Formula 1 teams have activated ‘dark mode’ in 2023. The pressing need to save weight from their latest designs has led many of them to trim back their paintwork wherever possible.
Some teams have taken it further than others. While Alfa Romeo and Haas have turned the flanks of their cars to bare carbon, Mercedes has gone to the extreme, reverting to a largely black colour scheme it previously used in 2020 and 2021.
But while the teams are all heading in the same direction in terms of colouring, they are still offering different solutions to the challenges offered by last year’s overhaul of the technical regulations. The Red Bull RB19 is a strikingly different beast to Ferrari’s SF-23 or Mercedes’ daring W14. Whether that will remain the case if Red Bull prove as quick as testing indicates they are remains to be seen.
Last year our readers named Ferrari their pick as the best-looking car of the season. Who deserves the crown this year?
Red Bull RB19
The Red Bull RB19 is a clear evolution of its dominant predecessor, with Red Bull’s usual meticulously-detailed aerodynamics work most evident around its trend-setting sidepods.
Ferrari SF-23
The need to trim back weight is evident in the growing expanses of bare carbon on Ferrari’s latest machine – a feature of most cars on the grid.
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Mercedes W14
Mercedes have gone back to black but stuck with its extremely slim sidepods. The W14 clearly stands out from the crowd, but whether the team can make its novel design a success is another matter.
Alpine A523
Esteban Ocon said Alpine’s latest design makes last year’s car look “like a toy”. Collectors can keep an eye out for the pink-liveried version which will appear for the first three races.
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McLaren MCL60
After McLaren removed a lot of paint from its car last year, new team principal Andrea Stella says the team has done a good enough job with weight-saving that it’s been able to restore more of its heritage orange colour scheme this year.
Alfa Romeo C43
Another team which has make a pronounced change to its livery in the name of improving performance. Alfa Romeo has moved closer to Red Bull’s sidepod philosophy, but also retained its novel and immediately recognisable airbox design.
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Aston Martin AMR23
Aston Martin won appreciative nods for its performance in testing, but the tidy AMR23 looks the part too.
Haas VF-23
The latest iteration of Haas’s livery is – what else – considerably darker than past versions. As usual its car bears an obvious resemblance to Ferrari’s latest machine, but with a few detail tweaks which set it apart.
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AlphaTauri AT04
Having poached Alfa Romeo’s title sponsor from last year, AlphaTauri’s dark blue and white aesthetic which was admired when it was introduced three years ago now features red highlights as well.
Williams FW45
If there was a prize for cutest sponsorship integration on an F1 car, Williams would surely get it for the airbox branding they introduced last year and retained on the FW45. This was another team which pared back its paintwork drastically last year.
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You say
Which team has the best-looking F1 car for 2023? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.
Which F1 team has the best-looking car for the 2023 season?
- Williams (0%)
- AlphaTauri (0%)
- Haas (0%)
- Aston Martin (0%)
- Alfa Romeo (0%)
- McLaren (0%)
- Alpine (0%)
- Mercedes (0%)
- Ferrari (0%)
- Red Bull (0%)
Total Voters: 0
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Previous winners
Here are our 13 previous winners of the poll:
NB: The 2020 poll was conducted before Mercedes and Williams changed their liveries.
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