It has been quite a while since there was a decent livery on the Formula 1 grid. I can count on one hand the number of eye-catching paint or wrap jobs in F1 across the last 20 years. There are some truly iconic looks out there in the history of the sport, but it’s hard to point to one recently that does anything well. The 2024 crop of race cars is proving to be a whole lot of bare carbon, which I guess makes the car marginally lighter, but if your car blends in with the racing surface, will you really get any TV time? And then where will your sponsors go?
No, the key to doing well in F1 is to have a memorable and colorful look. Teams need to remember that and hire a designer who can actually make a car stand out. There are plenty of great sports cars and Indycars and NASCAR stock cars that look great. F1 could learn a thing or two from them.
15 – Williams Canon/Camel/Sega
You have to admit, there is no other livery in the history of the sport that has made Alain Prost look like he has little Sonic the Hedgehog feet. The Camel/Canon combo was already a pretty compelling one, but add in the Sega tie-in for the Japanese Grand Prix, and you’ve got the makings of an all-timer.
14 – Lotus Gold Leaf
It could be argued that Gold Leaf was the first true livery in motorsport, really bringing sponsors to the forefront. Money is way more important than the “national color” to denote which arbitrarily drawn border your car was built within. Money is what makes cars fast. Lotus understood that.
13 – McLaren Cars
Papaya is just a good color.
12 – Renault Mild Seven
This is a totally subjective pick, because I was living in Spain when Fernando Alonso was winning his first championship, and pictures of his race car were absolutely everywhere. Every Santander bank and Telefonica Movil store had a picture of the Renault R25 in the window.
11 – Brawn GP Virgin
I remember watching the first race of the 2009 season and wondering how the hell Ross Brawn picked up the broken pieces of the 2008 Honda departure and made it go fast. It was a hell of a car, and its simple eye-searing green on white livery with almost no sponsors is a true banger. This kind of thing will never happen again.
10 – Scuderia Toro Rosso Red Bull Cola
Red Bull Cola bangs, and I’m sad I can’t buy it anymore.
9 – Renault Infiniti/Castrol
Simplicity is a winner here with the modern pre-Alpine Renault. It wasn’t particularly fast, and it probably has a bit too much black, but this is a solid simple livery.
8 – Ferrari Red
Formula 1 is practically defined by Ferrari, and it’s impossible to make this list without including one, so it should be the best one. The Sharknose was a tremendous car, and slathering it in Rosso with a simple white number and a pair of Cavallino Rampantes is everything the doctor ordered.
7 – Leyton House BP
I just love teal.
6 – Benetton BMW
I simply have no notes here. This is truly an all-time great livery. An icon of the sport.
5 – Jordan 7Up
This is a perfect use of color and shape. This was another fabulous but fragile machine, as it suffered more retirements than points finishes. It looked good doing it, though.
4 – Brabham Martini
You can’t deny that Martini is one of the greatest liveries of all time. Put that familiar dark blue-red-light blue stripe on anything and it’s instantly better. Put it on a red background, and you’ve got a true winner. This is miles better than a white background.
3 – McLaren Marlboro
I don’t think anything needs to be said about this one.
2 – Red Bull “Camobull”
Red Bull are cowards for never running this “dazzle” livery in competition.
1 – Lotus John Player Special
Number one couldn’t really be anything else, could it?