A racing car can be as beautiful as you like, but if you stick a shoddy livery on it, just flash some colours around, it can instantly go from incredible to mediocre. The same can be true of the opposite, a brilliant livery can take middling, or even just plain ugly car, and elevate it to legendary status.
GULF
It had to be somewhere. Every maker of oil products has sponsored racing teams, from Shell to BP, Total to Motul. Yet, none has created a livery as iconic as Gulf's light blue and orange.
Though we haven't verified, it's likely that a Gulf-liveried car has raced somewhere in the world every year since the 1960s, whether in official events or not. This classic design has remained largely untouched, featuring a single orange stripe down the center flanked by blue on either side. Some variations in the shades of blue have occurred, and occasionally the black line separating the colours has been added or removed, but the core design has stayed consistent for six decades.
You might recognize it from the Porsche 917s or Ford GTs, but it has also graced Oak Racing LMP2 cars, Aston Martin GT cars, and most recently a McLaren F1 car. Finding a car that isn't enhanced by a Gulf livery is much harder than finding one that is.
MARLBORO
Tobacco companies have inspired some of the most iconic motorsport color schemes, with Marlboro’s simple orange and white design leaving a lasting mark on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Formula 1, the McLaren-Marlboro partnership stands out, even though Ferrari’s collaboration with the American cigarette company lasted longer. During this era, legendary drivers like Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna all clinched F1 titles under Marlboro's colors. Across the pond in America, Marlboro is most closely associated with Penske Racing, which throughout the 1990s and well into the 2000s, showcased a livery almost identical to McLaren’s.
The design mainly featured two orange stripes or chevrons framed by white stripes, though there were some variations. For instance, Tommi Mäkinen’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, which carried the Finnish driver to multiple WRC titles, sported an all-red Marlboro livery. Marlboro later partnered with Peugeot in rallying, continuing their bold visual tradition.
Given the health implications of cigarettes, it’s unlikely we’ll see another Marlboro livery in the future. But there's no denying how striking they were.
ROTHMANS
The Rothmans livery is a classic in motorsport history.
It first gained prominence on Porsches competing in various international events. Notably, the 956 and 962 racers at Le Mans and other World Sportscar Championship events bore the Rothmans colors. It also appeared on Porsche's rallying efforts, including the 911s and 959s that tackled the Dakar Rally.
Rothmans' involvement in motorsport wasn't confined to the 1980s. In the early 1990s, when Williams needed a new sponsor after parting with Camel/Canon, Rothmans stepped in. This partnership yielded two F1 drivers’ championships, one for Damon Hill and another for Jacques Villeneuve.
The Rothmans livery stands out for its simplicity: white on top, blue on the bottom, with red and gold stripes in between. When a sponsor dominates a car's design, it often enhances its appeal. The Rothmans livery was so beloved that Porsche revived it (without the branding) for Le Mans in 2018.
CASTROL
While many sponsors are known for supporting one or two forms of motorsport, Castrol has had its fingers in many pies. Castrol has sponsored a wide array of vehicles, including Touring Cars, Australian V8 Supercars, Le Mans cars, IMSA racers, Japanese Super GT cars, DTM machines, and rally cars.
Castrol's most famous connection is arguably with Toyota. When you think of a Castrol livery, the images that likely come to mind are a Corolla dominating the WRC or the TOM's Supra racing in Japan’s Super GT championship.
Following a "rule of three" for good liveries—three colors or fewer—the Castrol livery features a distinctive mix of white, red, and green. This scheme has been adapted in various ways, from the straight-edged design on a Ford GT to the swooping lines of the rally livery. Each version stands out, with the simple, bold "Castrol" logo in red taking centre stage.
MARTINI
Martini, another purveyor of mind-altering beverages, has a rich history of sponsoring numerous racing teams, predominantly Italian. From Lancia in sportscars to Alfa Romeo in touring cars, the iconic Martini stripes of blue and red have graced many racing machines.
These two colors, similar to BMW’s M branding, have been paired with various base colors. White is the most common base, as seen with Porsche, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo, but Brabham used a red base for a while, and some GT cars have featured it with black. Martini even experimented with blue and green on a couple of psychedelic Porsche 917s, and they made it work.
However, it's the simple stripes on a white base that stand out the most. This classic colour scheme even managed to make the less-than-pretty F1 cars of 2014-2016 look half decent when it adorned the Williams.
Which is your favourite racing liveries?
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