Red Bull Motorsports
F1
How can we make Formula One cars look even better?
Paint jobs have a lot to do with how we see Formula One cars so let’s look at some alternate liveries for these beasts.
Gone are the days where every single Formula One car on the grid looked distinct. There was a time when you could tell the team’s name from its shadow. Well, almost. A shark-nosed Ferrari 156, a six-wheeled Williams FW08B, a Brabham BT46B with a fan at the rear, a teapot Ligier JS5 and various other cars had quite distinct looks. In today’s day and age, Formula One technology has evolved to such an extent that all the cars look almost identical saving a few cosmetic nips and tucks; all the cars are clones of each other and if you remove the paint, you’ll find it difficult to differentiate a Mercedes from a McLaren.
Hence, at a point in time when all the cars have similar shapes, it’s only the paint job that makes them stand out, aesthetically speaking. It is for this very reason that fans get vocal when Force India chucks the black dress for a pink gown or when the McLaren F1 team adopts an orange uniform for their machine. If given a choice, a number of Formula One fans would like to have a say in how their favourite car should look but not everyone’s artistically gifted. There is one fan however, who’s taken his love for Formula One to a different level.
UK-based designer Tim Holmes loves taking a shot at livery design and sharing it with his friends. At the start of 2014, when McLaren announced grey and bright orange livery, Holmes decided to take matters in his own hands and make something that’s more akin to his taste. “I was left a little underwhelmed and simply chose to have a go myself, everyone was hoping for an injection of orange and something looking a little faster,” he explains.
McLaren F1 Livery Concept
© Tim Holmes
Since then his designs have found an audience with fans and drivers alike. Even the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have given thumbs up to their respective designs.
Here’s a look at some of the interesting livery concepts:
The Helmet liveries
These days, the cars are so alike that for fans sitting in the stands or watching on TV, it’s difficult to figure out which of the two team-mates is driving the particular car. Taking this into consideration, Formula E’s Faraday Future Dragon Racing has given contrasting liveries to its drivers Loïc Duval and Jérôme D’Ambrosio.
But this concept is yet to hit the Formula One shores. If the teams decide to customize the cars the way they customize their helmet, this is how it would look.
Homage for ex-champions
It’s not uncommon to see drivers sporting a helmet designs that pays tribute to former racers. If we take this one step forward and paint the whole car in honour of the legends of the sport, the grid will be littered with these beauties.
Track-specific liveries
Silverstone Livery Concept
© Tim Holmes
For the most ardent of Formula One fans, Silverstone, Monza and Spa-Francorchamps are not just venues but institutions. These legendary race tracks have held special significance in Formula One since the beginning of time. Tim Holmes Design has paid respect to the tracks in a special manner.
Cross-pollination
Mattias Ekström Rallycross Concept
© Tim Holmes
Motorsport has always entertained the idea of their favourite racers transcending boundaries and trying their hand at vehicles they haven’t mastered before; the most recent example being that of Fernando Alonso trying his hand at Indy500 and rally legend Sébastien Ogier pushing the RB12 around the Red Bull Ring.
Pushing the boundaries of imagination further, ever wondered what it’ll be like if World RallyCross Champion Mattias Ekström took to Formula One? Well, wonder no more because we have the answer.
Sponsored liveries
Cars 3 livery concept
© Tim Holmes
Hollywood and Formula One have been old bed fellows. Red Bull Racing and Star Wars; Lotus and Mad Max; and Jaguar and Ocean’s 12 are some of the F1-Hollywood collaborations from recent times. What if you could rebrand the entire car for a single race? Well, had Mercedes taken forward Lewis Hamilton’s involvement with the animated movie Cars 3, we could’ve had a Lightening McQueen on the grid this year. Cars 4 perhaps, Mr. Wolff?
2018 Halo Concept
2018 Halo Concept Livery
© Tim Holmes
Though FIA has announced that the Halo will be mandatory for next year’s cars, not everyone’s in favour of it. “If the Halo proves its worth simply by saving one driver then its worth it for me, that is despite its awful look and placement on the car. I much preferred the Shield. I think that the Halo it going to make life much more difficult for the fans when it comes to identifying drivers,” says Holmes. To counter this issue, here’s a halo concept suggested by the Halifax-based designer.
Formula One’s new owners are taking all the steps and saying all the right things, but it will be interesting to see if Chase Carey and Co. also lay down a diktat to the teams asking them to make their cars “look” beautiful as well. Till then, enjoy them in the digital form.
