F1 2023 is, incredibly, just two weeks away, and all ten teams on the grid have now unveiled their cars for the season ahead.
With testing set to begin next Friday in Bahrain, we don't have long to wait to see the 2023 machines out on track, but we're still itching to get going for the new F1 season.
The latest set of F1 cars are defined by a lack of paint due to desperate weight-saving initiatives from many of the teams on the grid, leading to many of the cars looking far more bare than in previous years. The grid in general is composed of more dark liveries than we can ever remember in a single year, and there is a distinct lack of colour across the grid - bar one or two outliers.
After Alpine launched their 2023 challenger on Thursday night and completed the grid, we've taken a look through the grid and ranked the new 2023 F1 liveries from worst to best.
Ranking the ten F1 liveries for 2023
10. AlphaTauri AT04
take it all in 👌 up close and personal with our brand new AT04 💙 pic.twitter.com/qOMzYBVGdM
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) February 12, 2023
When ToroRosso became AlphaTauri in 2020, it was accompanied by a shift to a white and navy livery, a move away from the Red Bull-esque design the sister team had previously had.
This year, new sponsors Orlen have invaded the livery with the addition of red to the navy and white, and it looks altogether too messy. The red clashes too harshly with the established colour scheme, and the transition from navy to white is quite jarring. Definitely the weakest livery yet for AlphaTauri.
Maybe I'm just longing for those old blue-silver-red Toro Rossos too much...
9. Williams FW45
Hitting the track for the first time! 💪
FW45: Checking in! 🫡#WeAreWilliams pic.twitter.com/1HEgpHww0M— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) February 13, 2023
Nothing particularly wrong with the Williams car, but its a slightly jumbled look to the blue chevrons and triangles cutting their way across the livery, from a team who have had some very clean designs down through the years.
Extra brownie points, though, for the Duracell sponsor on the roll hoop being made to look like an actual battery, just like last year.
8. Aston Martin AMR23
Introducing the #AMR23.#NewEnergy pic.twitter.com/yAQbYJMmEz
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 13, 2023
Here seems like an apt place for the meme from The Office where Pam is asked by corporate to find the difference between two pictures and notes that they are the same picture.
This is quite simply a rehash of last year's Aston Martin - not necessarily a bad thing, as the teal green look is a clean design. Nonetheless, just like the next name in this list, it's hard to give too many brownie points for a rehash of last year's design. Credit where it's due, however - there's a lot of paint on this car.
7. Red Bull Racing RB19
Detail of the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 is unveiled during the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Season Launch 2023 at Classic Car Club Manhattan on February 03, 2023 in New York City. // FIA / Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202302030524 // Usage for editorial use only //
Red Bull Racing have this thing down to an art at this stage. Other than the addition of Oracle as a title sponsor on the sidepods for 2022, there has been minimal change to the livery since Max Verstappen's first season with the team in 2016.
And it is a pretty damn good look, too - the matte navy finish on the car makes it look like a mean machine. There's only so much we can praise it, though, when it is essentially the exact same livery as last year's.
6. Haas VF-23
Starting your week off with another #VF23 angle 🤩#HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/SwmeJ8CrOd
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) February 13, 2023
Initially, the Haas looked bare bones, as another example of the weight-saving carbon fibre dominated liveries of F1 2023 - but it looks like a mean machine out on track. The only thing that could improve this would be a little bit more use of red throughout the design, but the black and white contrast looks sharp, and harks back to the early years of the team.
There will likely be fireworks at Haas this year, with ex-foes Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen teaming up.
5. McLaren MCL60
McLaren fans, your #MCL60. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/F6YxuSSUUL
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 13, 2023
An improvement on last year's livery, but still nowhere near the heights of the 2020 and 2021 designs from McLaren. The addition of extra blue to the livery is a nice touch, though we were hoping for a bit more after the 60th anniversary teasers. Nonetheless, it's one of the most colourful designs on the grid and will no doubt stand out at the first race in Bahrain.
After an indifferent 2022 season, the team will hope to return to 4th place in the F1 constructors' standings by the end of the season.
4. Alfa Romeo C43
Launch pics just dropped. Enjoy. ♥️ #GetCloser #F1 pic.twitter.com/bZyttBJkMg
— Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake (@alfaromeof1) February 9, 2023
When the Alfa Romeo dropped, it was the first indicator of the carbon fibre wave that would take over the 2023 grid, with the white supporting colours of previous years dropped in favour of the stark black contrast provided by bare carbon fibre.
However, this is the design on which the weight saving approach works best, combined with the dark red of the traditional Alfa Romeo livery. It's bold, and a fittingly sharp design for Alfa's last year in F1.
3. Alpine A523
Here we have it everyone, the A523 🤩 #Alpine #A523 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8tK8qvecdA
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 16, 2023
The last of the 2023 F1 cars to be launched, and it rockets towards the top of the rankings. There's a bit more pink added to the livery compared to 2022, and it also seems to be a more vibrant shade of pink for the BWT sponsor.
All in all, the colours pop in a way no other team's livery does for 2023, but the slightly chunky look of the car makes it look a tad messy, which is basically all that separates this livery from the very top of the leaderboard.
An honourable mention also goes to the special all-pink livery that Alpine will run for the first three F1 races of 2023 - it's divisive as hell, but the BWT pink washout livery is a winner in our books.
Not forgetting the BWT livery 🔥 #Alpine #A523 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VOlS2S657r
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 16, 2023
2. Scuderia Ferrari SF23
Passion driven in 2023 ❤️#SF23 pic.twitter.com/f46iwyzp3j
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 14, 2023
Perhaps the only team to *add* colour to their livery, Ferrari have gone for a brighter and more vibrant red design than last year's car, and the results are simply stunning.
There's not too much to this livery, but the black and white rear wing seals the deal on what is one of the best-looking Ferrari F1 cars in years. Excellent work.
1. Mercedes W14
Dream Team. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/b5isiGeuVJ
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 15, 2023
Back to black. Much has been said about the lack of colour on the F1 grid with most teams making an effort to shed paint in order to save weight, but Mercedes have shown how to do it with the W14.
The all-black livery of 2020 and 2021 returns, with a single teal stripe running down the sidepod topping off the design perfectly. With the bright yellow number and logo designs on Lewis Hamilton's car, in particular, this design stands above the rest of this year's dark and dreary designs - despite being all black.
It oozes class and, as Hamilton himself said at the car launch on Tuesday, it looks fast. Mercedes fans will just hope that it means a return to the front of the field.
Featured image credits: Red Bull Content Pool
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