Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya posted a picture of McLaren’s F1 car with its new livery, on his Instagram story, terming it as “gorgeous”. Hardik posted,”History Awaits. Can’t Wait to see Gulf x Mclaren livery in all its glory at the Monaco Grand Prix today.” During the first practice session on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren’s new-look car went on track for the first time. Winner of the Monaco Grand Prix in 2018, Danniel Ricciardo and fellow McLaren driver Lando Norris will be looking to make a mark with the new-look car.

The Monaco Grand Prix will take place on Sunday with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc taking the pole in Saturday’s qualifying.

Leclerc and Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz put in impressive performances as they secured pole and fourth position, respectively with world champion Lewis Hamilton down in unfamiliar territory on the fourth row.

Qualifying was red-flagged towards the end of Q3 after Leclerc’s smash, depriving the likes of Hamilton and Max Verstappen a chance to topple the man from Monaco’s time of 1min 10.346sec with a flying lap.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s Lando Norris, who will be starting the Monaco GP from the third row, was rewarded for his impressive performances this season as he signed a new long-term contract with the team on May 19.

Norris became the youngest British driver to finish on the podium in Austria last year. He said, “Having been with the team for almost five years, I feel very much part of the family here and I couldn’t imagine starting the next phase of my career anywhere else.”

Norris is currently in the fourth spot in the world championship, 17 points ahead of teammate Ricciardo.

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The British driver helped McLaren finish third in the constructors’ championship last season, their best result since Hamilton left for Mercedes after the 2012 season.

(With inputs from AFP)