Formula 1 cars have undergone what could be described as a complete visual transformation in 2022 compared to their predecessors of a year ago.
Not since the 2009 season has the shape and look of the world’s fastest racing cars changed so dramatically between seasons, with entirely new wing shapes on the front and rear, heavily sculpted bodywork, intricately redesigned floors and much larger tyres.Despite some fears that the major regulation changes for this year could result in all ten teams producing largely similar designs, this season’s cars have so far proven to be arguably the most varied in many years.
With Alfa Romeo finally unveiling their livery for their C42 to complete the entire field of ten cars that will contest this brave new vision of Formula 1, we now have a full picture of how this new generation of cars will look for its first season. But which of the ten challengers for 2022 is the most visually appealing?
Red Bull RB18
While Red Bull’s livery remains largely consistent as ever, the most notable change is arguably the most important – that being the large red number one on world champion Max Verstappen’s RB18.
Adopting an aggressive design with the car’s sidepods, new title sponsor Oracle takes pride of place along the side of the car, with the front wing carrying the logo of new cryptocurrency platform sponsor Bybit.
Mercedes W13
Mercedes swapped their traditional silver colours for a predominately black livery over the last two seasons in a show of support for people of colour and under-represented backgrounds in their team and in wider Formula 1.
This season, they have returned to a silver livery, incorporating red accents on their design. The W13 also features one of the more aggressively sculpted front wings of the ten teams this season.
Ferrari F1-75
Ferrari have taken inspiration from their cars from the late 1980s and early 1990s by adopting and all black front and rear wing design on the F1-75.
The team also sport a uniquely moulded sidepod design that concaves dramatically along the side of the car.
McLaren MCL36
Following positive feedback from their one-off Gulf livery design from last year’s Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren have adopted a heavy dose of light blue with their traditional orange livery for the 2022 season – a design shared among all of the team’s motorsport programmes this year.
Alpine A522
Last year’s Alpine A521 was RaceFans readers’ favourite looking car of the 2021 season – by some margin.
This year, the deep blue of the French tricolore has been accompanied by the striking pink of the team’s new title sponsors BWT. The car also has noticeably bulging sidepods and a comparatively slim front wing.
However the car won’t race in this livery until the third event of the season in Australia. For the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia the car will run in a special pink livery for its new sponsor.
AlphaTauri AT03
AlphaTauri’s white and very dark blue two-tone colour scheme has been popular with fans since the team rebranded from Toro Rosso for the 2020 season.
The dark blue is more prominent this year than previous seasons, while the car also has rectangular air intakes and wide ‘U’ shaped front wing elements.
Aston Martin AMR22
As the first genuine 2022 car to be unveiled, Aston Martin’s AMR22 made quite a first impression when it was revealed.
Racing Point’s rebranding as Aston Martin saw British Racing Green return to the Formula 1 grid for the first time since the days of Jaguar. This year, the move of BWT to Alpine means the pink accents have completely gone for this year, while the team have opted for a wider, flatter nose than some of their rivals.
Williams FW44
Over a year after Williams were taken over by Dorilton, 2022 is marking the start of a new era for the team with a somewhat refreshed identity.
Incorporating a deep blue colour scheme on the car’s livery, perhaps the most obvious design feature of the car is its rounded nose. A small but significant change is the disappearance of the Senna ‘S’ the team has carried since 1995.
Alfa Romeo C42
Alfa Romeo waited until after the first test session of the pre-season to formally reveal the colours that the C42 would race in for 2022.
Unsurprisingly similar to the team’s previous liveries since rejoining the grid as an official team, this year’s Alfa Romeo features much greater use of red – likely a nod to the Chinese background of new rookie Guanyu Zhou.
Haas VF-22
Haas became the first team to show off their 2022 car in any guise, revealing what they described as an “early iteration” of the VF-22.
Featuring the same colour scheme inspired by the colours of the Russian flag, the car perhaps bared the closest resemblance to its predecessor than any other car on the grid.
However, following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, Haas stripped their car of any branding of title sponsors Uralkali and the colours of the Russian flag throughout its design. With heavy sanctions placed on the Russian Federation by the international community, it remains highly likely that the team will begin the season without Uralkali branding or Russian flag colours on the car.
You say
Which F1 team has the best looking car for the 2022 season?
- Haas (0%)
- Alfa Romeo (9%)
- Williams (10%)
- Aston Martin (13%)
- AlphaTauri (4%)
- Alpine (3%)
- McLaren (15%)
- Ferrari (43%)
- Mercedes (3%)
- Red Bull (1%)
Total Voters: 403
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Previous winners
Here are our 12 previous winners of the poll:
NB: The 2020 poll was conducted before Mercedes and Williams changed their liveries.
Debates and polls
- Will Alonso win a world championship title with Aston Martin?
- How long should Red Bull give Ricciardo to prove he’s not lost his touch?
- Were stewards right to penalise Alonso over his driving before Russell’s crash?
- Are Williams right to bench Sargeant so Albon can race after crash?
- Is the FIA right to make ten seconds the new standard for penalties?
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
27th February 2022, 14:11
Tell me which one is quickest, and I tell you which I like the best.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
27th February 2022, 14:14
For the first time in 67 years I had to go with Mercedes in these polls.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
28th February 2022, 18:45
Is it ‘Opposite Day’?
erikje
27th February 2022, 14:15
At by far.
Balanced design and looks great.
Antz (@antznz)
28th February 2022, 10:26
Completely agree! I don’t know why so many voted Ferrari? The black on it?
My runner ups are McLaren, Alfa and AM
ady (@sixwheeler)
27th February 2022, 14:21
The Ferrari is just gorgeous, both in form and livery. Plus it is such a relief after the awful livery of last year’s car with it’s two tones of red plus bright green
BlueChris (@bluechris)
27th February 2022, 14:22
Hands down Ferrari not only for the good looks of the car but also from the removal of that mission winnow logos.
gregwtravels (@gregwtravels)
27th February 2022, 14:22
As much as it pains me, Ferrari does look the nicest. Alpha Tauri a close second.
Barry Bens (@barryfromdownunder)
27th February 2022, 14:32
Ferrari is nice, but the Aston still looks 11/10 to me. Only thing I don’t quite like is the sponsoring in big, ugly-font names.
dot_com (@dot_com)
27th February 2022, 14:41
Probably the hardest poll in a long time! I think they mostly all look amazing. Ferrari, Williams and AT all stick out for me. As a Williams fan I have to go with them, as I just love seeing that dark blue again
dot_com (@dot_com)
27th February 2022, 14:43
What was your vote @willwood?
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
27th February 2022, 14:43
I too voted for Alpine last year. Checking the previous winners, the poll seems dominated by livery choice. I actually like the car.
I like their 2022 car but it looks under baked, clearly the least developed car on the grid. I hope Alpine is competitive.
Merc, RB and Williams are the most extreme looking. Tough this year. I’d vote merc but I don’t like the livery at all, the AMR is 80% merc but with a better livery. RB/Alpha same problem. I’ll go McLaren.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
28th February 2022, 5:11
1°Mclaren +car -livery
2°Aston allrounder
3°merc ++car—-livery
4°AT bad nose
5° RB bad livery
6° williams driver seat too high “look”
7° ferrari meh car good livery
8° alpine looks super underdeveloped
9° Alfa bold design, underbaked “look”
10° Haas similar to Alfa but worse.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
27th February 2022, 15:03
Most importantly of all, we’ve got a great mix of design directions. It’s hard to believe it’ll stay like this for long, but enjoy it while we have it, that’s how F1 should be.
On the liveries, I’ve been pining for a scarlet Ferrari with black wings for years. The F1-75 looks great to me, apart from the weird gradient fill thing by the 75 years logo.
Good mix of colours this year on the whole, still a bit too much blue, would love some bright yellow back in there but I’m pleased to have some pink back.
I find the McLaren livery a bit of a puzzle. It works well from some angles but is messy from others. And Red Bull putting a sponsor on the lower part of their rear wing but not the upper part looks downright odd.
GeeMac (@geemac)
27th February 2022, 15:35
@keithcollantine Red Bull’s whole livery looks odd to me, it seems unfished and messy. And if you are going to slap the number one on the car, make it actually look like a one for goodness sake!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
27th February 2022, 20:26
@geemac Yeah the difference in thickness between the ‘1’s on Verstappen and Perez’s cars is aggravating!
RandomMallard
28th February 2022, 0:21
Definitely agree. And RB used to do the driver numbers really well imo. But this year the number 1 just looks so out of proportion.
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
28th February 2022, 7:41
Yes… but the graphic design department were getting mixed signals. Was it a single 1 or a 1 with an asterisk?
bookgrub (@bookgrub)
28th February 2022, 6:19
I think the McLaren livery has seemed a little better every time I see it, and on track it looks great. The RB livery I have no huge problems with, but the car with the dramatic undercut sidepods just does not look good to me. I hope they haven’t found the best direction for the new regulations because I’d much rather see cars with the overall design of the Ferrari, McLaren or Alfa Romeo as things converge.
Josh (@canadianjosh)
27th February 2022, 15:05
The sky baby blue on the orange McLaren is beautiful and is the one that caught my eye. The Ferrari is a close second. The white Haas is beautiful in a different way as well.
GeeMac (@geemac)
27th February 2022, 15:06
I know I’m always banging the Williams drum, but their livery is genuinely the best on the grid this year. The car has some great little design touches too, so it gets my vote.
The Ferrari is great too to be fair – a touch of nostalgia with the black wings and deeper shade of red.
Jere (@jerejj)
27th February 2022, 15:16
Ferrari for me, followed by quite closely by Alpine, Mclaren, & AM.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
27th February 2022, 15:19
1. Aston Martin – 8.5/10
2. Ferrari – 8/10
3. Alfa Romeo – 8/10
4. Alpha Tauri – 7.5/10
5. McLaren – 7/10
6. Williams – 6/10
7. Pink Alpine – 6/10
8. Mercedes – 5.5/10
9. Uralkali Haas – 5/10
10. Blue Alpine – 4.5/10
11. Red Bull – 4/10
12. White Haas – 4/10
Kim Philby (@philby)
27th February 2022, 16:24
Ferrari hands down. Gorgeous in the vein of 640 & 641. After the Ferrari, Alpine is also nice. If I had to vote for the ugliest McLaren all the way.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
27th February 2022, 15:22
The Ferrari by far.
Neil (@neilosjames)
27th February 2022, 15:28
Favourite three are the McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin. Can’t really pick a favourite from the three, so went with McLaren as I thought they’d have the least votes.
Alex (@arobbo)
27th February 2022, 15:36
Red Bull – Very samey like with the last few years other than the odd sponsor change here and there. 4/10.
Mercedes – Personally don’t like it as the Ineos red clashes badly with the silver. 4/10.
Ferrari – Not only my favourite looking car of the year, but also the best looking Ferrari in years, the black works so well with the dark red. 10/10.
McLaren – The actual livery is good, but misses something and I don’t know what. 6/10.
Alpine – Both liveries that they will use are weird because of the pink (why?). 5/10.
Alpha Tauri – It’s okay. 6/10,
Aston Martin – Way better than last year, gives Ferrari a good run for its money for my favourite, definitely top 2. 9/10.
Williams – Again better than last year. 7/10.
Alfa Romeo – I probably liked last years a little more, but this is still really good. 7/10.
Haas – Not going to rate this fairly because of the Ukraine-Russia situation. To be honest? The white car as it is works lol.
Ferrari wins with Aston a good 2nd for me.
Shimks (@shimks)
27th February 2022, 15:53
McLaren’s car is the most exciting looking, in my opinion. Fresh, fun paint job. That front wing looks awesome. For the pinnacle of motorsport, too many teams are far too conservative with their liveries, in my opinion. The Haas looks horrendous.
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
27th February 2022, 16:15
I mean, if you’re asking which is the best looking livery, the answer is Alpine.
If you’re asking the best looking car design, it’s Red Bull.
If you’re asking me which is the most interesting looking, even if it’s not the best looking? It’s Ferrari.
Zann (@zann)
27th February 2022, 16:18
Nearly went for Ferrari, but in the end it had to be the Alpine, being the most fun.
Ciaran (@ciaran)
27th February 2022, 16:29
We’re truly blessed with this year’s cars. The variety in design and colours is far beyond what we’re used to in the last decade or even more.
I adore the Ferrari, but Aston and Alpha Tauri are stellar designs as well. Everything except Alpine, McLaren or Haas would have won previous years’ polls by a landslide!
Lancer033 (@lancer033)
27th February 2022, 16:38
Hands down Ferrari on this one, but Williams and Aston Martin are also looking great.
AlonsoStig (@stigf1l)
27th February 2022, 16:41
1 Ferrari, 2 Alpha, 3 Mercedes for me
AlonsoStig (@stigf1l)
27th February 2022, 16:45
Mclaren sadly failed to deliver people’s request about last year Monaco livery
Niefer (@niefer)
27th February 2022, 16:54
After seeing ‘TV’ footage, had to reconsider my initial percetions.
1. Aston Martin is, hands down, the most beautiful car, despite its decals, and for quite some time at F1 history. The green looks astounding under sunlight!
2. Then, comes Ferrari with a strong red and dark wings, such a hooligan!
3. Next a classy Alpha Tauri, with sober colours and good contours.
4. Williams comes right behind. If their livery isn’t nothing special, the car lines are quite something!
5. Alpine does not look great at the outside as it looked in the studio. Still a decent look.
Then comes the rest: 6. All-white Haas; 7. Mercedes; 8. Red Bull; 9. Alfa Romeo…
… and the one that should definitely receive an award, more like a Golden Raspberry, the: 10. McLaren. It’s just… wow!
It must take some effort to screw a good looking car and a great heritage colour like that. Dead last with some merit!
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
27th February 2022, 16:59
Ferrari and Red Bull both have some very good looking cars IMO. Alpha Tauri isn’t too shabby either. McLaren is a massive dissapointment this year.
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
27th February 2022, 17:01
shame this site lacks an edit button, but I’m combining shape and livery here. Not jsut the colour scheme. If it were down to just that, RB would be a whole lot further down
OOliver
27th February 2022, 17:12
Green aside, the Aston looks like it’s in action from most angles nice flowing lines just lovely to look at.
Newfangled (@newfangled)
27th February 2022, 17:13
The best looking grid for many a year, but it has to be the Ferrari for me.
Jeorge (@jeorge)
27th February 2022, 17:48
Why so few for Ferrari
Antz (@antznz)
28th February 2022, 10:31
@jeorge why so many!?
Luke S (@joeypropane)
27th February 2022, 19:04
Really confused by some of the comments the Williams has received through testing – from the nose, all the way to very back of the side pods, it’s the most well sculpted car on the grid… By some margin.
The livery also looks great in low and bright light.
Easily the best looking car this year, imo.
Scotty (@rockonscotty)
27th February 2022, 19:04
I’m not a Ferrari fan but the blacked out wings just makes it look so sinister! AM was second becuse if the gorgeous green but the lime highlight clashes. I hope they all perform well and we can see them wheel to wheel at the front of the grid!
Scotty (@rockonscotty)
27th February 2022, 19:08
@willwood
Will,
Could we have a poll for the best looking grid by year? As far as being colorful and some standout designs, this year would be a front runner. It would be interesting to see how it would compare to other years.
sumedh
27th February 2022, 19:13
In the studio shots, Ferrari was the instant favorite. Dark red and black wings!! Just wow!
But looking at pre-season videos, the Aston martin grew on me. It looks a little like the Jaguar, but more shinier and no out-of-sync white and red HSBC logos like the Jaguar.
But shout out to Alpine as well for doing a great job of merging the blue and pink.
Eventually, will give it to Ferrari. It is just too good. And looks like it is quite a comeback from the last year (1% of the vote thanks to the neon green of misson winnow!
MacLeod (@macleod)
27th February 2022, 19:34
@keithcollantine I hope we get also a poll of the most advance looking car?
I went for Alfa Romeo livery but looking fastest will be a total different car!
Palindnilap (@palindnilap)
27th February 2022, 20:12
The 2022 cars are awesome, the best I have seen for a loooong time ! The diversity in design is so nice to have as well. For my taste, all the 2022 cars except the Haas look better than any 2021 car. I voted Alpha Tauri, but I think I would be happy with any of them winning the vote except Haas.
grat
27th February 2022, 20:12
Based solely on overall look, I think Alpha Tauri.
Based on design, I think the Mercedes has the most refined, coherent look.
In general, though, I think most of the 2022 cars look far better than the 2021 cars, which were starting to look a bit Frankensteinish.
StuBen (@stuben)
27th February 2022, 20:14
As a seasoned McLaren fan I couldn’t bring myself to vote for the old enemy in Ferrari even though it has by far the best livery and I keep thinking Alesi should be driving it! McLaren a firm second and would be great to see them both battling at the front again this season.
Alex
27th February 2022, 20:53
The Alfa looks like its sponsored by a cherry cola company and I’m getting Valvoline vibes from the Williams.
bosyber (@bosyber)
28th February 2022, 9:29
Hah, yeah darkened valvoline just a bit there indeed. And the Alfa, dunno, it reminds me of the Toyota livery, but shiny and darker red (which does work better to be fair).
I like the red accents on the mercedes, though the colour does clash with the silver. Red Bull, well that one looks odd, I think they should have made it a much clearer 1, rather than stylized out of it and somehow the livery looks messier than it used to (maybe too the sponsor on the main plane of the rear wing rather than the flap?); AT, looks good but not sure it’s great. Ferrari I said it before, it’s nostalgia great, the whole car, but somehow it doesn’t do it for me entirely (maybe too much?); McLaren looks nice from some angles but others it looks bland and even a bit aimless; Haas, well, the livery wasn’t great, so one could say white with black is progress but it’s also of course Haasly bland as usual; Alpine, honestly as a kid that had some love for dark blue with trim and lots of pink on his transformer toys, well, it agrees with me but it is a bit of a step down from last year. Aston Martin I just really like the look.
AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
27th February 2022, 22:15
Fun fact: Not one of the 12 previous winners of this poll won the championship. In fact, five of the 12 didn’t win a single race, and four of the 12 didn’t even get a podium.
I guess that doesn’t bode too well for this year’s Ferrari.
Markp
27th February 2022, 22:38
Oh no, hopefully Haas announce their whole car will be the Ukraine flag, guaranteed it would top the pole in a couple of hours.
Flow
2nd March 2022, 16:27
+1 funny in the saddest of ways
melanos
27th February 2022, 22:45
Great looking most of them Alfa Romeo is the best for me, and teh Ferrarai and Aston Martin get honorable mentions
Merc has achieved what seemed impossibly: return to their always great-looking classic silver livery, while remaining undescribably horrendous.
Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
27th February 2022, 23:15
Surprised not to see more comments and voting for the Aston Martin. Car shape and livery is stunning. Hands down winner for me.
Lots of other credible cars and liveries this year. Once again, well done to the FIA for nailing the new regs on the aesthetic side.
RandomMallard
28th February 2022, 0:27
My ranking:
1. Ferrari (from a McLaren fan)
2. Aston Martin
3. McLaren
4. Mercedes
5. Alpha Tauri
6. Williams
7. Mercedes
8. Alpine (normal)
9. RB (Not bad, just dreadfully unimaginative)
10. Alpine (pink), looks bad, doesn’t scream Alpine though to me. Just says generic BWT motorsport car to me
TBC: Haas. Something in me doubts they’ll use their orrginal livery in the races. I’ll leave it for now.
BaKano (@bakano)
28th February 2022, 10:15
When I voted I thought to myself “It has to be the Ferrari by a long shot” and I wasn’t wrong!
The livery works very well but the shape of the car is very good too!
hamiledon
28th February 2022, 11:52
Red calfs
Williams
Silver farts
Ferrari
Qeki (@qeki)
28th February 2022, 12:04
Best looking car: Mclaren
Best livery: Ferrari
Those side air intakes scream to grate some cheese..
Qeki (@qeki)
28th February 2022, 12:06
In the end how much this is based on the livery rather than the car itself. It would be amazing to see all the cars plain white so we could see the difference.
Kerry Maxwell (@kerrymaxwell)
28th February 2022, 16:04
I grew up down the street from a Ferrari dealership, and for some reason the salespeople would tolerate 10 year old me standing and drooling at the mid-60s cars, including the F1 cars they would sometimes feature in the showroom. So, it will always be the red car for me.
bull mello (@bullmello)
28th February 2022, 17:33
Ferrari, then Aston Martin
Dane
28th February 2022, 18:12
Ferrari wins it for me. I thought this yearns liveries were a step backwards for most teams even though the shape of the cars themselves was improved.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
28th February 2022, 19:10
I went for the Aston Martin just, over the Ferrari. Both of these are way ahead of the others though. Honorable mentions to the Alfa Romeo and Alpine for me.
I think the Williams is awful.
Qeki (@qeki)
28th February 2022, 20:16
@phil-f1-21 From the side (if you use a bit of imagination) Williams looks a bit like a tent. Nothing to do with the livery but still
Flow
2nd March 2022, 16:31
@phil-f1-21 this is a perfectly said list and clear order
Robert
28th February 2022, 21:29
Wow, I did not expect such a landslide win for Ferrari. It’s just red. Sure it has black wings, but so do three other cars of the field. It looks like a Ferrari, and a clean one at that, but the best design on the grid? I don’t get it.
And then McLaren in 2nd. I like the colors, but not the livery. It’s too plain but too messy at the same time. I think it’s a matter of the color-blocking not playing well with the shapes of the bodywork. If it looks distinct enough on TV that it’s never mistaken for something other than a McLaren, then maybe it will grow on me. I want to like it.
Aston in 3rd, yes this one I understand. Definitely better than last year, but now looking at that first comparison pic the green is a bit too close to the Petronas-teal of the Mercedes. Nice clean design with the yellow accents complementing the shapes. Maybe a little boring that it’s not really tied in with the sponsorship, but then it will also work with any sponsorship and still look very Aston. Smart move.
If we talk about cars rather than liveries, My top pick would be the RedBull. It looks very aero-sleek and efficient as a complete package. Lots of great continuity with different parts clearly playing together and lining up nicely to form a greater good than the sum of its parts.
I really like the look of that raised middle section front wing of the Aston, though. But the car looks too chunky at the back end of the sidepods and that strange coke-bottle area. Points for innovative thinking, I hope it works for them, but in terms of looks it’s not on top for me. Same goes for Ferrari, top points for trying and I hope it pays off to be different, but it looks rough.
Mark (@mrcento)
28th February 2022, 22:38
I voted Aston. It just has something about it that looks mega aggressive, almost futuristic.
The Ferrari is a close second, thought. There’s just something incredibly early 90’s about it with the shade they have used, the shape of the nose, the black wings etc, but with a read modern edge.
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
28th February 2022, 23:13
I like the Haas VF-22 quite a lot in the plain white livery, i just think the front wing should be mostly white to match or even better blue and yellow.
AlexS
1st March 2022, 3:56
I did not voted in this, but Ferrari by far. It has the most harmonious form. Then Alfa Romeo and Aston.
f12007v (@f1fan-2000)
1st March 2022, 11:26
All the cars look so nice compared to the last 10 years