Ranking Every Formula 1 2022 Livery

 

Ferrari, McLaren and Williams liveries (F1.com)

    The release of Alfa Romeo's new C42 has culminated the countdown of all 10 teams releasing their livery designs for the upcoming 2022 Formula 1 season. 

    I am no fashion expert by any means, but I certainly have some opinions on each of the cars. Some teams absolutely knocked out of the park and a couple others definitely dropped the ball. 

    A quick disclaimer before we get started: this is solely a ranking of the liveries themselves. The designs of the cars mechanically will have no input on this list. I'm only focusing on how the colours and designs mesh, rather than looking at how the car looks as a whole. 

    With that out of the way, let's begin.

10. BWT Alpine F1 Team

Alpine F1 (Twitter.com)

    The only objectively ugly livery on the entire grid next year, Alpine were forced into a corner when BWT signed on as a primary sponsor for the team. As proved by Lawrence Stroll's "Pink Mercedes" in 2020, it's not easy to make a BWT-sponsored livery look clean. Add in the fact that BWT became a sponsor for Alpine just two weeks ago and you get a rushed design that doesn't mesh well at all.

    I was looking at a Mini Wheats box the other day and I noticed just how poorly blue and pink work together. So, why would Otmar Szafnauer's team decide on this horrid livery? It has way too much going on and it is an utter mess.

    The all-pink one-off livery is a bit controversial itself, but at least it committed to one theme, unlike this indecisive mesh of colours.

9. Haas F1 Team

(F1.com)

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to Haas dropping the colours of the Russian flag on their front wing as well as Russian brand UralKali as their primary sponsor. Ironically enough, this white neutral livery looks better than the former Russian-inspired one. 

    It's clean, albeit a little boring. Time will tell whether this is Haas' final livery or if they tweak it before the Official Preseason Test in Bahrain on March 10. Haas' colour scheme doesn't give them much to work with, though.

    In all honestly, I don't mind this livery, but it doesn't stand out.

8. Scuderia AlphaTauri

AlphaTauri (Twitter.com)

    We've already gotten into liveries that I truly like. The AlphaTauri car looks quite nice. It's an enigma in the sense that it looks fairly minimalist, but also has too much going on. Other than those two minor criticisms, it's a very smooth livery. 

    It doesn't go bold or offensive, which is fine. However, for a team that often seems to bring similar liveries, the beginning of a new era in F1 may have warranted a more creative choice for the Red Bull sister team.

7. Oracle Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing (Twitter.com)

    Did we really expect anything else? Red Bull are starting to settle into a groove in which they just copy-and-paste their livery from the previous year and add a couple minor changes to the vehicle.

    It's a classic design, regardless. I do enjoy looking at the navy blue with the bright yellow and the vibrant red. The massive Oracle sponsor raised some eyebrows, but it'll be hard to judge until we actually see the car on our televisions. 

    Red Bull will probably have a couple of beautiful one-off liveries, too, throughout the season. 

6. Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

(F1.com)

    Ironically enough, the team dubbed the "Silver Arrows" looks better in black. The Darth Vader design from last year was absolutely unbelievable. Going back to the silver design was a decision fueled by nostalgia. 

    To be fair, I don't mind this silver. It has a bit of pop and I enjoy the teal on the sides. 

    However, the red seems a bit out of place to me and I can't help but think how much better this car would be in matte black. Mercedes will be title contenders on the track, but on my livery rankings, they miss out on the top 5.

5. McLaren F1 Team

McLaren (Twitter.com)

    Quite possibly the most divisive new car, McLaren find a niche right in the middle. It's a very busy livery, combining lots of colours that don't quite go perfectly together and placing them right next to each other. The papaya orange is still very cool and I do like the Gulf blue in some spots.

    However, I feel like the Woking team went all-in with the Gulf colours and forgot that they were known for the orange-and-black combo. The Gulf livery in Monaco worked last year, because it was new and fresh. I personally think the blue might get old quickly. 

    Other than that, it is a nice-looking car.

4. Scuderia Ferrari

(F1.com)

    Like Red Bull, Ferrari will rarely ever make changes. Unlike Red Bull, they found a way to spice up their car from last year with an aggressive red-black pairing that should be threatening on track.

    Ferrari have shot themselves in the foot in recent years by tampering with the purity of the Maranello red. This year, however, they pursued a beautifully simple livery that is a throwback to the days of Alain Prost in the 1980s.

    It's a good-looking car and I can't wait to see it in race action.

3. Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen

Alfa Romeo (Twitter.com)

    For some reason, people don't seem to like this one. I can't understand that sentiment, as I absolutely adore the Alfa livery. It's a throwback to the past and I really enjoy the retro font on the engine cover. It's a classy way to distinguish itself from any other livery on the grid.

    The crimson-white combo is beautiful and it combines ideas of Swiss precision with Italian passion. I am a big fan of the wheel covers as well. Alfa are one of the first teams to make wheel covers look like a good idea.

    The Alfa Romeo livery is fancy, yet basic. It is quiet, yet bold. All in all, a major W for Frederic Vasseur's team.

2. Williams Racing

(F1.com)

    This one grew on me, for sure. After an objectively terrible design last year, Williams pivoted in an old direction with this year's car. They went with a more retro livery, emphasizing the glory days of the late Frank Williams' team. 

    New driver Alex Albon nailed it when he said, "It just feels more Williams". This dark-blue car is clean and full of detail, just like the entire organization. I do love midnight-blue, so maybe I'm a little biased here. All aspects of this car contribute to the more dramatic theme that Williams seem to be going for this campaign.

    Williams are looking for an upturn in results this season. All I can say for now is that they'll look good making an effort. 

1. Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team

Aston Martin (Twitter.com)

    An easy choice for the number 1 spot. The new Aston Martin is absolutely stunning. They've brought back traditional British racing green and gone for a bolder lime-green trim on the framework. When you think of Aston Martin F1, this is the design you will think of.

    The car looks quick and sleek, even though fans haven't seen long video clips of the cars on track just yet. I'm expecting this livery to gain a lot of popularity as we start to see it during the Bahrain Pre-Season Test. 

    Aston were the first team to show off their car in action and they set the bar so high that nobody else could exceed.

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