Here's The Slate Of Special Liveries To Keep An Eye Out For During The Las Vegas Grand Prix
This weekend, Formula 1 is in Sin City for the second Las Vegas Grand Prix, and seeing as this is one of the biggest dates on the series' calendar, several teams have decided to show off some flashy special liveries for the occasion.
Now, I like a special one-off livery as much as the next very handsome Formula 1 fan, but they can sometimes be a headache when you're trying to watch the race. We've already had Alpine confuse the bejeezus out of everyone twice this year, first with a Deadpool livery that made them look a lot like Ferrari, then with an Indiana Jones-inspired livery that sure looked a lot like the signature papaya orange used by McLaren.
So, look at this as your spotters' guide for teams that may not look totally like themselves when they hit the streets of Las Vegas this weekend.
Sauber Adds Flames To The Dumpster On Wheels C44
Let's start with the most deliciously ironic livery of the weekend.
If you've been watching this season, you'll be aware that Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber — or Sauber to the layperson — has been dealing with what will probably go down in recent memory as one of the worst cars in recent memory.
For most of the season, the C44 has been lacking in pace and wildly unreliable. Remember, this is the car that had major pit stop issues earlier in the season because of problems with the wheel nuts.
The. Wheel. Nuts.
The team hasn't scored a single point this season, and It's a shame because the lack of performance basically put Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu — two very solid drivers — out of F1 thanks to its lack of performance.
So, considering that at times the car has handled like a dumpster on wheels, why not turn that dumpster into a flaming dumpster with some hot rod flames?
All kidding aside, it's a great look that keeps the team's signature electric green color front and center, and it gets bonus points in my book thanks to the way it reminds me of one of Jeff Gordon's old flames paint schemes.
Great look. Hopefully, it translates to points… but that's not how it works.
Alpine Goes Full-Pink
No one likes to play dress-up as much as Alpine. I mentioned it up top, they've done several very different liveries this season including a more pink-heavy alternate version of their main livery.
Well, beginning with Las Vegas and continuing through the final two races of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the team will use an entirely pink livery.
How much more pink could that livery be? The answer is none; none… more pink.
It's a pretty good look, and it will certainly stand out among the rest of the field under the Las Vegas Strip lights.
The all-pink Alpine and the all-green Sauber make for a funny comparison that Sauber picked up on.
Speaking of Alpine, they're going to look to continue a streak of success that began with an unbelievable weekend in Brazil two weeks ago. Both of the team's drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon finished on the podium netting the team a massive points haul.
That completely flipped the team's fortunes for the year and catapulted them into P6 in the Constructors Standings ahead of Haas.
However, it's only a three-point lead for Alpine, and Haas has scored more consistently all year long and the odds of them scoping up a couple more points between now and the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi seems high.
So, no pressure, Alpine. The car looks nice too.
VCARB Goes For Glitz
Formula 1 is big on glitz and glamour and so is Las Vegas, so Visa Cash App RB — to VCARB… or RB; lots of names — is giving us the glitziest and glamouriest car on the grid.
Now that's a livery. Every single one of these one-offs (or in Alpine's case three-offs) has been great. The teal, blue, and red is a cool look.
But there's something funny about this. Notice their caption: "You've Neva(da) seen a livery like this."
Well, some people, including F1 journalist Will Buxton, noticed the similarity to a livery that Sauber used to use back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
If you're not familiar with what those cars looked like, I've got you, pal:
Ironically, as you can see in the photo, the main sponsor on those Saubers was Red Bull, VCARB's parent company.
VCARB is just two points behind Haas — and therefore just five points off of Alpine — in a crowded battle for P6 in the Constructors' standings.
Meanwhile, there's still some uncertainty over who will be where when it comes to Red Bull and VCARB's lineups for next season, and you can expect both of VCARB's current drivers — Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson — to leave everything they've got out on the track in hopes of poaching Sergio Perez's seats alongside Max Verstappen.