F1's Colourless Grid

So, the first week of Formula 1 testing has been and gone. What stood out more than Mercedes' ridiculous bullet proof reliability, or the Honda power unit still completing the least mileage, is the shocking lack of colour on the grid for 2016. It has been noticeable over the last few years that colourful liveries are disappearing off the grid, making it more difficult for fans to know who is who. For more hardcore fans, they will probably know the difference, however fans new to the sport will be looking at the cars thinking they are all the same. Obviously the red of the Ferrari stands out amongst the dull, dark paintjobs on the grid, along with the white Williams and three tone colours of Manor. Other than that, the grid consists of darkened colours, with the only prominent colour being that of the sponsorships. I understand that having sponsorships stand out on cars is a big thing, and has been throughout the years. In the past though, teams have always had the sponsors stand out and retained the colour. Why not now? Here, I will be looking at teams who have had liveries that have stood out like a saw thumb during a Grand Prix. Obviously there are many other colourful F1 cars in history, but these are my personal favourite three.

British American Racing (BAR 01) 1999 Season

At the end of 1998, the historic Tyrrell team was bought by British American Tobacco and rebranded British American Racing, BAR for short. The teams debut season saw them run a livery that was different on each side of the car. Originally the team wanted separate liveries for each car, one running the Lucky Strike blue, and the other running the red and white of 555, both brands of cigarettes owned by British American Tobacco. This was rejected by the FIA, so instead the team split the livery down the middle. It was a unique idea that was easily noticeable during the 1999 season. The livery was able to corporate other sponsors due to its "zip" up the centre, which spread out at the end of the nosecone. This way, the dual colour wouldn't affect the other sponsorships on the car. Even the rear wing of the car featured the duel colour scheme, seeing the blue Lucky Strike on the front and the red and white 555 occupying the back. It was a unique livery, and one that stood out on the grid. The idea of seeing something with this much vibrancy on the grid today is unthinkable. 

Image Taken From: http://wtf1.co.uk/the-cool-wall-cigarettes-and-alcohol/

7up Jordan 1991 Season

This car was the car that gave Michael Schumacher his Formula 1 debut in the Belgian GP in 1991. Eddie Jordan's first Formula 1 car came onto the grid in 1991 - and immediately stood out. It gave the team its visual identity and although it only lasted for one season, the way it stood out on T.V was brilliant. Its main body of emerald green was supported by flashes of lighter green which broke up any potential repetitiveness of colour, and gave something more to the livery. On top of this, dark blue is separated from the green with a strip of white, giving it a simple, yet brilliant look. The red of the 7up logo on the engine cover means that bits of red can be used elsewhere without seeming out of place, particularly on the wing. On the sidepods there were two variants of sponsor, Fujifilm and later on, Tic Tac. The Tic Tac logo looked like a better fit with its white standing out better against the blue. The Fujifilm one looks less effective as the red does not stand out from the blue. What helps the Tic Tac stand out more is possibly down to the fact it was on Schumacher's  first car in the sport.  

Images Taken From: http://www.diecast.org/diecast98/html/asp/list_reviews/xq/ASP/id.MP100-910032/qx/reviewpix.htm

Jaguar R1 2000 Season

When Ford bought the Steward team and announced it would run under the Jaguar guise for the 2000 season, every F1 fan knew it would be seeing a green livery on the grid. Mock-ups were made by many people during 1999 of the distinct British Racing Green and the famous Jaguar logo (the "leaping cat") on the engine cover. That is what the fans were given as the Jaguar launched with its traditional green and the well incorporated white and red of the HSBC sponsor, that carried over from the Stewart team. The shade of green wasn't exactly BRG (British Racing Green) but was optimised for T.V audiences. On top of this, the subtle touches on the car were fantastic, in particular the gold wheels, which had the potential to look hideously cheap but looked superb. A smart move on the part of Jaguar was to keep all sponsors on the green parts of the car white. Jaguar competed in F1 until 2004 which never saw a massive change in the team's livery.  Changes were made over these years which took away the class from this first design. For example using the Beck logo in full on the barge board, even though it matched the main colour scheme of the car. To add to this, in 2002, the team added the blue of sponsors EDS and AT&T making the car look extremely messy. Although the team's performances never lived up to the historical name, the cars livery is iconic, recognisable and one that is loved among racing fans in general.  

Image Taken From: http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/687698,19843,0,0/photo.aspx