HRT – F1 Colours https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk The Original Liveries Blog Wed, 03 Apr 2019 12:54:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9 31179357 2011: HRT https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/best-liveries-ever/2011-hrt/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/best-liveries-ever/2011-hrt/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2017 09:14:58 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=2933 In a way, the fact that the “This is a cool spot” plea for sponsors never actually worked gives this livery even more charm. But that aside, from a design point of view this is just excellent. More teams should take a chance on design quirks like the chequered flag pattern and those fantastic race numbers.

The post 2011: HRT appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>

In a way, the fact that the “This is a cool spot” plea for sponsors never actually worked gives this livery even more charm. But that aside, from a design point of view this is just excellent. More teams should take a chance on design quirks like the chequered flag pattern and those fantastic race numbers.

The post 2011: HRT appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/best-liveries-ever/2011-hrt/feed/ 3 2933
The 10 Best Liveries Since F1 Colours Began https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/articles/the-10-best-liveries-since-f1-colours-began/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/articles/the-10-best-liveries-since-f1-colours-began/#comments Sat, 31 Jan 2015 17:25:20 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=2133 To celebrate the relaunch of F1 Colours, here's a rundown of the ten best livery designs to appear in F1 since the site began in 2007. Controversy: guaranteed.

The post The 10 Best Liveries Since F1 Colours Began appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
In 2008, a year after F1 Colours first launched, I ran down a list of my 25 favourite liveries from the beginning of the sponsorship era up to the beginning of the site’s life. Although a controversial list in places, and although I might have written it slightly differently if I were to do it all over again, it’s still broadly reflective of my taste in car designs.

But what it omits, of course, are the liveries that have been designed since F1C launched. And so I thought it was about time to take stock of the last eight years of liveries, and come up with a list of my favourite ten since the site began. Once again, this is a strictly personal choice, and shouldn’t be taken as an attempt to come up with an authoritative “best” – and I welcome any and all debate in the comments!

10. Ferrari Marlboro (2007)

Embed from Getty Images

F1 Colours began just as the era of tobacco sponsorship in F1 was finally coming to an end – and some would say that this could be considered a contributing factor in the often unimaginative use of livery design in those years since. It’s hardly coincidence, either, that what I think is the best Ferrari of these years is indeed the last one to feature the Marlboro logo – although it only did so for a handful of races, as most circuits were in countries that had already banned cigarette advertising. While I still think Ferraris look best in a darker red and with black wings, I did prefer this striking all-red effort to the white-winged cars that have dominated in the years since.

9. Mercedes Petronas (2011)

Embed from Getty Images

Mercedes have never quite hit on a perfect version of their livery – every time they improve it in one area, it seems they mess up somewhere else – but I think the best attempt was their second one. Removing the black accents of the 2010 car in favour of increased turquoise for Petronas, it made the best of a combination of colours that shouldn’t really work, but somehow does. I still wish the turqoise patch covered the entire sidepod, but it’s a minor complaint. This, too, was a car that still had the classic ’50s-style white circles on which to put the race numbers – a baffling omission on the most recent cars.

8. Super Aguri (2008)

Embed from Getty Images

Ah, loveable Super Aguri. Their red and white colour schemes were functional throughout their short life, but they got better with each successive year – and their last car was definitely the best, introducing black as a strong third colour. It’s only a shame that it was only actually ever seen at four races, before the team’s sudden winding-up.

7. AT&T Williams (2007)

Embed from Getty Images

I was a big fan of the 2006 Williams – what can I say, I just like that blue-and-turquoise combo – and while the next year’s car wasn’t as good, it was still a lovely, neat and smart effort, and among the very best of the team’s post-BMW blue-and-white era. Although I’m still baffled as to why AT&T were kept on as title sponsor with such a small presence on the actual car itself…

6. Lotus Renault (2011)

Embed from Getty Images

Look, let’s not go into the politics of it all for now. I still think it’s mad that Renault chose to rebrand themselves in this way, particularly when there was another team using the Lotus name on the grid. And it still would have been a heck of a lot better without the red wing endplates. But there’s no denying that this car looked absolutely terrific on the track – which makes it all the more baffling that they continued to tinker with it in successive years, until by 2013 it barely resembled any kind of JPS homage.

5. HRT (2011)

Embed from Getty Images

Yes, it would have been much better if they’d actually managed to find sponsors to fill those “YOUR LOGO HERE” boxes. Running the whole season without doing so did make them look rather sad and pathetic. But with or without that unique marketing angle (truth be told, more with it than without it) this was a striking and memorable livery for a team that were badly in need of the kind of attention such a good design brings.

4. Virgin Racing (2010)

Embed from Getty Images

In any other year, the first Virgin (pre-Marussia) car would have been easily the best-looking on the grid. An excellent combination of red and black, with white trim, it looked like something Dennis the Menace would drive – well, with the exception of that floral pattern (maybe Walter the Softy got his hands on it). Successive Marussia cars weakened the overall look of the livery, but could never quite shake off the brilliance of the colour combination.

3. Martini Williams (2014)

Embed from Getty Images

I know that a lot of the love for the Martini Williams is more about what it represents than what it actually is. And I know that there are at least ten concept liveries made by fans that would have looked even better. But this is still a phenomenal livery, from a time when the sport really needed one. It’s a long time since Williams did anything that could be remotely construed as “flashy” – and this managed to do that while also showing an admirable amount of simple class and restraint. At the end of the day, it’s a car with proper racing stripes on it – how can you not love that?

2. Renault (2010)

Embed from Getty Images

Renault were a running joke on this site for the first few years I was running it, thanks to the spectacular awfulness of their ING-based liveries. So it was refreshing to see that not only did they pull an absolute humdinger out of the bag for 2010 – but that also, with the exception of those blasted Total wing bits, it was exactly the design everyone wanted them to. The effect was muted a little bit once HP were added to the engine cover and the bumblebee-esque stripes were hence phased out, but this was still an absolutely superb car. Indeed, I think a lot of my hostility towards the 2011 Renaultus is as much based on losing this after just one season as anything else.

1. Lotus Racing (2010)

1-lotus10

Well, this can’t really be any kind of surprise to anyone who’s been reading the site for any length of time (and certainly not to those who saw my reaction to it when it first came out). Ignore the fact that they shouldn’t really have had the name. Ignore the fact that it now represents a rather sad, short-lived, ill-fated F1 enterprise that symbolised bad management and ended in ignominy. Ignore the fact that the car itself is a boxy, ugly shitbox that looks as slow as it actually turned out to be. And instead simply rejoice in the fact that it’s a metallic green car with a big yellow racing stripe down the nose. It’s not just the best livery that’s been announced since I was running the site – it’s one of the best since I’ve been watching F1 full stop.

The post The 10 Best Liveries Since F1 Colours Began appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/articles/the-10-best-liveries-since-f1-colours-began/feed/ 5 2133
The Last New Livery of 2012 is also the First New Livery of 2012 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/the-last-new-livery-of-2012-is-also-the-first-new-livery-of-2012/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/the-last-new-livery-of-2012-is-also-the-first-new-livery-of-2012/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:32:32 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=1572 HRT, then. Is this lovely, or is it hideous? I can't tell. I think it has elements of both. The initial joyous thought of "Wow, that's different!" gives way to disappointment when you start to scrutinise it a bit, I think. There seems to be no logical reason behind the choice of colours - there's certainly no new sponsor mandating it - and so it can't help but feel a bit arbitrary, or like they saw the unused 2007 Force India livery and thought "Hey, it's a shame that never made it to a race, let's do a tribute to it!"

The post The Last New Livery of 2012 is also the First New Livery of 2012 appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
HRT, then. Is this lovely, or is it hideous? I can’t tell. I think it has elements of both.

   
The initial joyous thought of “Wow, that’s different!” gives way to disappointment when you start to scrutinise it a bit, I think. There seems to be no logical reason behind the choice of colours – there’s certainly no new sponsor mandating it – and so it can’t help but feel a bit arbitrary, or like they saw the unused 2007 Force India livery and thought “Hey, it’s a shame that never made it to a race, let’s do a tribute to it!” I also don’t know what the heck the fluorescent paint splash on the inside of the rear wing endplate is all about – although I suppose we should be thankful that KH-7, whoever they are, aren’t paying enough to get the whole car painted that way. I also question the way the two colours have been applied and distributed – it looks good on the engine cover, but less so on the side of the monocoque.

Despite all this, though, it’s not that bad on the whole. I loved last year’s design at launch, but it grew old quite quickly, and ditching the “This Could Be You” nonsense was long overdue before the season had even ended, so it’s good that it hasn’t been carried over to this year. As it is, while it could do with more sponsors, it doesn’t do a bad job of looking smart without – and the one main sponsor they do have actually works surprisingly well, despite TATA’s blue ostensibly clashing with the colour scheme. The amount of white, though, means it’s successfully and cleanly separated – a lesson from which the more cluttered Sauber could surely take note.

It’s not a look that screams “This is a team that’s going places”, or even “This is a team that has a coherent visual identity”, but thankfully it’s also not a look that says “We couldn’t be bothered coming up with a new livery”, and for that I have to applaud them, given how utterly barren this year has been for entirely new paint jobs.

The less said about those uniforms, though, the better. Yeesh.

The post The Last New Livery of 2012 is also the First New Livery of 2012 appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/the-last-new-livery-of-2012-is-also-the-first-new-livery-of-2012/feed/ 5 1572
2011 Liveries: The Verdict! https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/annual-roundups/2011-liveries-the-verdicts/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/annual-roundups/2011-liveries-the-verdicts/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:40:05 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=681 Right, then. We’ve now seen all twelve of 2011’s Formula One liveries. I wanted to wait, before doing the usual summary post, until we’d seen them all running on track in testing – but frankly, from the looks of things we may not see the HRT in motion before Melbourne itself. So there’s no point waiting for it, and I might as well run through each of the cars now and give my thoughts. It’s fair to say that 2011 isn’t really the vintage year for new liveries that 2010 was – but there are still some interesting paint jobs out there, and some teams have even managed to improve on the previous year. Let’s take a look in detail, then… Red Bull: Same as it ever was. I’ve never been that keen on the nose design, but the car does look good in profile. The smaller “can” design on the rear endplate is an improvement on last year, as is the stretched out bull on the engine cover. Small improvements, but I still wish they’d try something a bit different one year. 7/10 McLaren: Same as it ever (recently) was. Again, it’s in the engine cover that this has [...]

The post 2011 Liveries: The Verdict! appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
Right, then. We’ve now seen all twelve of 2011’s Formula One liveries. I wanted to wait, before doing the usual summary post, until we’d seen them all running on track in testing – but frankly, from the looks of things we may not see the HRT in motion before Melbourne itself. So there’s no point waiting for it, and I might as well run through each of the cars now and give my thoughts. It’s fair to say that 2011 isn’t really the vintage year for new liveries that 2010 was – but there are still some interesting paint jobs out there, and some teams have even managed to improve on the previous year. Let’s take a look in detail, then…

Red Bull: Same as it ever was. I’ve never been that keen on the nose design, but the car does look good in profile. The smaller “can” design on the rear endplate is an improvement on last year, as is the stretched out bull on the engine cover. Small improvements, but I still wish they’d try something a bit different one year. 7/10

McLaren: Same as it ever (recently) was. Again, it’s in the engine cover that this has improved – losing the orange from the tip (as with the Red Bull, the change is a result of there being no more “shark fin”) is significantly smarter. But I think we are all starting to get bored of this one now. 6/10

Ferrari: The new logo is nice, and the Italian flag on the rear-wing is a good (if slightly odd) touch. But once again, I curse one of the big teams for giving me so little to talk about. At least Ferrari have a bit more of an excuse, mind. 7/10

Mercedes: This is more like it – both in terms of actually being different from last year, and because it’s a major improvement on 2010. Bolder employment of the Petronas turquoise works a treat – although the way the white text overlaps the two colours on the sidepod troubles me. But in the head-on view in particular, this is a lovely car. 9/10

Renault: Okay, look, I promise I won’t judge this car any more on the external context, or on the fact that it isn’t the wonderful 2010 design. But even aside from all of that – well, it still doesn’t entirely work. The red endplates still feel like a major mistake, and with so many lines and sponsors, the gold looks messy rather than smart. But the benefit of a black car is that even if poorly-designed it’ll look decent, and this will at least be a distinctive on-track presence. Grr at it in general, though. 8/10

Williams: I do like the idea behind calling back to the Rothmans livery (even though it makes no actual sense whatsoever), but the execution could perhaps be better. Parts of it are excellent – aside from inexplicably using silver rather than gold, the section from the cockpit to the rear wing is a proper updating of the design, looking like you suspect a Rothmans car would look if it existed in 2011 (darker blue notwithstanding). But I’m really not at all keen on the nose section, the additional colour stripes simply look too squeezed in alongside last year’s configuration, and a bit more white on there would have gone a long way. Nevertheless, after a few years of samey designs, it’s something with a bit of character to it. 8/10

Force India: I’m getting a little bored of FI’s colour scheme now, although it’s hardly their fault that there are so many other white cars on the grid. The orange and green still look bold, but I don’t think this is a particularly modern application of them – the car looks like, by turns, an early-2000s Toyota and a mid-90s Footwork/Arrows. Something a bit more swooping and curvy would be more in line with current F1 fashion. I won’t mind if Force India keep turning out in these colours, but let’s hope the pattern is a bit more cutting-edge next year. 6/10

Sauber: Well, if they can’t be bothered to design a proper livery, I can’t be bothered to comment on it in detail. BOOOOOOO. 2/10

Toro Rosso: Could they just once, just one year, consider using this car to advertise sugar-free Red Bull instead? No? Well, alright then, I suppose we’re stuck with this. And there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it, it’s just incredibly boring by now. Five years Toro Rosso have been in the sport. That’s as long as McLaren have had the chrome for. 4/10

Lotus: Well, the only way it could be as good as last year is if it were exactly the same. But this is nevertheless another very strong effort. The shade of green chosen is just lovely, and the racing stripe along the back of the engine cover – spilling onto the wing endplate – is an interesting touch. In profile, this is 10/10, but it’s let down badly by a nose stripe that’s disappointing in the way it blends – or rather doesn’t blend – with the sponsors this time out. 9/10.

HRT: A really rather brilliant livery, let down by two pretty major flaws – firstly, there are already a couple of white cars (and another that uses the three colours of red/white/black), and secondly, it’s got no sponsors. Seriously. The small “Panda” logo is the only thing that hasn’t been brought by hiring Narain Karthikeyan. Yet nevertheless – it’s distinctive (in pattern if not choice of colours), it’s coming from an entirely fresh angle, and it’s got massive lovely race numbers on it. Although, you know, the last two occurrences I can think of of a team having race numbers on the engine cover were the ’98 Tyrrell and the 2005 Jordan. Both of which were those teams’ last years in the sport (and one of which also featured Karthikeyan). Something to think about. Anyway, it’s got imagination, even though I’m yet to be convinced we’ll actually see it race. 8/10.

Virgin: A slight let down after last year’s superb effort. Decreasing the prominence of the black makes it look that bit less imposing/menacing, as does adding grey into the mix (and, as discussed, that addition simply makes one think of Midland), and the whole thing has more of an air of CART than of F1. But it’s still a strong colour scheme on the whole, and the shape of the red pattern over the engine cover has a bit more thought in it than last year’s. I’d like the nose tip a lot more if it weren’t for the blue, though. Oh, and kudos for the pleasingly old-school stylings of D’Ambrosio’s helmet design, but more on that at a later point!  8/10

So that’s my take on them all. How about yours?

The post 2011 Liveries: The Verdict! appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/annual-roundups/2011-liveries-the-verdicts/feed/ 14 681
Well, that’s… new… https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/well-thats-new/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/well-thats-new/#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:40:03 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=626 Right, then. Let’s look at this in a bit more detail. Wow. So given that they were the team with comfortably the worst livery on the grid last season, it would have been difficult for HRT to go downwards this year. As it is, with the hiring of a Hollywood design consultant in the shape of Daniel Simon, we knew something a bit exciting would be afoot. And so it’s proved. First things first – the car in and of itself: it’s great. I worry it might get “old” quickly (and there’s something quite mid-to-late ’90s about it, don’t you think?) but at the moment it’s a breath of fresh air, something genuinely distinctive and interesting. It’s perhaps a little too self-consciously “race”-y, but you can’t deny that the fading chequered flag motif and nose-tip racing stripe are fun, quirky features. The colour scheme is great, too – you can’t go wrong with a white/red car accented by black, it instantly calls to mind certain Marlboro cars. And, of course – it’s got GREAT BIG RACE NUMBERS on it. I don’t have to tell regular readers just how much I love seeing GREAT BIG RACE NUMBERS on a car. As [...]

The post Well, that’s… new… appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
Right, then. Let’s look at this in a bit more detail. Wow.

So given that they were the team with comfortably the worst livery on the grid last season, it would have been difficult for HRT to go downwards this year. As it is, with the hiring of a Hollywood design consultant in the shape of Daniel Simon, we knew something a bit exciting would be afoot. And so it’s proved.

First things first – the car in and of itself: it’s great. I worry it might get “old” quickly (and there’s something quite mid-to-late ’90s about it, don’t you think?) but at the moment it’s a breath of fresh air, something genuinely distinctive and interesting. It’s perhaps a little too self-consciously “race”-y, but you can’t deny that the fading chequered flag motif and nose-tip racing stripe are fun, quirky features. The colour scheme is great, too – you can’t go wrong with a white/red car accented by black, it instantly calls to mind certain Marlboro cars. And, of course – it’s got GREAT BIG RACE NUMBERS on it. I don’t have to tell regular readers just how much I love seeing GREAT BIG RACE NUMBERS on a car.

As with the Marussia-Virgin revealed yesterday, it’s perhaps a touch American-looking – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing (in fact, how good would this have looked as the USF1 livery instead? Try imagining the black bits as blue, instead…). Interesting to note, too, that the colour scheme’s not entirely dissimilar to the cover art of Daniel’s book Cosmic Motors. So are the colours his choice, or Hispania’s?

Now, though, to the downsides. First of all, it has to be said – we’re going worryingly back towards 2009 levels when it comes to the number of predominantly white cars on the grid. Two – in the shape of Sauber and Force India – is just about acceptable (and this is assuming FI do stick with their usual design – we’ll find out in about twenty minutes), but three (a quarter of the cars on the grid) is starting to push it. It’s at least a distinctive look (despite using the same primary colours as Virgin), but let’s hope it can stand out on the track.

Secondly, the sponsorship situation is undoubtedly worrying for anyone interested in the team. The car wasn’t exactly awash with logos last year – but this time out, everyone who sponsored the team has disappeared (presumably most departed with Senna), and there’s not even a “Hispania” logo on it. Instead, there’s just one sponsor – Tata, meaning Narain Karthikeyan’s likely in a very strong position regarding the retention of his seat – and the usual prime sponsor spaces are given over to phrases like “This could be you” and “This is a cool spot”. Are these placeholders for an upcoming deal(s)? A bit of witty self-commentary on the lack of sponsorship? Evidence of a new marketing scheme involving the general public getting their names on the car? Or really just a simple, desperate plea for new sponsors? Time will tell.

Despite these concerns, it’s undoubtedly a cool-looking car – I do wonder about Hispania’s own role in all of this (it seems their identity’s been pushed right back into the background, which leads me to wonder whether they’ll be in charge of the team for much longer or if someone new’s waiting in the wings), but it’s undeniable they’ve made an immeasurable improvement over last year. Whoever ends up joining Karthikeyan in car #23 this year is going to have one of the most camera-friendly cars out there.

The post Well, that’s… new… appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/well-thats-new/feed/ 15 626
2010 Liveries : The Verdict! https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/annual-roundups/2010-liveries-the-verdict/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/annual-roundups/2010-liveries-the-verdict/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:31:46 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=425 Well, with all 12 teams’ liveries now unveiled, and the season opening race mere days away, I thought it time to take one last look at all 12 together, to see how they compare to one-another – and to the history of liveries in general – and give them all marks out of ten. It’s undoubtedly a more colourful grid than last year, with plenty of new colours thrown into the mix and only two cars that are predominantly white – but at the same time, we’ve suddenly been hit by a surfeit of silver/grey, and you wonder if certain teams could have done a little more to distinguish themselves. Here, then, is the full grid lineup : McLaren: Can’t really be blamed for sticking with the colour scheme that’s served them well over the past few years, nor for the clash with Mercedes (since they were doing silver first). I think the orange-red on the engine cover flowing into the rear wing is a bit overcooked, but the shade of chrome/silver looks really good on the lines of the car. 7/10 Mercedes: Can’t fault the desire to do something that harkens back to the glory years, but this only [...]

The post 2010 Liveries : The Verdict! appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
Well, with all 12 teams’ liveries now unveiled, and the season opening race mere days away, I thought it time to take one last look at all 12 together, to see how they compare to one-another – and to the history of liveries in general – and give them all marks out of ten. It’s undoubtedly a more colourful grid than last year, with plenty of new colours thrown into the mix and only two cars that are predominantly white – but at the same time, we’ve suddenly been hit by a surfeit of silver/grey, and you wonder if certain teams could have done a little more to distinguish themselves. Here, then, is the full grid lineup :


McLaren
: Can’t really be blamed for sticking with the colour scheme that’s served them well over the past few years, nor for the clash with Mercedes (since they were doing silver first). I think the orange-red on the engine cover flowing into the rear wing is a bit overcooked, but the shade of chrome/silver looks really good on the lines of the car. 7/10


Mercedes:
Can’t fault the desire to do something that harkens back to the glory years, but this only partly succeeds – lovely choice of silver (if too similar to the McLaren) and the race numbers look brilliantly retro. The black, though, works well on the nose but less so on the engine cover – and the turquoise is just a mistake, there should either be much more or much less of it. 5/10


Red Bull:
Elements of this, notably the engine cover and nose tip, still work really well, and it’s a strong shade of blue. But other parts are perhaps a little too busy, and if I were in charge of it I’d maybe look to clean up and simplify it a bit. It’s also looking a bit tired after a few years in use. 6/10


Ferrari:
A Ferrari is a Ferrari is a Ferrari, really. Aside from the additional white bits, not a huge amount to distinguish it from previous years; though compared with the rather menacing all-red job of the Raikkonen years, it calls back the late ’90s cars a bit more. 7/10


Williams:
Loses points for being exactly the same as last year (even moreso than the McLaren, though slightly less so than the Red Bull) and although I liked it then, I’m starting to get quite bored of it now. Lovely shade of blue, and it’s smart and functional, but it’s really rather dull, and rolling it out again shows a singular lack of imagination. 6/10


Renault:
Storming. I still can’t quite decide how well the red bits work (red and yellow looked good on a ’90s Jordan, but they’re quite un-Renault-ish, and the third colour on this car should clearly be white), but at least they add a sponsor to an otherwise blank car. Odd that they should play up the Renault connection now they’re not actually owned by the French marque, but it’s the livery many of us have wanted ever since they bought out Benetton, and done in quite daring fashion, so I can’t complain. 8/10


Force India:
On the one hand, a bit more of a change from last year would be nice; on the other hand, it’s fair to say no F1 car has ever looked like Force India’s current livery, and that’s to be applauded. Perhaps a little bit wishy-washy, but orange is always good to see. 7/10


Toro Rosso: Nothing here really changes my usual opinion that the Toro Rossos are the Red Bulls’ uglier cousins – and the new red patch on the nose only really adds to that. And while the bull painting has become their distinctive identity, it’s another thing that has simply stuck around too long (remember when Jordan changed their nose animal every year?), and despite its existence these cars somehow blend into the background, perhaps due to the too-dark blue. Even moreso than the parent team, it’s time for a change. 4/10


Lotus
: It’s just perfect, isn’t it? Alright, not quite – it could have some more exciting sponsors on there. But the shade of green (already, as long-time readers know, my favourite colour on an F1 car) is beautiful, the golden yellow offsets it beautifully, it’s got a terrifically retro look, it’s just… perfect. Shame about the shape of the chassis – blocky and outdated where others look sleek and modern – but this is still the best-looking F1 car in many a year. 10/10


HRT:
By comparison, ugly and boring to a spectacular degree. Might look good with some sponsors on it, but I can’t fathom why anyone would paint a car in such a way that it’ll actually blend into the track. Just you wait for the first time someone blames a crash on not being able to see it. 1/10


Sauber:
Some will find this boring, yes – but there’s a clean smartness to it (despite being, like most of this year’s cars, badly in need of sponsors) and I find the substitution of blue for black a quite clever twist on the way BMW have become Sauber (who, lest we forget, first ran in all-black livery) again. The nose thing is a little odd, though. 7/10


Virgin Racing:
Another top job. Almost exactly the colour scheme we expected, this is nevertheless a lovely combination of three colours that simply work superbly together – and in a smart, “swooping” fashion that enhances the lines of the car. Not really sure about the point of the grey pattern at the back of the engine cover, but it’s a small quibble. 9/10

So that’s what I think – what about you? Agree? Disagree? Do you love the HRT, and hate the Lotus? Feel free to debate your favourite and least favourite cars (even add your own ratings, if you want!) in the comments below, and let’s see what the consensus is among you, the readers…!

The post 2010 Liveries : The Verdict! appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/annual-roundups/2010-liveries-the-verdict/feed/ 11 425
Team With New Rubbish Name Unveil New Rubbish Livery https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/team-with-new-rubbish-name-unveil-new-rubbish-livery/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/team-with-new-rubbish-name-unveil-new-rubbish-livery/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:43:37 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=399 It could have been a lovely and vibrant Spain-themed red and yellow. It could have been a distinctive purple and white, to tie in to the corporate colours of the Hispania company. It could have been a simple yet effective white, with Spanish flag trim, as we imagine the Campos might have looked. But no. The newly-christened HRT (yeah… do you think anyone’s told them yet?) have unveiled their new livery today, and it’s… grey. Not silver, you understand (although it’ll undoubtedly still be difficult to tell apart from the McLarens and Mercedeses on telly). But… grey. With a Spanish-themed stripe pattern that simply clashes. And barely any sponsors, except for a couple of rather bizarrely shaped boxes by the drivers’ heads. Hopefully Lopez and Chandhok will bring some names to the car before the 14th. Hopefully this was knocked together quite quickly and might be changed a bit by then, too. Hopefully it’s not just a slightly-altered version of how the Campos was going to look anyway. Because… that’s an ugly, ugly car. And given how good the other two newbies look, it reflects particularly badly. Virgin’s car looks as slow as a dog, but at least they’ve managed [...]

The post Team With New Rubbish Name Unveil New Rubbish Livery appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
It could have been a lovely and vibrant Spain-themed red and yellow.

It could have been a distinctive purple and white, to tie in to the corporate colours of the Hispania company.

It could have been a simple yet effective white, with Spanish flag trim, as we imagine the Campos might have looked.

But no. The newly-christened HRT (yeah… do you think anyone’s told them yet?) have unveiled their new livery today, and it’s… grey.

Not silver, you understand (although it’ll undoubtedly still be difficult to tell apart from the McLarens and Mercedeses on telly). But… grey. With a Spanish-themed stripe pattern that simply clashes. And barely any sponsors, except for a couple of rather bizarrely shaped boxes by the drivers’ heads. Hopefully Lopez and Chandhok will bring some names to the car before the 14th. Hopefully this was knocked together quite quickly and might be changed a bit by then, too. Hopefully it’s not just a slightly-altered version of how the Campos was going to look anyway. Because… that’s an ugly, ugly car. And given how good the other two newbies look, it reflects particularly badly. Virgin’s car looks as slow as a dog, but at least they’ve managed to hire a damn good livery designer.

Anyway, that’s our grid. I’ll be going over the new cars in full shortly – and getting your opinion on the colourful 2010 grid as a whole too – before spending the first race weekend examining any changes that take place in Bahrain, how the cars actually come out on track and on TV, and possibly even a run through of the drivers’ helmet designs. So stay tuned!

The post Team With New Rubbish Name Unveil New Rubbish Livery appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/launches/team-with-new-rubbish-name-unveil-new-rubbish-livery/feed/ 11 399
A lick of paint for F1C; HRT to launch on Thurs https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/news/a-lick-of-paint-for-f1c-hrt-to-launch-on-thurs/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/news/a-lick-of-paint-for-f1c-hrt-to-launch-on-thurs/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:30:37 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=397 Hello folks. Well, it’s been quiet around here lately, with the bulk of car launches taken care of – just the two as-yet-unconfirmed final slots on the grid to go, and not even a glimpse of a car during testing. There’s news on the horizon, though – USF1 sadly (or otherwise) look almost certain not to appear this year, so either we’ll have a 24-car grid (disappointing for those of us who were looking forward to 26 for the first time since the 1995 Monaco GP), or Stefan GP will take their place. Meanwhile, having been renamed Hispania Racing Team – or, no giggles at the back, “HRT” for short – it looks likely that the former Campos Meta will launch their new livery tomorrow (Thursday), so we’ll be reporting on that when we see it. In the meantime, you may notice that – for the first time since launching the site in early ’07 – F1 Colours has a new look! I felt it was about time for a bit of a change as we go into our fourth season of livery discussion, so I hope you like the new design and logo. Keep your eyes on the site, [...]

The post A lick of paint for F1C; HRT to launch on Thurs appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
Hello folks. Well, it’s been quiet around here lately, with the bulk of car launches taken care of – just the two as-yet-unconfirmed final slots on the grid to go, and not even a glimpse of a car during testing. There’s news on the horizon, though – USF1 sadly (or otherwise) look almost certain not to appear this year, so either we’ll have a 24-car grid (disappointing for those of us who were looking forward to 26 for the first time since the 1995 Monaco GP), or Stefan GP will take their place. Meanwhile, having been renamed Hispania Racing Team – or, no giggles at the back, “HRT” for short – it looks likely that the former Campos Meta will launch their new livery tomorrow (Thursday), so we’ll be reporting on that when we see it.

In the meantime, you may notice that – for the first time since launching the site in early ’07 – F1 Colours has a new look! I felt it was about time for a bit of a change as we go into our fourth season of livery discussion, so I hope you like the new design and logo. Keep your eyes on the site, too, as although we’ve almost run out of new cars to unveil, there’ll still be plenty of livery-related chat throughout the 2010 season, including some more historical features and guest contributions!

The post A lick of paint for F1C; HRT to launch on Thurs appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/news/a-lick-of-paint-for-f1c-hrt-to-launch-on-thurs/feed/ 4 397
2010 Livery Speculation https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/articles/2010-livery-speculation/ https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/articles/2010-livery-speculation/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:19:18 +0000 https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/?p=267 The 2010 season is looking to be one of the most exciting in years for those of us interested in the changing face of F1 liveries – with four entirely new teams joining the grid, two others rebranding, and at least one other set to change colour scheme as the result of a defunct sponsorship deal. As we wait for the launches season (now that it’s been confirmed that the mooted “joint launch” won’t be happening) to begin in earnest this month, I thought it high time to go through team by team and try to get an idea of how the 26 cars might look… Vodafone McLaren Mercedes It must be hard for McLaren not to feel like every aspect of their corporate identity is being shared out – with Mercedes now having formed their own team, and Santander (probably their second main sponsor after Vodafone) shuffling over to Ferrari. But Vodafone are still present, which means that a healthy dose of orange-red will still adorn the car. And despite the Merc split, I’d expect the chrome to remain, too – it’ll still be a different sort of silver from whatever we see at the Brackley-based team, and it’s [...]

The post 2010 Livery Speculation appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
The 2010 season is looking to be one of the most exciting in years for those of us interested in the changing face of F1 liveries – with four entirely new teams joining the grid, two others rebranding, and at least one other set to change colour scheme as the result of a defunct sponsorship deal. As we wait for the launches season (now that it’s been confirmed that the mooted “joint launch” won’t be happening) to begin in earnest this month, I thought it high time to go through team by team and try to get an idea of how the 26 cars might look…

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
It must be hard for McLaren not to feel like every aspect of their corporate identity is being shared out – with Mercedes now having formed their own team, and Santander (probably their second main sponsor after Vodafone) shuffling over to Ferrari. But Vodafone are still present, which means that a healthy dose of orange-red will still adorn the car. And despite the Merc split, I’d expect the chrome to remain, too – it’ll still be a different sort of silver from whatever we see at the Brackley-based team, and it’s become a distinct part of the McLaren identity since its introduction in 2006. So I can’t imagine the 2010 model looking too different from 2009, but I would expect more changes if and when they switch engine supplier in the future.

Mercedes Petronas
The team have already offered us hints of what their 2010 car might look like, with some quick photoshop jobs knocked up on their website – first to show a Brawn chassis in silver, then to add a hint of turquoise courtesy of new title sponsors Petronas. The details will change, I’m sure – and I doubt there’ll be much of the turquoise – but it’s a fairly safe bet that we’ll see the Silver Arrows in a somewhat darker shade than during the McLaren years.

Red Bull Racing
It’d be nice to see Red Bull change their livery to a greater extent than the little tweaks they’ve made since entering the sport in 2005, but I can’t really see it happening. More of the same here, particularly after the team’s current image was associated with so much success last year. I bet we’ll get new driver uniforms, though.

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro
I think this might be red. And it’ll have Santander on it.

Williams F1
Williams seem to have settled into a colour scheme of blue and white since the BMW split, and I can’t see that changing this year. Little is known about what their sponsor portfolio will look like (RBS are supposed to be leaving at the end of 2010, while I don’t know whether Philips will have the same prominence as in 2009), but unless they sign a major deal who wants to entirely rebrand the car, look for another smart and simple livery this time out.

Renault F1
Unless Renault manage to sign a new major sponsor, then I can see them going one of two ways. The obvious, and preferred, option would be to revert to classic corporate black and yellow (possibly with white in there too). It’d be distinctive, and can’t fail to look great. However, there’s also a chance that they might stick with mainly white and yellow, with hints of red due to fuel sponsor Total – basically the 2009 design, but with the orange of ING removed. It wouldn’t be amazing, but it’d certainly look better than the four-colour mess of recent years. Personally, I’d say it’s about a 50/50 call as to the likelihood of those two styles. But I’m still hoping for yellow and black.

Force India Formula One Team
Having hit on an impressive and distinctive livery for 2009 (after the disappointing 2008 effort), I can’t see the Team Formerly Known As Jordan And Midland And Spyker making too many changes in 2010. And the fact that we’ve already lost three predominantly white cars from the grid – Toyota, BMW and Brawn – might even make them stand out a bit more.

Scuderia Toro Rosso
See Red Bull Racing. It doesn’t matter that the big red bull has already become a bit tiresome – it’ll be on there again in 2010. A bit more imagination, including possibly promoting other Red Bull brands, might be nice one day, though.

Lotus F1 Racing
Now that the logo has been unveiled, a matter upon which I’d previously been speculating becomes clear – it looks a fairly safe bet that the 2010 Lotus (or, if you like, “Lotus”) will be green, with white and yellow trim. Right? Well, probably. You can’t take anything for granted with a startup team that’ll probably kick off the season short of funds (should a new sponsorship opportunity present itself, I’m sure they’d happily paint the car whatever colour they wanted – and that goes for all the new teams, in fact), but the logo seems like a massive clue. Which is nice – my fondness for green cars is well-documented, so let’s hope this one’s another cracker.

Campos Meta 1
Not a huge amount to go on here, as we know little about potential sponsorship. Still, it’s a Spanish team, so don’t be surprised to see a liberal amount of red and yellow. And indeed, looking at Adrian Campos’ F3 team, we can see a mainly white car, with very early-mid-90s style black wings, and a touch of Spanish-flag trim. Don’t be surprised, therefore, to see something similar on the F1 car – especially if the team are having to paint it on the cheap!

US F1
Well, it’s probably not going to look like this, although they’d become everyone‘s favourite team if it did. Is it too predictable to say – particularly given rumours that Youtube branding will be prominent on the car – that it’ll probably be mostly white, with red and blue trim? Failing that, I’d expect something in red and blue, in similar fashion to a 1996 Footwork – or, if you want to be a bit more geographically topical, a 1985 Lola-Hass?

Virgin Racing
I’d have expected a red and white car from the newly rebranded Manor outfit, but at their “team launch” (a weird concept in itself) the clear indication is that Virgin Racing will be predominantly black, red and white and/or grey. Which, y’know, would have been my second guess. The team have also recently linked up with Lloyds Banking Group, although whether its distinctive not-quite-prancing horse (and associated green colour scheme) will make it onto the car remains to be seen.

(BMW?) Sauber
While this team works out what it’s called, the rest of us will simply be hoping for a return to that lovely all-black colour scheme that adorned Peter Sauber’s cars before Red Bull and Petronas showed up in the mid-’90s. Even if technicalities do mean they end up having to be called “BMW Sauber” rather than simply “Sauber”, you can bet it’ll be a cold day in hell before the left-in-the-lurch team feature a Beemer logo – or the old white/blue/red colour scheme – on their cars. I’m expecting something akin to the Stoddart-era Minardis, as the team, so late to the grid, struggles for sponsorship with an ever-changing roster of small decals on a black car. But hopefully they’ll get something proper sorted out before too long.

So there we go, those are my rough guesses for how the grid will look next year. I still haven’t seen any firm dates for any team’s actual car launch, but I’ll stick ’em up in the sidebar once I do – and keep checking the site for updates as each new livery gets launched. Also in the meantime, before the launch season properly gets underway, I’ll have that first guest article – on the fascinating subject of rarely seen liveries – ready to post as well.

The post 2010 Livery Speculation appeared first on F1 Colours.

]]>
https://f1colours.sebpatrick.co.uk/articles/2010-livery-speculation/feed/ 14 267