One of the defining characteristics of the Liberty Media era of Formula 1 is how the ten teams currently on the grid have embraced running special, alternative liveries at certain grands prix.
Whether it’s to celebrate their home races, marquee events like the Monaco Grand Prix or the inaugural race around the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, or to mark a major milestone in their team’s history, it seems that teams are running in special paint schemes more frequently than ever before.
The 2023 season, naturally, was no different. By RaceFans’ count, there were no fewer than 20 unique instances of teams running in special designs through this year’s championship – spanning the opening round of the season in Bahrain to the final race weekend in Abu Dhabi.
Some appeared for just a single round. Others, for as many as three grands prix. But which alternative design was your favourite from the 2023 season? Take a look at all of them from each round of the year in which they first appeared and then cast up to three votes in this weekend’s poll.
2023 Formula 1 special liveries
Bahrain Grand Prix
Miami Grand Prix
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Monaco Grand Prix
British Grand Prix
Belgian Grand Prix
Dutch Grand Prix
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Italian Grand Prix
Singapore Grand Prix
United States Grand Prix
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Las Vegas Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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You say
Which special liveries did you enjoy the most through the 2023 season? Pick up to three of your favourites in our poll.
What was the best special livery during the 2023 F1 season? (Select up to three)
- Williams - United States Grand Prix livery (1%)
- Williams - Las Vegas Grand Prix livery (1%)
- Williams - Gulf livery (Singapore, Japanese & Qatar GPs) (20%)
- Williams - 800th grand prix celebration livery (British GP) (8%)
- Red Bull - United States Grand Prix livery (1%)
- Red Bull - Miami Grand Prix livery (2%)
- Red Bull - Las Vegas Grand Prix livery (4%)
- McLaren - 'Triple Crown' livery (Monaco & Spanish GPs) (11%)
- McLaren - 'Stealth mode' livery (Singapore & Japanese GPs) (2%)
- McLaren - Google Chrome livery (British GP) (6%)
- McLaren - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix livery (2%)
- Haas - United States Grand Prix livery (1%)
- Ferrari - Las Vegas Grand Prix livery (15%)
- Ferrari - Italian Grand Prix livery (6%)
- Aston Martin - British Grand Prix livery (1%)
- Alpine - Las Vegas Grand Prix livery (0%)
- Alpine - BWT pink livery (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia & Australian GPs) (2%)
- AlphaTauri - Las Vegas Grand Prix livery (Las Vegas & Abu Dhabi GPs) (10%)
- Alfa Romeo - Las Vegas Grand Prix livery (1%)
- Alfa Romeo - 'Kick' livery (Belgian GP) (1%)
- Alfa Romeo - Italian Grand Prix livery (8%)
- Alfa Romeo - Dutch Grand Prix livery (0%)
Total Voters: 104
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Dex
10th December 2023, 12:08
Frankly, the most special feeling I get is when I see a team NOT wearing a “special” livery. This became such a cliche.
Simon
10th December 2023, 19:10
Totally agree
Melkurion
10th December 2023, 12:58
I can honestly say that I just found these alternate livery cars annoying.
The whole concept is annoying, how special is a special livery if every team does it multiple times a year afterall?
The only ones I like the look of are the mclaren triple crown one and the williams gulf one.
But even then , why bother? The williams one just shows how drab the normal livery is. The mclaren one … eh … i get monaco, and spain was probably on the same weekend as …. I’m gonna say the indy 500…? Why not it a 3d time close to le mans?
anuj
10th December 2023, 15:55
Whole business of PUBG and COD-Mobile is based on this only. Kids buy gun skins for 1000s of dollars. I do not know what they enjoy with legendary and mythic skin
Paul (@frankjaeger)
10th December 2023, 13:03
Not the best pool of cars this year but that Mclaren Monaco livery is beautiful, even better their Gulf one the year before. More teams needs to do the old school 3-tone base pattern, it just works.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
10th December 2023, 13:08
Apart from the boring view from the front, the Alpha Tauri looked great.
A few nice ideas among the others but they’re half-baked or an overcomplicated mess. I’d like to see Williams do those colours properly, with full-size Gulf logos.
f1andrea
10th December 2023, 13:10
absolutely TOO MANY livreries, this make confusion and deprice the value of a special livrery
MichaelN
10th December 2023, 16:10
Probably the Red Bull Miami one; still very Red Bull, and taps into those Miami Vice colours that have been so iconic.
Ferrari in Las Vegas was also nice, even if it didn’t look all that retro (which was apparently the idea).
MacLeod (@macleod)
11th December 2023, 7:47
I have to agree with you also the the Las Vegas i found beter then the Miami, but Ferrari LV was mine too.
But with the exception of Alfa Romero and Alpha Tauri were the only real special deliveries which weren’t up beefed normal liveries.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th December 2023, 16:47
Some of those are merely tweaks rather than actual livery changes, but Alfa Romeo’s Las Vegas-Abu Dhabi GP (likewise to AT, they kept that design for the last GP) design is my outright favorite.
X1Znet (@x1znet)
10th December 2023, 17:33
Maybe they should be called alternate instead of special liveries?
Birthdays are special because they are once a year and would not be so special if we celebrated 4 times a year.
Nick T.
10th December 2023, 18:38
Best: Alpha Tauri LV
Worst: Williams LV
Jockey Ewing
10th December 2023, 18:57
Looks like it was not the year of the livery designers. I would go with the Gulf livery of Williams. It is not hard for me to do so as I like relative simplicity and old school things, and the others are not just fail to have these two attributes, but worse than many liveries from the previous seasons too. I would remove the orange stripes from the nose of the Williams (and keep them on the rear), and the it is quite fine for me. The red and yellow Ferrari was ok, but not very different from what they used to have and I liked their standar liveries. The usual livery of RB is old by now but way better than their specials of this year.
Jockey Ewing
10th December 2023, 19:00
Second place to the Monaco livery of McLaren. With a bit more simplicity or idk what, it could have been really good.
Ajaxn
10th December 2023, 22:41
Agreed. The most eye catching for me was the Gulf livery of Williams. Even though the cars were essentially the same design, this livery had the look of space fighter without its wings.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
10th December 2023, 20:40
Every Time I see a Williams with a US flag I think think of the Peter Windsor story about calling Jerez ‘hereth’. “We pronounce it Geres – we’re English”. I think Frank would be turning in his grave seeing stars and stripes on his car for no good reason, as unimaginative a livery as can be.
Jay
11th December 2023, 0:51
I like all of the Williams liveries. But yeah, may limit the special liveries to 1 special occasion.
Todfod (@todfod)
11th December 2023, 7:53
Mclaren’s Monaco GP and Red Bull’s Las Vegas livery were my clear favourites.
The ones that were awful were Alfa Romeo’s Spa livery and Williams’ 800 races livery. I don’t think Williams is celebrating 800 races at all with that uninspired choice.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
11th December 2023, 9:30
I’m definitely on the side of those saying ‘this is happening too often and there’s too little that’s special about them’. The only ones which really stood out was McLaren’s Triple Crown livery, which I liked as a concept but not the dog’s-breakfast execution, and Alpine’s pink one. The latter gets my vote, particularly as it gave us a break from the excess of blue cars F1 has at the moment (I miss the yellow Renaults).
Michael A.
11th December 2023, 10:30
NOT ONE OF THEM! GET BACK TO NORMAL, PLEASE.
Stoo (@stewart51)
11th December 2023, 13:15
I agree with Michael A. if the livery is supposed to be special, why not use that as your normal livery – or are they meant to be rubbish (all except the Gulf Livery on Williams and the McLaren from yesteryear which has become a legendary scheme in it’s own right no matter which car it graces) ?
Either way, the livery should be locked in for the whole season and stop wasting money on silly paint schemes, unless it’s to decide on next years’ design.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
11th December 2023, 23:19
I’ve looked at that picture of Stroll’s Aston Martin several times and can’t for the life of me see what’s special, or different, about it…
Asanator (@asanator)
12th December 2023, 16:45
Ferrari – LV