The greatest F1 liveries of all-time - including classic paintjobs from Ferrari, McLaren and Lotus

Teams become immediately recognisable by a certain paintjob, whether it’s a new look for the team or a design that takes fans back to their respective glory days. Some of the best liveries, in fact, come from teams that aren’t even around today.

These liveries are typically complemented by a beautiful car design, with the likes of Adrian Newey, Colin Chapman and Gordon Murray turning motorsport machinery into works of art. Whether it’s a one-off livery to commemorate a special occasion, or a design that spanned an era of dominance.

So while we all recoil at the livery that Ferrari has produced for the 2025 Miami GP - which makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a fish knife - here are the most beautiful designs we have ever seen in the sport.

Lotus (1982)

When I thought of the best F1 liveries of all-time, this was the one that immediately came to mind. The iconic black and gold Lotus, with John Player Special branding, was kept by the outfit for the better part of a decade between the 1970s and 80s. Choosing one particular car with this design was tough, but I’ve gone with the 1982 Lotus 87, as I personally prefer the design to the less-rounded style of the 70s machines.

Jordan (1998)

I’ve always been a sucker for bright, vibrant liveries - something that has been sorely lacking in modern F1, as teams avoid painting parts of their cars to save weight. By contrast, in the late 90s Jordan rocked up for the 1998 season with this bright yellow livery, complimented perfectly by the black Benson and Hedges branding, and the little face on the tip of the nose is just perfect.

McLaren (1988)

Before returning to the team’s original papaya colour, McLaren went through a period of rocking a white and red Malboro livery, which became synonymous with the team, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. It helps that the team was going through a dominant stint as well, absolutely dominating the 1988 season - where the team won all but on Grand Prix that season.

Ferrari (1976)

Spoiler alert: This won’t be the only Ferrari to appear on this list. But Niki Lauda’s gorgeous 312T had such a sleek design, with all the lines on the paintwork following the aerodynamics over the car. A freeflowing design that was truly fit for a reigning champion.

Jordan (1991)

Before the Benson and Hedges deal, Jordan partnered with fizzy drink 7Up, with the branding matching up perfectly with the “Irish green” that Eddie Jordan wanted on his cars. When camera company Kodak visited the team’s factory for a potential sponsorship deal, they mentioned it was also the colour of their industry rivals, Fujifilm - one phone call later and their brand was plastered on the rear wing instead!

Jaguar (2001)

Keeping with the green theme is the glistening 2001 Jaguar; when the sun beamed down on race day, this car became a contender for the most beautiful livery in the history of motorsport. I picked this one over future iterations purely for the design of the car - the nose cone on the 2003 model was an abomination, and the 2004 was ruined by HSBC ditching their wording and just slapping a giant brand logo on the sidepod.

Mercedes (2020)

The aerodynamics of the 2020 F1 cars didn’t exactly make them pretty machines, but Mercedes balanced that out with this blacked-out livery, which contrasted perfectly with the blue Petronas trim. It made the car look menacing - and it was, proving to be one of the best F1 cars ever built as Lewis Hamilton stormed to a seventh world title.

Ferrari (2004)

Again one of the most dominant F1 cars ever built, the Ferrari F2004 was also a proper looker. I’m a sucker for a sleek design, and Rory Byrne’s creation was that and so much more. I would sacrifice vital organs for Ferrari to abandon their current HP branding and go back to making what a proper F1 car should look like.

Brabham (1981)

How could we end this list without mentioning Brabham? Their simple, but elegant designs made for the perfect poster car in the early 1980s, and with Nelson Piquet at the wheel they were the class of the field, too.