The Evolution of Racing Liveries
17th June 2025
Motorsport Livery - From National Colours to Corporate Identity
Racing liveries are far more than just paint schemes - they're bold expressions of national pride, technical innovation, and marketing mastery. From the earliest days of motorsport, colour and design have been used to convey far more than team affiliation. Liveries have helped define entire eras of racing, from the patriotic simplicity of early 20th-century national colours to the striking, sponsor-led designs of modern Formula One and endurance racing.
Whether it’s the deep heritage of British Racing Green, the fiery passion of Italy’s Rosso Corsa, or the unforgettable branding of Marlboro McLaren and Gulf Porsche, liveries have long played a vital role in motorsport’s visual identity. In today’s racing world, a livery can be a viral social media moment, a collector’s dream, or a sponsor’s most valuable real estate.
In this deep dive, we'll explore the rich history and dramatic evolution of racing liveries - from their traditional origins to the boundary-pushing designs of the digital age - highlighting how these visual signatures have shaped the culture, business, and aesthetics of motorsport.
Timeline of Racing Liveries at a Glance
1900 – 1960: National Colours
Liveries were based on national identity - British Racing Green, Rosso Corsa, and German Silver Arrows were born.
1960 – 1985: Sponsorship Era Begins
Teams like Lotus and Gunston pioneered commercial liveries. Iconic brands like Marlboro, Martini, and Gulf became visual legends.
1985 – 2000: Digital Tools & Complexity
CAD tools, vinyl wraps, and more detailed designs emerged. Liveries became marketing masterpieces.
2000 – Present: Brand Identity & Innovation
Tobacco gave way to tech and energy sponsors. Teams like Red Bull reshaped livery storytelling with bold visuals and social media flair.
Origins: 1900 - 1960
In the early days of motorsport, liveries served one primary purpose: to identify the nationality of the competing vehicle. The origins of national racing colours trace back to the Gordon Bennett Cup (1900 - 1905), an elite race organised by James Gordon Bennett, owner of the New York Herald. Each participating nation was represented by three cars manufactured within their borders and painted in a standardised colour.
- France - Blue (Bleu de France)
- Germany - White
- USA - Red, White and Blue
- Belgium - Yellow
- Great Britain - Adopted British Racing Green after red, white, and blue were taken
- Italy - Red
- Austria - Yellow and Black
When Britain hosted the 1903 race in Ireland due to legal restrictions on racing in England, they honoured the host country with a shamrock green colour, which later evolved into the famous British Racing Green.
Italy's Rosso Corsa (Racing Red) became their national colour after Prince Scipione Borghese won the original Peking to Paris race of 1907 in a red Itala car. This colour remains synonymous with Italian carmakers like Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
Germany made a notable shift in 1934 during the Eifelrennen race at the Nürburgring. Faced with a new weight limit of 750kg, Mercedes-Benz removed the white paint from their W25 to shed 1kg, revealing the silver aluminium body. This unintentional innovation birthed the legendary Silver Arrows.
The Gordon Bennett Trophy Race in Ireland on Thursday, 2nd July, 1903.
Triumph painted in British Racing Green
Mercedes-Benz C11 painted in Silver Arrows
Ferrari F40 painted in Italy's signature Rosso Corsa
The Rise of Sponsorships: 1960 - 1985
Until the 1960s, racing liveries remained relatively plain. That changed when sponsorship was officially allowed in European motorsport.
This shift transformed liveries into commercial canvases, introducing more intricate and colourful designs.
- Team Gunston led the charge at the 1968 South African Grand Prix, donning orange and Gunston Cigarettes branding.
- Team Lotus followed, replacing British Racing Green with the red, white, and gold of Gold Leaf Tobacco.
Iconic liveries soon followed:
- Martini Racing debuted in 1968 and introduced their signature blue and red stripes on white in 1971. Their partnership with Lancia brought success in the 1983 World Rally Championship with the Lancia 037.
- Marlboro’s Red and White livery became synonymous with McLaren F1 and Ayrton Senna, though it first appeared with BRM in 1972, launching Niki Lauda's career. Marlboro also sponsored rally giants like Lancia Stratos, Mitsubishi, and Peugeot.
- Gulf Oil's Blue and Orange design gained worldwide fame after the Ford GT40 won the 1966 Le Mans, later featuring on the Porsche 917 in the Steve McQueen film Le Mans.
Lancia Delta rally car sporting the Martini Livery
Formula One car with Marlboro livery
McLaren F1 GTR sporting the Gulf Team livery
A New Era of Design: 1985 - 2000
As motorsport embraced the digital age, liveries evolved alongside technology and marketing strategies. Global sponsorships introduced a new wave of complexity in design.
- CAD (Computer-Aided Design) allowed teams to design liveries with unmatched precision, helping brands create symmetrical and consistent designs.
- Vinyl Wraps became increasingly popular due to cost efficiency and ease of application. Originally used for sponsor decals, vinyl technology improved by the 1990s, allowing full vehicle wraps.
- Advanced Paint Techniques enabled intricate graphics, gradients, and finishes.
The iconic Williams Rothmans livery displayed on the race car driven by Jacques Villeneuve during the 1997 FIA Formula One World Championship was a standout example of this: a refined composition of dark blue, white, and gold, featuring elegant curves and branding that subtly reinforced Rothmans' image without dominating the overall visual appearance.
The branding of Rothmans, a British manufacturer of tobacco products at the time, was intricated smoothly into the design on the sides and rear wing of the car.
This, along with the red and gold stripes, highlighted the cars shape and helped reinforce the brands’ identity without overpowering it.
Williams team Formula One car sporting Rothmans Livery
Corporate Identity and Global Influence: 2000 - Present
The 21st century ushered in a new era where liveries became extensions of corporate identity. With growing restrictions on tobacco sponsorship, technology, telecom, and energy drink companies stepped in.
- Ferrari, long associated with Marlboro, adapted their livery to meet new regulations by using barcode graphics to subtly imply Marlboro branding.
- In 2005, Red Bull Racing took sponsorship to the next level by creating an entire team. Their bold livery, featuring a matte blue base with red and yellow branding elements, perfectly embodies their energetic and rebellious brand image.
- Matte finishes became popular post-2016, offering a striking contrast to traditional gloss and enhancing the visibility of graphic elements under race lighting.
- Full vinyl wraps are now commonplace, particularly in promotional liveries and special editions. While Formula One teams often still rely on paint due to aerodynamic concerns, vinyl remains a flexible and efficient solution.
Ferrari making clever use of barcode graphics
Red Bull Racing McLaren livery in a modern matte finish
Today’s liveries are as much about brand storytelling and fan engagement as they are about performance. Social media, esports, and digital renderings have all played a role in elevating the importance of livery design.
A Century of Colour, Identity, and Innovation
The journey of racing liveries mirrors the evolution of motorsport itself - from national pride to commercial enterprise, from hand-painted simplicity to digital complexity. What began as a method of visual distinction has become a key element of team branding, fan identity, and sponsor activation.
From British Racing Green and Rosso Corsa to Red Bull matte wraps and barcode Marlboros, liveries continue to push the boundaries of design and marketing. As motorsport evolves, one thing remains certain: the colour and creativity of racing liveries will always be a defining feature of the sport.
Advanced Techniques and Materials at Popin
For example, McLaren’s Senna Sempre livery that we explored in detail during our 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed article, uses a new "ombré effect" paint technique which seamlessly transitions one colour into another. Alternatively, a "wet-on-wet blending" technique is another modern approach that achieves a similar result whereby paint is skilfully applied while it's still wet, allowing the colours to mix naturally.
A second example of advancing technology in livery design is the development of reflective vinyl. 3M's launch of the IJ780mc print wrap film features a fully conformable, printable wrapping vinyl with reflective properties. This clever invention has been used across all motorsport disciplines, allowing liveries to stand out in low visibility environments and races, such as 24 hours of Le Mans; a race which spans both night and day.
At Popin, we often use this material in our own designs, such as for the FSEW fleet. We have also designed a range of motorsport liveries, with some also incorporating the 3M IJ780mc reflective film into their design. The Westbase Group Ford Fiesta R5 is a great example of this; lighting up forest rally stages with its neon, retro Miami style livery. This bold and reflective light blue and pink livery is unmissable, featuring a detailed printed image mirroring the Miami skyline.
Further Examples of our Motorsport Livery Work
Are you looking for motorsport livery experts to help take the branding and visuals of your race car to the next level? If so, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team of vehicle wrap design and installation professionals here at Popin Graphics.
We'd be thrilled to find out more about your project.
