‘New fans have seen nothing yet – These are the worst F1 liveries of all time’

When Tuesday’s F1 75 Live event unveiled the 10 new liveries to the F1 community, the public met them with mixed receptions. I can hardly even describe the least attractive cars on the 2025 grid as unpalatable. This has not always been the case, though.

With so many eyes on the sport and large design teams at their disposal, modern livery designs are rarely plain and boring. However, go back a couple of decades, and the grids were awash with ugly designs, sponsorless monstrosities and bizarre colour combinations.

To mark the launch of the 2025 designs, here are five of the worst F1 liveries of the modern era.

BMW Sauber C29 (2010)

The BMW Sauber C29 was about as visually enticing as it was reliable – that is to say, not very. The Hinwil-based squad struggled to attract sponsors during the off-season and even rocked up to their first test with Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa’s names on the engine cover.

This situation didn’t change before the season opener in Bahrain, meaning Sauber raced with the blocky white-and-black design that resembled an F1 game stock livery. Eventually, a sprinkle of sponsors, including Burger King and the snappily named Mad-Croc Energy Drink, were added.

Honda RA107 (2007)

Honda launched their 2007 challenger with a bold and brave initiative. To “address the environmental issues facing the world”, the car would feature no sponsor logos and would instead be wrapped in a giant image of the Earth’s surface.

It was an interesting concept, granted. However, the end product looked less like an environmental call to arms and more like Honda had shoved Racing Bulls’ 2024 Las Vegas livery into a blender and poured the contents over the chassis.

The RA107 wasn’t fast, either. and Rubens Barrichello scored points on just three occasions as Honda ended the campaign eighth in the standings.

MCL32 (2017)

Comparing ’s latest F1 cars can be a fun spot-the-decal-difference exercise thanks to ‘s masterful commercial work. However, less than a decade ago, the Woking-based squad were a team in steep decline with cars free of headline sponsors.

The muddy orange base colour was less than easy on the eyes, and the black panels on the sidepods and engine cover were factored in with little care for aesthetics. Like the Sauber C29, the MCL32 was selected fresh from the F1 game stock catalogue.

The MCL32 was not only an affront to the eyeballs but also a disaster in terms of performance. and Stoffel Vandoorne combined for 13 retirements in 20 races and collected just 30 points in total. Only Sauber collected fewer.

HRT F112 (2012)

Truthfully, any of the short-lived F1 entries from the 2010s could have made this list (except those luscious green Caterham machines, of course). Honourable mentions go to the Virgin VR-01 and the Manor MRT05.

However, I’ve opted for the HRT F112 to represent the group. As appears to be the trend, the F112 was both ugly and depressingly slow. De la Rosa, who had already experienced the aforementioned Sauber C29, failed to qualify for the season’s first race in Bahrain, as did team-mate Narain Karthikeyan.

HRT’s car, which failed to score a point, just like its two predecessors, contained Tata Motors as its only notable sponsor at the start of the season, and the large patches of white only accentuated the team’s lack of commercial viability. Streaks of dark red and a muddy bronze-gold did little to improve the dreary sight as Karthikeyan and De La Rosa plodded around at the back of the field.

Haas VF-21 (2021)

With now safe from financial turmoil and on a strong upward trajectory, we can all sit back and marvel at the VF-21 in good taste. It stands as the perfect mascot to represent a season that almost all involved will be desperate to forget.

In 2021, Haas scored zero points, recruited two rookie drivers – both of whom had a taste for the barriers – and painted their car in the colours of the Russian flag for new sponsor Uralkali, who was later cast aside in 2022 following the Russian invasion of .

Now, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I actually think the VF-21 was a relatively good-looking car, and it evokes personal feelings of nostalgia for the Russian Time Formula Two programme. However, it represents a low point in Haas’ F1 venture and the temporary abandonment of their identity as the sport’s true American squad.