All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked

All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked

The 2023 Formula 1 season is almost upon us, and that means one thing: It's time to talk about liveries.

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Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Mercedes

Friends, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: Formula 1 is almost back. Pre-season testing is about to kick off, a new season Drive to Survive is on its way, and the opening race in Bahrain is tantalizingly close. For us here at Jalopnik, that means one thing. I’m going to rank the 2023 F1 liveries, and you’re going to hop in the comments to tell me I’m wrong, actually.

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I don’t think it would be unfair to say that Formula 1 is firmly in its Hot Topic era. Several teams on the grid have opted to shave weight by foregoing paint, leaving us with plenty of black bodywork paired with some moodily colored accents. I, personally, am here for it — and this ranking will definitely reflect that.

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10. Red Bull RB19

10. Red Bull RB19

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Red Bull

Drivers: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez

I guess Red Bull could earn kudos for sticking to a brand, but they’re not going to get those kudos from me. The livery is ugly, as usual.

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9. McLaren MCL60

9. McLaren MCL60

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Photo: McLaren

Drivers: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri

Boooooooooo. Booooo, McLaren, boooooo. Too many colors booooooooooooo.


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8. AlphaTauri AT04

8. AlphaTauri AT04

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Scuderia AlphaTauri

Drivers: Yuki Tsunoda, Nyck de Vries

Red Bull’s junior team may have undergone a brand — and livery — shift when it transitioned from Toro Rosso to its current AlphaTauri phase, but the improvements of the past have been pretty much wiped out by the weird chunks of red plopped onto the car. The white nose and navy body is cool — but the red makes me grimace.

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7. Alpine A523

7. Alpine A523

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Alpine

Drivers: Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly

I like pink. I do not like it paired with the BWT blue. This has caused something of an identity crisis on my part in the sense that I want to enjoy the Alpine for giving me a taste of that sweet, sweet, eye-searing Pepto Bismol pink — but then I see the blue, and my hype train derails.

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6. Aston Martin AMR23

6. Aston Martin AMR23

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Aston Martin

Drivers: Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso

Not much has changed at ol’ Aston Martin when it comes to liveries, but I’m going to say something that really sets the comment section alight: In this case, I don’t care. I know, I know; it’s absolutely criminal of me to critique Red Bull for failing to change its livery while applauding Aston Martin for doing the exact same thing — but there’s a big difference here. The Red Bull is ugly. The Aston Martin is not. Navy blue, red, and orange is ugly. Green, black, and yellow is not. I hope that clears things up.

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5. Ferrari SF-23

5. Ferrari SF-23

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Scuderia Ferrari

Drivers: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr.

I really don’t think anyone was expecting some dramatic livery reinvention from Ferrari, but that’s okay: The tried-and-true Scuderia red with black accents will always be a winner.

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4. Williams FW45

4. Williams FW45

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Drivers: Alexander Albon, Logan Sargeant

I quite liked the Williams livery last year, so I’m glad to see the team has stuck to its guns (and did not instead opt for a Gulf Oil livery, because those are tacky as fuck). The argyle-style engine cover remains, which I adore, but I’m kind of obsessed with the little details: the Duracell battery air intake behind the drivers’ heads, and the arrows on the wheel covers. Mainly the battery. It’s so clever.

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3. Mercedes-AMG W14

3. Mercedes-AMG W14

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Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell

Mercedes has once again shelved its Silver livery in favor of a black one — and when I heard that, I wanted to be critical. Alas, I cannot be. The Petronas teal and neon green accents look so damn good against the all-black background that I have decided to cut the team some slack. Here’s hoping the team has used all that free brain space leftover from livery design to actually make a car that doesn’t bounce like an off-roader.


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2. Haas VF-23

2. Haas VF-23

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Haas F1

Drivers: Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg

Haas kicked off the 2023 season with its livery reveal at the end of January, and it started things off on a high note. The American team has opted for a mostly black scheme that features white cut into the top and a handful of red accents. Haas has always kept its liveries sharp and simple, but this might be one of its finest yet — possibly because it reminds me of something you’d see on one of Team Penske’s Indy cars, and I love IndyCar.

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1. Alfa Romeo C34

1. Alfa Romeo C34

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Alfa Romeo

Drivers: Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu

Okay, so I kind of hate the Stake sponsor’s font — but the rest of this car was entirely my vibe circa 2012 when I was in the throes of my dramatic goth phase. I’m a sucker for a good black-and-red combo, and this one is a great black-and-red combo. Keeping all the sponsor names in white text prevents things from looking too messy, and I love the angular black section that cuts up to the air intake from the side pod. Great work, folks.

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Let’s Be Honest. This Is the Actual No. 1

Let’s Be Honest. This Is the Actual No. 1

Image for article titled All of Formula 1's 2023 Liveries, Ranked
Image: Alpine

I mentioned it before, so I don’t think this is any surprise: I’m fully obsessed with Alpine’s all-pink special edition livery. This look will hit the track for the first three races of the year, and then Alpine is shelving it, which is so unfortunate. Barbiecore is huge right now, Alpine! You don’t need to go back to the blue!

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