From Bold to Beautiful: Ranking the Formula 1 Liveries of 2023
The liveries of 2023 showcased an impressive range of creativity and innovation, with each team bringing their unique style and personality to their designs. What is your top 10?
I. Introduction
A livery is a design or color scheme applied to a vehicle, often used in racing to distinguish one team or driver from another. Liveries can be simple or complex, incorporating logos, patterns, and colors that represent a team's sponsors, identity, or personality. In Formula 1 racing and not only, liveries play a significant role in the visual appeal of the sport, adding to the excitement and spectacle of the sport. In this article, we aim to rank the liveries of the 2023 racing season based on their design and aesthetic appeal.
II. Criteria for Ranking
To rank the liveries of the 2023 racing season, we will use several criteria to assess their design and aesthetic appeal. The first factor we will consider is the color scheme, looking at how well the colors complement each other and reflect the team's identity or sponsors. Secondly, we will evaluate the graphics, including patterns and shapes, to see how well they convey the team's message and add to the visual interest of the livery. We will also examine how the sponsor logos are incorporated into the livery and whether they are well integrated or distract from the overall design. Finally, we will evaluate the overall impression of the livery, taking into account factors such as balance, coherence, and uniqueness. A livery should be visually appealing and memorable, while also representing the team or driver in a way that is recognizable and consistent. By using these criteria, we hope to provide an objective and comprehensive ranking of the liveries of the 2023 racing season.
III. The Rankings
1. Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake: Following the whole grid's trend of adding a lot of carbon fiber to their liveries, Alfa Romeo also changed the white from last year for black. Still, the combination looks awesome with my favorite element being the Italian flag on the rear wing. The sponsors are all displayed with white which gives a sense of elegance, while the design of the wheel covers draws attention.
2. Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team: Aston Martin launched a beautiful livery last year and continued to build onto that in 2023. The Aston Martin green looks special and the change of the logo from green to white makes the whole look more cohesive. The integration of the carbon fiber on the front and rear wing looks much better than what other teams were able to do. I have to admit, I absolutely love this livery.
3. Oracle Red Bull Racing: Red Bull have delivered the same livery as last year, following the design used for years now, but this is not a bad thing. The Red Bull livery is one of the best liveries of Formula 1 and although it might be boring to see the same livery year after year, it has become a brand for the company.
4. Scuderia Ferrari: Ferrari launched one of the most beautiful liveries on the grid in 2022 and this year they made minor tweaks to it. Same as everybody else, Ferrari also added carbon fiber elements to the livery. Adding the white Ferrari logo on the carbon fiber back wing looks very good, same as adding it behind the driver, with the number now being displayed in white. In the same time, the addition of the carbon fiber patch on the sidepods is a complete mess. You have 3 sponsors displayed in 3 different ways (yellow Shell on red background, white CEVA on black background and then white Ray Ban on red background).
5. McLaren F1 Team: The presence of the papaya orange on the grid is definitely a gain for the sport. McLaren have improved the livery launched last year for the first time and it looks very good. I love the papaya orange and cyan combination and the Chrome wheel covers.
6. Williams Racing: The matt blue design is an evolution of the livery introduced last year and seems to be an improvement. The design integration of the Duracell sponsor onto the livery is very smart and the subtle cyan and red lines look good. I do not like the cyan arrows on the wheel covers and the livery looks a little thin on sponsors.
7. Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team: The return of the black arrow follows the grid trend for using a lot of carbon fiber. The livery looks very slick and clean in the studio, but once it gets onto the track, you can really see how much carbon fiber really is used and how little paint. In direct sunlight, the livery does not look anywhere close to how good it looks in a studio.
8. BWT Alpine F1 Team: Alpine is the only team that launched two liveries so my final ranking consists of the assessment for both. First of all, we have the all pink BWT livery, which looks actually quite good. The main livery though, for me does not work. The combination of the electric Alpine blue with the BWT pink is probably the worst color combination I have ever seen on a racing car, which makes an OK livery impossible to look good.
9. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team: The addition to the livery of the main sponsor MoneyGram seems like a success to me and the color combination of black, white and red works really well together, but the lines on the livery are a mess. The livery does not look good especially from above.
10. Scuderia AlphaTauri: The addition of the Orlean Red onto the beautiful white-navy livery of last year is a failure, in my opinion. The red color looks like a patch job done after the project has already been finished. Adding on top also the green from the Italian flag and the gold from the FlexBox sponsor is just too much.
IV. Conclusion
In conclusion, after carefully evaluating the liveries of the 2023 racing season based on their design and aesthetic appeal, we have compiled a list of the top 10 liveries. The last place goes to Scuderia AlphaTauri, followed by MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in 9th place, with the top liveries of the season being Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake and Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team.
The liveries of 2023 showcased an impressive range of creativity and innovation, with each team bringing their unique style and personality to their designs. Good livery design can not only make a team stand out on the track but also contribute to the overall excitement and spectacle of the sport.
We encourage readers to share their own opinions and favorite liveries in the comments section or on social media, as well as to appreciate the hard work and creativity of the teams and designers who make the liveries come to life. As the racing season continues, we look forward to seeing more stunning liveries on the track and celebrating the importance of good design in racing.