P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Livery rules or new technology? What F1 needs to get its colour back again
In the current F1 era of ground effect cars, teams have been minimizing paint on their vehicles to save weight, with the Alpine A524 being a recent example of this trend. Discussions have arisen whether F1 should enforce a rule requiring full car painting for aesthetic reasons. However, implementing such a rule would be challenging due to the complexities involved in regulating livery design and painted surface areas. Leading paint expert Mark Turner, of Silverstone Paint Technology, notes the difficulties in standardizing livery regulations across all teams. While mandating full car paint may not be feasible, Turner believes the issue of carbon-dominated liveries will likely resolve as F1 transitions to smaller machinery from 2026. The increased size of modern F1 cars has made painting them more of a performance factor, with advancements in paint technology helping to reduce livery weight over the years. The shift towards lighter cars in F1’s future plans is expected to further address the issue of heavy liveries.
