The 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 26 November brought down the curtain on a Formula 1 season that McLaren turned decisively in their favour after mid-year. Lando Norris crossed the line fifth in the MCL60 #4, contributing to the team's fourth-place finish in the Constructors' Championship — a result that reflected genuine pace rather than fortune. Spark Model has documented that exact result in 1:43, faithful to the papaya orange and black livery Norris carried through the season finale at Yas Marina.
The MCL60: McLaren's 60th-Anniversary Machine
McLaren named the 2023 car the MCL60 to mark 60 years of the marque in motorsport. Power came from the Mercedes-AMG F1 M14 E Performance 1.6-litre V6 turbo-hybrid unit, the same supply used in 2022. The aerodynamic package was substantially revised compared to the previous season, and a major upgrade introduced at the British Grand Prix unlocked the competitiveness that carried the team through the second half of the year, culminating in that Abu Dhabi result.
Race Number 4 at Yas Marina: A Season's Bookend
Lando Norris carried permanent race number 4 throughout 2023. At Yas Marina on 26 November, he qualified and raced in the papaya and black standard livery — no special sponsor overlay for the finale — and finished fifth behind race winner Max Verstappen. McLaren's strong second-half form, triggered by that mid-season aerodynamic overhaul, made the Abu Dhabi GP a satisfying full stop on a transformative year. Norris's subsequent 2024 championship campaign makes each 2023 MCL60 a historically meaningful predecessor piece.
Spark Model's 1:43 Resin Formula 1 Standard
Spark Model has built its Formula 1 range in 1:43 resin for decades, and this MCL60 follows the established construction: a resin body with photo-etched metal details for items such as wing elements and mirrors where flat, thin-section accuracy matters. The papaya orange is correctly applied against the black secondary colour, and race number 4 is rendered on the nose and cockpit sides. Spark's Formula 1 coverage at 1:43 is the most comprehensive in the market, cataloguing individual race entries rather than generic season cars.
In the Display Cabinet
This model sits naturally alongside Spark's McLaren MCL60 #3 Oscar Piastri from the same Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, completing the 2023 McLaren season finale pairing. Collectors building a Norris narrative across seasons will find it a logical companion to MCL60 pieces from earlier 2023 rounds, including the Gulf-livery Monaco variant. The Red Bull RB19 in Verstappen's Abu Dhabi specification pairs well as the race-winning counterpart from the same 26 November grid. The 1:43 format integrates cleanly into mixed-scale cabinets that prioritise race documentation over display footprint.
