BY SIENNA PAGE & ABI MCINTOSH
As pre-season testing in Bahrain approaches for the 2023 Formula 1 season, the long wait is finally over – we finally have something to do on weekends! These three gruelling months have given us very little, other than Team Principal Silly Season™ and quite a few thirst traps, but now we finally have a sneak peek at the new look of the cars and race suits. The teams started to announce their car launch dates in early January, and ever since, F1 fans have been on the edge of their seats.
In this article, we will be showing you the new livery and giving our (biased) opinions. There will be 3 ways we judge them on a scale out of 10; the reveal event, how different the car is from last year and how much we like the livery. These will be listed in order of what livery was released first.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team: 31st of January
First out of the garage, Haas with their new name from their title sponsor (Money Gram Haas F1 Team) introduced their 2023 car the VF-23 in quite an underwhelming fashion. Haas decided to have no event and just post the new livery on Instagram with an extra video from team principal, Guenther Steiner. This is most likely due to their lack of funding which seems to be their only personality trait, and losing Mick Schumacher meant even more money was gone (bad decision on their behalf but he would’ve never gone anywhere anyways).
On the other hand, their new livery is quite different. It has quite a bit less red, only on the front wing and rear wing, this means that in general, the livery looks a lot sleeker, with black on the sides and white at the top. Their title sponsor is not the only sponsorship Haas has featured on the new livery, Chipotle has joined the team which is great news for the cost cap, they certainly won’t go over budget on catering this year and even better for the financial department as they won’t have to spend as much money on food (gotta keep their reputation as being the poorest team).
Haas was the first team to reveal their new, more black design and were definitely not the last, starting a series of many new liveries this year featuring more amounts of black. In our opinion, physically it looks better and more attractive than the VF-22 but because Mick Schumacker isn’t driving it, it will never be as good.
Event: 2/10 (just because we got to see Günther)
Difference: 7.5/10 (one of the most different cars)
How much we like it: 7/10
(Leopold, 2023a)
Red Bull Racing: 3rd February
Unlike Redbull in recent years, they were second (maybe it’s a prediction for their season ahead), but they certainly made an impression. Redbull hosted an exciting event in New York City which featured a whole hour of talking before they actually revealed the car. Up on stage, we got to see Christian Horner (Team Principal), Max Verstappen, Sergio (Checo) Perez and their brand new 3rd driver, our favourite Aussie, the honey badger, Daniel Riccardo. After a long hour of talking, they finally showed us the car and it was exciting! They had fire shooting up from the ground and a massive countdown to get everyone going. Except when people actually saw it, they realised it was not that exciting. Redbull is one of the many teams this year to release a car that is almost identical to its predecessor. There are some changes in terms of branding placement and the design of the front wing, but other than that, not a lot to report on.
Event: 9/10 (the fire, Daniel Ricciardo, New York City – not a lot to complain about)
Difference: 1/10 (wait, it isn’t the RB-18?)
How much we like it: 6/10 (this is very biased, not a red bull fan but can appreciate a good livery)
(Straw, 2023)
Williams Racing: 6th of February
Williams got swept under the rug last year with their thoroughly disappointing results (remember, Latifi was coming 21st in a 20-car championship up until Japan). With the addition of academy driver Logan Sargeant replacing the highly underwhelming Latifi, maybe things might be looking up for the team. The car certainly has given us some hope featuring a new design but keeping all the good elements we like with the Williams chassis like the stunning blue they feature. The biggest differences are their slightly more angular side pod design and the lacking of their regular Lavazza sponsorship, due to Latifi’s departure. Not too different, but still looks nice we’ll just have to see how well it performs on the track.
Event: 3/10 (above average and super cool to see Logan in his new gear)
Difference: 4/10 (they kind of just scrambled around the design but it is still distinctly different)
How much we like it: 9/10 (gotta love the classic design and the stunning, vibrant blue colour)
(Suttill, 2023)
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake: 7th of February
One of the very few teams to keep their line up and coming off of a very successful season in 2022, they are starting the 2023 season off strong (besides the new team principle but it seems to be a good fit so far) and their car proves their intentions. They’ve gotten rid of the white almost altogether and have replaced it with black, creating a very stylish car when combined with their deep scarlet red. They also have a completely new side pod design as well as some small changes to the shape of their front wing and rear wing. When it comes to sponsorships, Alfa Romeo is so longer sponsored by Polish oil and petrol company Orlen, having replaced it with Stake, an online gambling company. The move to black chassis seems popular this year, we just have to wait to see if it works out well for the teams. Enjoy the stunning deep red and black combo on the grid while it lasts because in 2026 Audi will be buying Sauber and therefore its partnership with Alfa Romeo will be dissolved.
The event took place in Switzerland and featured some exciting people including interviews from both Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas. Although they had some people speaking via Zoom which is great in terms of getting as many people as possible but seemed a bit tacky and informal. The event itself didn’t feature the actual car, only images so in that way it was a bit anticlimactic.
Event: 4/10 (just not that good, would’ve loved to have seen the car)
Difference: 6/10 (the addition of more black is nice and sleek)
How much we like it: 8/10 (nobody can beat the red of Ferrari but this is a good second)
(Michael-Malm, 2023a)
Scuderia AlphaTauri: 11th of February
Even with the model abilities of Pierre Gasly gone, AlphaTauri never fails to give us some fashion show content. Starting with a video of the new car and then it supposedly being airlifted into New York City via helicopter (always connected to Red Bull). Then with a stunning sequence of their drivers dressed in Alpha Tauri clothes (in case you forgot they were a clothing brand) and actual models. Although the format of a video can seem underwhelming compared to a live event, it is still one of the most captivating launches seen this year. The car isn’t too different from last year aside from the brand new sponsor of the Polish company Orlen (yes, the same one that ditched Alfa Romeo) which introduced red into their chassis. Some may claim that this colour change is ugly and offputting but we really don’t think it’s that deep. A first glance, some may think that the livery looks quite different – until you realise they just flipped the colours around. Other than that, it’s virtually unchanged.
Event: 9.5/10 (iconic best event, we loved it. Just wish the drivers were as cool to match it!)
Difference: 4/10 (they tried to trick us but it’s not really that different.)
How much we like it: 6/10 (it’s nothing special but not bad at all!)
(AlphaTauri Unveils New Car and Revised Livery for F1 2023 – the Race, 2023)
McLaren F1 Team: 13th of February
After unveiling a very similar (in appearance) car to last year, the MCL60 doesn’t seem much to call home about. While still predominantly an outlandish papaya colour, the MCL60 features more black on the front wing and sculpted side pod, in line with many other teams, and a special 60 printed on the side – an ode to the 60-year anniversary of Bruce McLaren founding the team. The rear wing is now orange as well, as unfortunately the blue has been discarded. While the Google Chrome logo on the wheels isn’t particularly new, it is a clever placement and looks amazing combined with the orange and blue of the car. The reveal itself also included a special video about “where it all began”, with recounts from Bruce himself, and many enthusiastic McLaren employees who worked with him. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, McLaren’s 2023 drivers, then came out to answer some questions, followed by CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andreas Seidl. Fans were then treated (or burdened?) with another short film before the car was unveiled. McLaren does have a solid colour palette in their favour, but otherwise, this launch was fairly run-of-the-mill, with the monotony only being interrupted by the touching tribute to Bruce McLaren.
Event: 5/10 (Fine, but boring. And predictable. And mediocre.)
Difference: 3/10 (Unless the MCL60 is a rocket, the car is virtually unchanged.)
How much we like it: 7/10 (Papaya and blue sound disgusting, but actually works quite well.)
(Leopold, 2023c)
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team: 13th of February
Once again sporting their dashing emerald green, the AMR23 is a beauty to look at. Like last year, the front and rear wings have been painted black in a very unoriginal fashion, however, the coordinated colour scheme ensures that the design flows excellently. Hints of neon yellow are not new to the team, however, they do provide an interesting contrast – they are also perhaps more useful than black in terms of visibility. The launch itself was seemingly a very small (and very British?) ceremony, with words from Lawrence Stroll, Team Principal, preceding an incredibly futuristic light show that enthralled the crowd. Personally, we felt that it looked like the car was being abducted by aliens, but in a way that was camp, rather than bad. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, AM’s 2023 drivers, also came out for a discussion. We might be blinded by the beauty of the AMR23, but this launch was certainly entertaining.
Event: 8/10 (Exciting, but not particularly shocking. Just enough fun!)
Difference: 2/10 (Very small changes that everyone else also made. Very unoriginal.)
How much we like it: 10/10 (Prettiest car on the grid for sure.)
(Leopold, 2023b)
Scuderia Ferrari: 14th of February
Having been one of the few teams to already feature black rear and front wings, Ferrari didn’t have much to change this year. A particularly fun addition, however, is the patented Ferrari logo on the rear wing – it’s large, it’s bold and if you didn’t already know it was a Ferrari, you certainly do now. The SF-23 does feature a slightly more sculpted side pod, with a bit more definition in the metal, but other than that I couldn’t see a whole lot of difference.
On the national holiday of love, Ferrari, while relatively late to the game, unveiled a lovely Valentine’s Day present for F1 fans everywhere. Their launch was arguably the best of this year, with a live audience and a trackside demonstration. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took the SF-23 for a drive around the circuit at Fiorano, close to their home base in Maranello. The consensus among fans showed that this was a ‘real’ car launch; the drivers, judging from their excited radio calls, were also under this thinking. Overall, the event was by far the most exciting of this year and tops our list.
Event: 10/10 (Exciting, engaging and eventful. Got everyone very excited for the new season.)
Difference: 4/10 (Similar exposed carbon fibre, but a couple of fun design choices.)
How much we like it: 8/10 (Sleek, polished and has either Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc sitting in the driver’s seat.)
(Side-By-Side: Compare the 2023 Ferrari SF-23 and 2022 F1-75, 2023)
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team: 15th of February
Back in black! Not AC/DC, but Mercedes. The Mercedes has returned to an all-black livery, which feels slightly blasphemous when you remember that the last time they did this it was because they had several consecutive championships under their belt but now they have only one single win, but I digress. There’s not much to say about the W14, other than it’s black. The parts that were silver are black, the parts that were red are now black, and the parts that were black are still black. There is still the iconic lick of green down the side, and perhaps the only other major change is the difference between each driver’s car. George Russell’s car now sports neon green 63s both on the nose and shark fin, with small outlines on the duct fins above the front wheels, the wheel fairings and the camera mount. Lewis Hamilton has the same, but his 44s are a bright yellow. These changes are both extreme and minor at once, interestingly.
Mercedes’ launch wasn’t particularly exciting, but maybe they were giving the W14 the limelight. The launch was preceded by a chat between Toto Wolff – Mercedes Team Principal – Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Mick Schumacher, Naomi Schiff and Natalie Pinkham. It felt slightly like a talk show, but they get points for having two amazing female reporters ask the questions. The launch itself featured a lot of flashing lights and spare car parts in the background, but we guess it got the point across well enough.
Event: 5/10 (Nothing special, but not outright boring.)
Difference: 9/10 (A completely different but stunning colour palette, plus some extra highlights on top of that.)
How much we like it: 9/10 (A single point lost for choosing yellow as Lewis’ colour when the entire car is cool-toned.)
(Michael-Malm, 2023b)
BWT Alpine F1 Team: 16th of February
Alpine has such a fun colour palette to work with, and while not having changed the design a whole lot, have outdone themselves. The AF23 features a deeper, more rich blue, and has the seemingly customary increased exposed carbon fibre – but it looks good. The contrast between the electric blue and pastel pink is so pretty and gives the car a very modern look. Apart from fewer French flag graphics, which is surprising considering the team is now as fully French as possible, not many livery changes seem to have been made. The wheel fairings have a new splash of pink and blue, which is fun, but really only when the car is stationary. The launch itself was also fairly mediocre, with the obligatory talk before the cars were revealed, and then the obligatory interviews afterwards. It wasn’t bad, by all means, just pretty much everything we’ve seen before.
Event: 2/10 (Absolutely nothing new, and had to hear people try pronouncing ‘Szafnauer’ way too much.)
Difference: 4/10 (Love the deeper blue colour contrasting with the light pink, but that’s always been there.)
How much we like it: 7/10 (Pretty, but not mindblowing.)
(Leopold, 2023d)
So, even if this season doesn’t turn out right for your chosen team, or favourite driver, at least you’ll have pretty, colourful cars to look at!
Image references:
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alphatauri-2023-f1-car-launch-alphatauri-unveils-new-car-and-revised-livery-for-f1-2023/
2023 Haas VF-23 F1 car launch photos
2023 Aston Martin AMR23 F1 car launch photos
2023 McLaren MCL60 F1 car launch photos
2023 Alpine A523 F1 Car Launch Photos
https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/03/6402184b268e3e4f358b45ac.html
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alfa-romeo-2023-f1-car-launch-red-bull-inspired-sidepods/
https://the-race.com/formula-1/mercedes-w14-starting-behind-f1-2023-car/
Side-by-side: Compare the 2023 Ferrari SF-23 and 2022 F1-75
https://the-race.com/formula-1/red-bulls-biggest-2023-f1-car-design-change-explained/
https://the-race.com/formula-1/williams-offers-first-look-at-its-2023-f1-car/