F1 Explains

Car liveries: paint, decals, special designs + performance


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Ferrari is red, Red Bull is blue... F1 car liveries are much more than paint and stickers. They're part of a team's identity, they're worth money to sponsors and they can even affect how the car performs on track. 

F1 Explains how F1 car liveries are created with the help of two experts:
  • Markus Höpperger tells us how Alfa Romeo's livery is designed and how paint schemes, sponsor placement and graphics are chosen
  • McLaren's Louise McEwen explains why the team turned papaya and how they decide when to run special liveries like the 'chrome', 'Triple Crown' and 'stealth' looks from 2023.
  • Christian Hewgill and Katie Osborne talk paint, carbon fibre, sponsors and stickers and explore how liveries can affect laptimes on-track.

    We want to answer your F1 question. Record a voice note on your phone or write us an email and send it to [email protected]

    Check out our previous episodes:

    • The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard
    • Steering wheels - how they're designed + what the buttons do
    • DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters
    • Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter
    • The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable
    • Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created
    • Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio, with Zhou Guanyu
    • Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork
    • Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne
    • Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade
    • Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins
    • F1 driver fitness with Alexander Rossi + Sebastian Vettel's former trainer
    • F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023
    • F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen
      For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.
      ...more
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