The Formula 1 season has kicked off in speculator fashion at the O2 Arena. No doubt some fans won’t be as welcoming to the new concept and I am a fan of the old livery reveal system.
The cars were the focal point and whilst the musicians didn’t feel like a necessary addition the event itself was enjoyable. Jack Whitehall in particular I thought was fantastic in between livery reveals with jabs at all the drivers.
I would’ve loved to see the teams get longer to present but for the first time, the event was well done including the grid with all drivers and liveries in championship order to close the night. Here is my rating of each team’s livery and presentation at F1 75 Live.
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber: 4/10
A marching band helped escort out the new green machine for the last season of Kick Sauber before they become Audi next year. The presentation itself was very dramatic but hard to take seriously when this team barely scored a point last season. The livery itself is a green and black car with a gradient splitting those two colours in half.
It’s an improvement on last season for sure although the colour combination makes it hard to be a top livery. Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto didn’t get a proper opportunity to talk which is a shame for two new drivers at a new team. This team tries to beat its chest but has yet to prove anything of substance.
Atlassian Williams Racing: 7/10
Williams’ presentation opened with the late great Frank Williams talking about the team’s aspiration to race. Very short sharp and simple Williams introduced their new challenger by just lifting the curtain. The deep dark blue on the front lightens at the back and is a beautiful car to look at.
However, the livery is essentially the same as last year. Alex Albon preached improvement and Carlos Sainz talked about enjoying the ride. Overall a very solid presentation but nothing remarkable about the livery. Hard to go wrong with Williams but a bang-average rating is appropriate.
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls: 10/10
Racing Bulls started their presentation with effectively a YouTube video. Some shots at Ferrari and McLaren are reasonably funny. VCARB pulled the sheets off their F1 car in a traditional sense. A white car is a real shock and is rarely done. I love the car because it’s reminiscent of the Japanese Red Bull Racing livery from a few years back.
Credit to Racing Bulls for trying something different and in an arena full of potentially new fans deviating and being different was incredibly smart. The livery is one of the best on the grid this year – well done VCARB.
Moneygram Haas F1 Team: 7/10
Haas started by crediting their 10th F1 season which is a big achievement and highlighted the team’s achievements over the last decade. Haas’ livery actually got leaked during a shakedown test at Silverstone so wasn’t a surprise to see the white sidepods remain.
The livery itself is a similar concept to the Renault in 2020 where depending on what angle you see the car changes the predominant colour. It’s clean and I’m a big advocate for this year. It doesn’t push the boundaries but liveries rarely do. Overall a solid livery that does the job and will look great on track.
BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team: 6/10
Alpine had Brian Tyler open for the French outfit in an incredibly dramatic performance. A light performance in Alpine’s colours certainly created a spectacle but it perhaps dragged on before we got to see the car.
Jack Doohan all smiles (Photo by Michael Potts/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
A royal blue on the side pods is matched by pink down the nose. No time left for interviews so not hearing from Aussie Jack Doohan was a shame and whilst the livery this year is at least painted the colours aren’t a favourite of mine. Mainly because BWT in pink with a deep blue background feels very overcrowded. Alpine’s first few liveries remain their most beautiful and I hope eventually they return to those roots.
Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team: 4/10
The James Bond theme was very creative and a much-welcome addition. Walking out in suits at least showed something different to other teams as well. The livery has some flaws, the white Madden at the top and a black side pod labelled with Aramco is quite bizarre. It feels like Aston forgot to paint the car in these areas.
Aston Martin hasn’t nailed the livery this year and the launch felt a bit jarring with Tems performing after the 007 feature that didn’t flow well. Musicians should probably stay away from actually helping present the teams themselves.
Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team: 8/10
A quick advertisement followed by the entrance of the car kept the pace moving. The car has returned more to its silver roots with that red airbox finally gone. Mercedes has absolutely nailed the brief this year and while others may think this livery is boring to me it’s sleek. Mercedes has implemented a better version of mixing silver and black and giving proper time to introduce Kimi Antonelli in particular showed how a simple launch can be done right.
Oracle Red Bull Racing: 6/10
Surprising to say the least that Red Bull didn’t do something too extravagant. Christian Horner introduced the team to some boos for both himself and Max Verstappen. A pre-recorded video about car culture was a tad confusing and resulted in a small army walking out with the two drivers.
The car itself is the same but I can’t complain about the livery because it is beyond iconic although the day it does change will create much intrigue. No interview from either Liam Lawson or Max Verstappen was very strange and a mistake on their part and took a point off their score.
Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 Team: 6/10
A tribute to Enzo Ferrari was a nice touch to start Ferrari’s presentation before showing previous prancing horses as they also celebrated 75 years of competing in Formula 1. Unfortunately, the car has kept the same ugly white wings and added additional white for HP in a diagonal stripe across the side of the car.
White on a Ferrari doesn’t necessarily look bad but the empty white space makes it feel like something is missing. Lewis Hamilton’s first public appearance as a Ferrari driver does help score this ever so slightly higher.
McLaren Formula 1 Team: 9/10
Similar to Ferrari, McLaren showed their previous title-winning cars including last year’s MCL38. Bringing some iconic McLaren Formula 1 cars in person was a very nice touch that no other team did. Martin Brundle introducing the team was class and revealing the car rolling back the sheet similar to VCARB was the way to go.
The car mirrors last year’s livery which is understandable considering the chance to build a dynasty. One of the best presentations and the livery is solid. Will it be a championship-winning car? Only time will tell.
Oliver van Bronswijkhttps://https://ift.tt/Y5rgtHK Racing Bulls impress: Each team’s presentation and livery rated from new-look F1 75
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