I hope we create another era like that moving forward."