We as fans now find ourselves in the purgatorial middle ground between livery release and seeing the cars on track, leaving us with little to discuss beyond the car’s new paint jobs, so I figured to contribute to the discourse. 2023’s grid will be a story of minimalist designs in the name of saving weight by using less paint, but which team has made the most of their paltry supplies?
10 – McLaren
As much as it pains me to put my favourite team in last place, I have little choice than to put McLaren in tenth. Celebrating their 60th year of racing, the team has chosen simply to develop their 2022 livery, which was, for lack of a better word, a stinker. The team’s graphic design department have sheared off about half of last years livery, leaving a car which has hardly been painted at all. It is difficult to even call it a livery, given that it only covers about a third of the car. We can only hope that the car outperforms its looks.
9 – Alpha Tauri
Alpha Tauri’s 2023 livery is a bit of a sad story. Similar to McLaren, it is a development of the previous year’s car, which was a very smart look. However, the addition of red highlights on bargeboards and endplates somewhat ruins the look, breaking up the simple and effective balance of white and navy blue. The “Flexbox” logo on the front wing endplates is also something of an eyesore.
8 – Red Bull
Nobody was surprised by Red Bull’s livery reveal. Disappointed, maybe, but not surprised. While it isn’t a bad livery by any means, it is the same one they have used every year since joining the sport back in 2004. Time to shake things up a bit.
7 – Mercedes
Mercedes have gone back to black with their 2023 car, and, while the wider F1 fan community seems pretty happy about this, I can’t help but think that they missed the mark slightly. I was disappointed by the lack of detail in the livery, which features little more than a blue stripe along the floor and a handful of stars on the engine cover. I much preferred the 2020 iteration, which featured more stars, more blue, and a gradient from black to grey. While this is a solid livery, it is a touch flat, and could use some work.
6 – Haas
This is probably the most efficient livery on the grid this year. Simple, uncontroversial, gets the job done. Bosh. A tuxedo colour scheme with a splash of red detailing, all nicely balanced and portioned. I would not be at all upset if this became the car that delivers Nico Hulkenberg his first career podium.
5 – Williams
Another controversial livery which is inches from greatness. The livery is smart, you can’t go wrong with navy blue, right? The only downside here for me is the Duracell battery on the airbox. While it is an admittedly cute detail, it breaks up an otherwise lovely colour scheme. I was also disappointed not to see Gulf branding feature more, similar to McLaren’s 2021 Monaco livery, which was a one-off for the ages.
4 – Aston Martin
The 2023 Aston Martin, like so many other cars on the grid, is a near carbon copy of last season’s car. That said, who can resist racing green? Pictures coming out of the team’s shakedown at Silverstone last week look stunning, it just shines in the sun. Beyond that, it’ll probably become pretty novel to see a car on the grid in 2023 with a full paint job.
3 – Alpine
Since rebranding to Alpine in 2021, the Enstone team have consistently brought out stunning liveries, and they have only gotten better since partnering with BWT. The Austrian water treatment giant has come to be known for their powder pink liveries which have featured regularly in F1, and their latest effort with Alpine may be their best yet. The pink combines nicely with Alpine’s signature royal blue, creating an eye-catching look despite its weight saving efforts adding large chunks of carbon to the rear of the car.
2 – Ferrari
There’s no surprise that Ferrari have reverted back to their iconic red and black for 2023, but F1’s most successful team have absolutely nailed their new look. There isn’t a massive amount you can say about a red Ferrari, but it just works. The addition of the classic Ferrari logo across the rear wing is also a nice touch, as are the Italian flag and carbon detailing on the engine cover. All things considered, this livery is top drawer.
1 – Alfa Romeo
If you like Ferrari’s red and black, you’ll love the Alfa Romeo 2023 look book. The team have abandoned their usual colour scheme in exchange for a bold, blocky paint job, which accentuates the car’s bodywork and makes plenty of room for their many sponsors. Red wheel covers look sharp, as do the inclusions of Alfa Romeo’s classic shamrock logo. The colour scheme also lends itself well to the driver overalls, meaning Alfa might be the overall best looking team on the grid in 2023.