Which team has the best-looking car for 2016?

2016 F1 season preview

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Now we’ve finally glimpsed the full field of 2016 in their definitive race liveries it’s time for the least-important and most-fun poll of the year: who’s got the best-looking car?

Mercedes W07

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

Kitted out in a slightly darker livery than last year, this is the car which may well crush the opposition for the third year in a row. In testing the car sported a revised nose and some funky slotted bargeboards as Mercedes continue to refine their design.

Ferrari SF16-H

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

Ferrari has plumped for the short-nose look for its new car and further back the tightly-wrapped bodyworked reveals how hard this team is pushing to narrow the gap to Mercedes. The white cockpit surround and engine cover adds a retro flourish to the SF16-H’s livery evoking memories of their Niki Lauda-era championship-winners.

Williams FW38

Valtteri Bottas, Williams, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

One of the toughest cars to distinguish from its immediate predecessors. But when you’re punching well above your weight and sporting those smart red-and-white lines (except in Abu Dhabi), why mess with a winning formula?

Red Bull RB12

Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

Red Bull held a special launch event to show off its sleek new matte livery. It’s a timely refresh for the team whose previous Renault and Infinite branding is now found elsewhere.

Force India VJM09

Sergio Perez, Force India, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

Another tough game of spot-the-difference, though Force India’s novel nose makes the VJM09 stand out from the crowd, if not its predecessor.

Renault RS16

Renault RS16 livery, 2016

Renault has gone back to its traditional corporate colour scheme for 2016 having replaced the black livery it used during testing.

Toro Rosso STR11

Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

Having lost a few sponsors over the winter Toro Rosso’s car has gone back to its 2011 look. There’s some impressively detailed aerodynamic work on the STR11 as well, however.

Sauber C35

Felipe Nasr, Sauber, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

Looking like a well-honed version of last year’s car, Sauber have also added a few new stickers to the C35.

McLaren MP4-31

Jenson Button, McLaren, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

McLaren overhauled their livery early last year and carried much of it through to the new season, adding extra-large numbers at the front.

Manor MRT05

Rio Haryanto, Manor, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

Manor has also refreshed its look in the off season. The team’s new logo is replicated on the nose tip of the MRT05.

Haas VF-16

Esteban Gutierrez, Haas, Circuit de Catalunya, 2016

The rumours Haas would paint their car bright yellow proved well wide of the mark. The new team’s grey, black and red colour scheme stays faithful to their corporate colours.

I say

In a field that’s crying out for a splash more colour I was disappointed to see F1’s newest team chose to apply dull corporate grey to their blank canvas. The Haas colour scheme is a missed opportunity: a dull branding exercise when they could have created something new and exciting.

The reworked Ferrari livery is very busy but just about works and I like Manor’s more colourful design. Red Bull have a smart new look although distinguishing it from the Toro Rosso may prove tricky at times.

The same can’t be said of my favourite livery this year: Renault’s striking yellow RS16. In its previous incarnation Renault had an awkward compromise livery for many years and succeeded it with the ING monstrosity of 2007-09. Pleasingly, the proper Renault colours are back.



You say

Which team has the best-looking car of 2016?

  • Haas: VF-16 (2%)
  • Manor: MRT05 (14%)
  • McLaren: MP4-31 (3%)
  • Sauber: C35 (0%)
  • Toro Rosso: STR11 (4%)
  • Renault: RS16 (32%)
  • Force India: VJM09 (5%)
  • Red Bull: RB12 (15%)
  • Williams: FW38 (5%)
  • Ferrari: SF16-H (10%)
  • Mercedes: W07 (9%)

Total Voters: 549

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Previous winners

2015: Ferrari SF-15T

Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Albert Park, 2015

2014: Williams FW36

Valtteri Bottas, Williams, Circuit de Catalunya, 2014

2013: Sauber C32

Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber, Melbourne, 2013

2012: McLaren MP4-27

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Melbourne, 2012

2011: McLaren MP4-26

Jenson Button, McLaren, Melbourne, 2011

2010: McLaren MP4-25

Jenson Button, McLaren, Sepang, 2010

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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107 comments on “Which team has the best-looking car for 2016?”

  1. Funny how Macca won 3 times out of the 4 last outings of their last long-term livery, while everyone always complained about them not changing their livery even the tiniest bit

    1. @mrboerns Not to mention it’s in the silver/grey/metallic or whatever that is that people here seems to agree that it isn’t a color!

      1. Never was a fan though. Was awesome when it came out in 2006 and then vodafone came in and ruined it :D

    2. McLaren should go back to the Papaya Orange livery that they used for testing in 2006. Would compete with this year’s Renault for best livery, for sure.

      https://f1colours.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/orangemclaren2.png

    3. I know they got my vote in 2011 for the sidepod design alone.

      1. John Rymie (@)
        17th March 2016, 1:11

        I don’t think I ever noticed how deeply cut those side pods were until seeing them from this angle!

    4. wasn’t that JUST because LH was driving it ? did the paint job really matter ?

  2. Renualt by far

    1. @malik, We haven’t even seen it on track though.

    2. Manor by far.
      Looks racy, Renault is a bit too Jordanesque to me. I looks for Benson on the front wing end plate…

    3. Renault has the advantage of having few sponsor logos, and only in black and white, so it’s a clean design. I do like that dark yellow color, though. It’s original and it looks great even on sporty road cars.

      1. It’s refreshing to see a colour that’s not a reflective gloss.

  3. Renault’s livery isn’t bad at all, but there’s something about the Manor I just love. The grid as a whole is much better looking than last year’s, IMO.

    1. Agreed, Manor edged out Renault for me. Redbull in 3rd, the more I see the Redbull the more I like it.

      1. Sorry guys, but I still find every car of the current era indescribably ugly.
        When ( as if ! ) they finally get rid of the appalling ugliness of multi-form
        front wings and even uglier narrow rear wing forms, we might, ( just might !)
        begin to have F1 cars that look as good as they are fast. But we all know
        that current F1 politics will never allow that to happen. My missus is right,
        they all look like they were designed by demented teenagers.

        Such a pity that the staggering engineering potential of the innards is made
        to look irredeemably childish by all the exterior monstrosities.

        Oh boy…am I going to be unpopular now…..!

      2. Red Bull has that matte look and it really makes the bright red pop…

    2. Me too…

      The manor car just looks great.

  4. There has not been a picture of this years Renault in yellow only older cars to show the livery. That it is winning I can assume this is a livery competition. I think this year is the best looking grid of cars for years with no standout ugly car, they all look really good for me. 3rd year of these rules and all look refined and if we must include liveries there are lots of colours and contrasts.

  5. its hard to choose for the best, biut my vote goes to Renault. Also for their attitude.

    Bt its easy to say the about the Worst: Toro Rosso, always the same terrible colours, even Red bull found a way to look prettt this season.

    1. Ah opinions, I have Torro Rosso down in my top 2 best looking but I am ignoring liveries as the title is best looking car not livery.

    2. I’ve always liked the TR livery so I don’t mind them not changing it ;)

  6. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
    16th March 2016, 12:09

    I voted for the STR11, but with the possible exception of the Sauber, I don’t think there is a particularly bad looking car on the grid. In fact I think F1 is looking at its best since 2011…albeit that 2012, Melbourne-spec (before they upturned the nose like a disapproving librarian) MP4-27 is simply painfully stunning. That is the best looking car since the 248 F1: my favourite modern F1 car.

  7. Obviously the Renault livery is new and there’s a hype about the yellow, but in all honesty i think the red bull wins my vote, it’s easily my favourite livery in a very long time

    1. Agreed. I really like the Red Bull livery.

    2. I voted Renault but red bull are a close second, their car looks amazing

    3. I’m really liking Red Bull’s livery. The matte finish and the colours really come together nicely. I also like the actual design of the car, the only niggle I have about it is the round engine air intake

    4. Red Bull got my vote too. I wasn’t sure about it from the launch photos, but it looks great on-track. The matte body really makes the bright colours stand out.

    5. I agree as well. The yellow on black is nice and clean, but the Red Bull’s matte and contrasting livery is very attractive. I also like how Red Bull blacks out the “thumb nose” so it isn’t as prevalent.

    6. Went with Red Bull as well. Love the matte finish and the dayglo red. It will really stand out on the grid, as will the Renault livery which is also a stunner.

  8. Are people just picking Renault because it’s yellow? The car itself looks unremarkable and that nose is possibly the least elegant solution after Saubers.

    For me it’s a toss up between the Mercedes and the Torro Rosso. I went with Torro Rosso, the car just looks like it’s going to be fast.

  9. I really love the new Renault, however it’s a bit unfair that the picture used is one of the press release pictures, while the rest of the cars are on track.

    I voted for Red Bull though, really nice livery and a bit different from the same old design they used for a couple of years now.

  10. When i look at the car, i look at the chassis 1st, and i think Force India looks good even with that dark grey livery everyone seems to hate, Torro Rosso and Renault right up there.

    1. @illusiv What do you look at 2nd?

      1. @psynrg Livery and Sponsor placement and how they are blend with the colour of the livery. Here’s my list:

        Team chassis Livery Sponsor Total

        FI 4.5/5 3.5/5 4/5 12/15
        STR 5/5 4/5 2/5 11/15
        Ren 3.5/5 4/5 3.5/5 11/15
        RB 3.5/5 3.5/5 4/5 11/15
        Merc 4.5/5 3/5 2.5/5 10/15
        Will 3/5 4/5 3/5 10/15
        McL 4/5 2.5/5 3/5 9.5/15
        Fer 3/5 3/5 3/5 9/15
        Sbr 3/5 3/5 2/5 8/15
        Man 1/5 4.5/5 2/5 7.5/15
        Has 2.5/5 3/5 1/5 6.5/15

        Just my opinion, feel free to judge.

        1. @illusive You like what you like! Great attention to detail.

  11. ColdFly F1 (@)
    16th March 2016, 12:16

    I voted STR – I just like the lines of that car.

    I do not pay as much attention to colour-schemes; it’s less important to me.
    If it were pure colour then I would vote (today) for Renault. But a drawing/design typically looks better than a live-action shot, and new colours are always welcome (think Williams, Sauber the past 2 years).
    If it is the whole paint job, then my vote would go to RBR. That matte finish with the contrasting red, etc. Of all the live-action shots of the past weeks RBR typically stands out the most.

  12. I believe it, but I vote for Haas. From purely visual on the track I really like that car the most. Another notable liveries is STR and Mercedes.

    McLaren last year was awkward with the double stripe on the nose, and this year they remove it altogether which makes is much more duller. Also that weirdly stretched number on the nose. With a single red stripe and normal or last year font for nose number it could be a beautiful liveries.

    1. Haas has an improved livery for Melbourne. It’s more white on top, a different grey and black on the bottom.

      1. No, it just looks lighter under whiter light. It is unchanged.

  13. I have just lost the plot here. The Renault is literally a yellow car. There is no depth, like, no depth whatsoever, and it’s being voted the best looking car of 2016. HOW?

    Anyway, I still really like the Mercedes and Williams, the Red Bull has improved as well. In the end I voted for Manor, although I don’t really love their livery either. It’s a pretty livery, I agree, but it’s pretty standard as well. There is an article on James Allen’s website from a few weeks ago that explained it really well: most liveries just lack character.

    1. @andae23 same thoughts on the Renault livery. It’s just a 2005 Jordan for me, no hint to Renault’s heritage livery, appart from the colour.

      For me, it’s Manor, by far the best livery there. It’s simple, yet effective, with a good choice of colours and a clever way to implement the team’s logo on the engine cover.

      1. @andae23 @fer-no65
        I agree with the Renault livery, although until we see it on track it’s hard to judge. I would prefer if they just re-used the Kubica era yellow and black instead. I agree with you on the Manor livery, I couldn’t give it my vote though as the car itself is a bit porky.

    2. @andae23 It is tempting to vote for Renault, simply because the colours of F1 are far too dull at the moment. We could have lime green cars, turquoise blue cars and pink cars, yet everyone avoids these colours. So when a team dares to paint their cars yellow (for whatever reason), then people scream “OMG, YELLOW!” and the livery looks innovative and courageous to them.

      But I also think that you could do more with a yellow paint bucket and I do not want to vote for a yellow car just because F1 desperately lacks the bright colours. So I voted for Mercedes – somehow I always enjoy looking at these cars (I even have a poster of the 2014 model on one of my walls) and wearing their green / gray T-shirts and I think it has a lot to do with the way they look.

    3. petebaldwin (@)
      16th March 2016, 13:32

      @andae23 – That’s the thing – it is just a yellow car but in being so, it looks much more striking and “unique” than the rest! It shows how boring liveries are these days that you can paint a car yellow and it immediately looks more exciting that the rest of the field!

      People keep banging on about colours but it doesn’t matter – look at some of the fantasy liveries designed by people on the net and you can see what could happen if they allowed a graphic designer to sort it out rather than an engineer.

    4. My exact thoughts on the Renault! I was disappointed when the livery was revealed, it’s very basic. I guess it’s getting voted up for bringing a splash of (one) colour.

      Biggest disappointments are reserved for Haas and Toro Rosso. Where was the effort guys?!

  14. This really is a two-part question: best looking design and best looking livery aren’t necessarily the same thing. For the car it’s got to be Toro Rosso, for the livery I will surprise myself and say Red Bull (Haas is good too)

    1. Correct. To me best looking car should be first about the car itself, not how is painted, but everyone here just comments about the paint job.
      I don’t get it.

  15. I have to disagree with Keith’s comment in the article. I feel the use of Red Bulls almost neon red logo will definitely make it easier to distinguish between them and Toro Rosso.

    I had to vote for Renault, I loved the old Jordan cars and the nostalgia is definite.

  16. This year is good. I like the new Red Bull, the Renault and the Manor. That’s many more teams than usual.

  17. We’re now so bored of grey cars and field that when a team comes with a different colour for its livery, we thinks it’s great. Poor us, F1 fans.

    This Renault yellow has the same colour as my Sunday’s morning pee. It’s dull and has nothing to do in 2016, like every other cars bar Manor. I miss the nineties and noughties.

  18. It’s the Williams for me. As much as I like the Renault I have personally never cared much for matte paint on cars. The Williams is the cleanest, most well thought through and least fussy livery on the grid.

    1. Williams also has a matte finish, except the stripes.. but I agree, I like it a lot.

  19. Cant believe Renault is winning the poll. I think it is due to the pic Keith has used – (why a different pic angle for Renault, as opposed to the rest?). It shows the car from a very flattering angle compared to the rest. The car actually has the worst nose solution of the whole grid, with the least inspiring livery!

    I vote the W07 as the best – by a milee. It has a kind of Darth Vader futuristic look about it. Must be the dark brooding colors and that airbox!

    1. I’d agree the picture does flatter the car design quite a bit, the front looks absolutely horrible, that nose! however not really much Keith could do about that as the car hasn’t been on track. Maybe use a lifestyle picture from event rather than a heavily PS render.

      What’s happening with the Renault livery is the same that happened to Williams in 2014, which is funny because I find the Williams now one of the least pleasing to look at cars on the grid. Mercedes just looks complete if that makes sense so I voted for the W07. Red Bull’s livery doesn’t look great to me but has been saved by the matt paint job which gives it a little something. Worst livery for me would have to go to Ferrari for me, it just looks a mess but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

      1. One too many “For me” at the end there, when are we going to be able to edit comments cough please Keith please cough cough

    2. @kbdavies At present that’s the only picture available of the RS16 in its new livery which isn’t shot square-on.

  20. I really like the Renault. I think it’s the best looking on the grid by some margin, and that’s not just down to the yellow paint. But I do love the paint – I love the colour which Renault do on their road cars which is very similar, and I particularly like the gold accents around the back. I don’t think this just wins by default, I genuinely think this is a great looking car which stands up next to just about any other F1 car from the 21st century.

    I think when you look at the colours of the cars, you need to see reflected in that, the general buyer preference of today. If you’ve got a car park nearby, just have a glance at it and see what colours appear most well represented – silver, black, and white. With a few dark blues in there. Maybe the odd brightly coloured car, mostly on smaller hatchbacks etc. But for the most part, if you were to ask “what colours do people like on cars?” you’d have to acknowledge that this greyscale pallette seems to be most popular.

  21. Haas may have a completely different livery in Melbourne!
    Look at those sidepods!

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cdo7j4OXIAAi6DJ.jpg

    We have to see Renault’s new livery on track also, so i will vote after Melbourne!

    So far i would say Red Bull.

    1. Completely agree. I don’t think it’s fair to run this poll before we’ve actually seen what’s on offer. Also, it’s not objective to run a poll just hours after Renault have released their car (of course their livery will stick in people’s memory!). Maybe F1F should re-run the poll after the first race, or at the end of the season to see how it compares? Now is too soon to make a fair judgement @keithcollantine

    2. Pretty sure the light in that photo is deceiving you. The livery design is identical to the pictures here.

  22. Has @maciek said it before, there are 2 insigne to look for: the best looking car design (imagine it in white) and the best livery (that is associated with the car). One could even add the best looking colours but that is very similar to the livery.
    I think the Renault RS16 is a good looking car with a neat design and a striking yellow colour but the livery itself is too simple, just yellow with a bit of black.
    It is my 2nd best car but the first is: the RB12. I just the think the car looks awesome itself and the new livery that looked very simpel during its launch just looks stunning in the pictures. I am not sure if it work the same in live video but I believe the car will look AWESOME on track during the races, even if it seems too similar to Toro Rosso.

  23. Merc, Hass or Manor as I just hate the stupid split noses on the other cars!

    Out of those three – I still love the Merc livery with that Petronas green/aqua colouring – so I voted Merc.

  24. Renault has really been dominated in this poll, I have to wonder why f1 teams should do design work on their livery anymore?

  25. For me, it was a hard one between the Mercedes, Red Bull and Renault. I couldn’t give it to the Renault, as we haven’t seen it on track yet. I like the Red Bull for the paint scheme, but had to give it to the Mercs for the mean air intake above the drivers head and the pretty nose

  26. Guess i’m the only one who likes Haas here, right?? :P

    RBR a close second and Renauly an even closer third. Could be 1st, but haven’t see that on track yet, so i’m holding judgement ’till then. Voted for Haas, though.

  27. Best: Renault. Worst: McLaren

  28. Fudge Ahmed (@)
    16th March 2016, 14:14

    Red Bull has the best livery and shape, aside from the thumbtip nose so they get my vote.

    2011 McLaren is still my favourite looking car design wise of the post 2009 era… those sidepods!

  29. Renault, simple and effective.

    I don’t see how a lot of people panned the RB car when it came out, it looks beautiful to me, curvaceous and nice soft colours.

    That Manor is beautiful, simple colours done well

  30. Some of these are very flattered by the images. The Mercedes photograph looks stunning, whereas the car normally looks rather dull with its non-distinct grey and black shades. I’m warming to the retro-Ferrari look, but it’s still a bit odd to see so much white. I’ll settle with Red Bull for the time being.

  31. ‘McLaren overhauled their livery early next year’

    I think it should be ‘last year’ Keith.

    :)

  32. My rating:

    11) Williams for 3rd year in a row-it’s essentially white which is the most boring color in the known universe with a go fast stripe. Martini heritage aside(which I don’t care about one yota) it’s a livery I really hate

    10) Ferrari-if they wanted to go to a retro livery they should have gone for the blood red Ferraris of the 90’s. The huge amount of white looked rubbish(and non Ferrari-like) on the 70’s car and it looks even worse here

    9) Haas-not a bad looking car by any means but it’s so low for me simply because of the lost opportunity here(completely agree with Keith here)

    8) Force India- Looked good when it first came out. Now it just looks bland to me apart from the nose

    7) Mclaren- not bad, not brilliant

    6) Mercedes- a bit bland but still quite a good looking car

    5) Sauber-like the bold colors

    4) Toro Rosso-beautiful front section, old livery

    3) Renault-great, but a bit more black around the cockpit would’ve made it perfect

    2) Red Bull-very narrowly in second place the new matte colors are amazing!

    1) Manor- I really hope Manor are closer to the front this year. A) because they deserve it and B) Because I simply wanna see this classically beautiful car more

  33. I just wish Ferrari didn’t have the black neutral space between the white of the engine cover and the red of the body. The lines are all wrong. Irrespective of that, it still wouldn’t get my vote.

    I plumped for the Toro Rosso. It reminds me somewhat of the pre-2009 cars that were jacked up on steroids. It looks purposeful – hardened yet refined.

    Livery-wise, I feel Red Bull have transformed their livery into what it was always meant to be: bold, brash, brilliant. The Renault has a certain appeal with its simplicity, although on the flipside it is rather bland.

    Others of note: good on Mercedes for sticking with an elegant nose, though the disproportionate airbox and predominantly silver livery in a field of grayscale cars makes it feel ‘samey’. Despite this, I still like the Haas – perhaps the substantially bolder secondary colour does it. I would appreciate the Renault and the Manor more were it not for their particularly boxy noses also.

    1. Only Haas, Mercedes and Force India are grey. That’s 3 cars and there are also 3 Blue cars so you can equally say a field of Blue cars.

  34. Manor for me. The primary colours make it look like a toy, which it is of course :)

  35. ferrari has the best looking, no question (ok, i must admit that I’m a huge ferrari fan :D)

    1. I agree but I am also bias for the same reason. I hate white on Ferrari’s but that’s as I remember 1993 season and was not born when they were successful with it mid 70’s. Car looks great but the nose seems wrong as do all the others with the same style, if only it had a Merc/Renault nose.

  36. My rating (based on the liveries):

    11.. Mclaren – Ugh.

    10. Force India – I prefered there liveries with more orange and white, I just dont like the silvery look.

    9. Toro Rosso – Pretty much the same as last few years, might be the darkhorse in the early races though.

    8. Mercedes – Not a fan of silver, but as long as its fast I won’t care much.

    7. Williams – Its not a bad livery, but considering that its almost the same as last year its kinda lost its specialness.

    6. Haas – Reminds me of one of the Mclaren cars before the v6 era.

    5. Red Bull – Less messy than last year, less purple, overall a nice looking car.

    4. Sauber – Blue is my favourite colour, okay?

    3. Ferrari – Hated this when I first saw it, but after a few days its grown on me.

    2. Manor – Nice combo of colours.

    1. Renault – It was really tight between this, Manor, Ferrari and the Sauber, there 2010 livery was one of my favourites, and this is basically nearly like that, with less black (yay).

  37. For me, the best one is probably between Renault, Mercedes, Manor and Red Bull. It was close, but in the end I voted for Mercedes because they have the best looking chassis in my opinion. The worst looking in my opinion is either Ferrari and Force India, just horrible! The most boring has to be between the McLaren, the Haas and the Sauber.

  38. @keithcollantine
    To anyone wondering how that showroom Renault looks so good, well, it’s because it’s their 2007 car with slight changes. :) They’ve removed winglets and replaced the front and rear wings with the current-looking ones. Just look at all the things like nose, driver cockpit head side-protection (very low), mountings for the front wings, edges of the sidepods etc.

  39. Apex Assassin
    16th March 2016, 18:36

    Best looking livery or best looking car because that is huge difference. I love the Manor livery but the car itself is ugly.

    Strictly livery ratings:
    RBR
    Manor
    Renault

    Car ratings:
    Merc
    Ferrari
    RBR

    Gimme the Merc in Manor’s livery running as Haas and we’d have perfection incarnate. Pun intended.

  40. Tommy (@tommy-astral)
    16th March 2016, 18:49

    It’s interesting what will Renault look like on the track, but the vote has to go for Renault

  41. I must say when seeing all together it is a nice grid. I’m not very vowed by the top teamps (Merc, Ferrari) but they are decent. The newcomers/backmarkers did a very decent job all.

    But the McLaren is really awful. It gives the same unfinished impression from outside than probably the Honda engine inside. The numbers look stupid, the white on black is like the windows high contrast setting, and there is hardly any flow in the paintwork apart from the ‘bolts’ in the sidepods. I find it kind of depressing.

    http://autooverload.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/mclaren-honda.jpg If only….

  42. For me Red Bull’s livery is the prettiest this year, but Renault is going to win because it is something new.

    If there was a competition for the worst looking car, I would go for the Ferrari. The nose is ugly, and those white bits make absolutely no sense. What were they thinking.

    Also, what is this thing with black front wings? To hide details? iirc, there were even more of them last year. With tyres being black as well, they make the front of the car look like it only consists of one long and usually ugly nose.

    1. i hadnt really paid attention to the black wings until now, but are so many of them black???

      1. *why are

  43. toro rosso for me, as it often is, they always have a lovely shape and great aerodynamic details, the sidepods this year look amazing. Manor is 2nd best

  44. Lol, Renault.

    Second Toro Rosso

    Third Ferrari. But they pretty much have same livery always…

  45. I always look forward to this poll. I know, it sounds stupid, but I like rating the cars and electing my best looking car on the grid.
    This year I choose the Manor MRT05: I really like the look of the car. It seems that they put some effort into the livery, which is suprising, because Manor/Marussia liveries have been quite boring. And I like the long nose more than the thumb.
    The Renault RS16 looks interesting. I liked it even with the black livery, but I want to see the yellow livery in action now.
    I also like the Toro Rosso. Ok, the livery is boring, but the car is just so cool. Shame about the nose, but the rest is very neat.
    Probably the worst looking car for me is the Mclaren. I really hate the livery, to be honest. Bigger numbers are cool, but it just lacks character in my opinion. The black Renault livery was much, much better. I also don’t like the Sauber. The car looks boxy and the livery has a lot of potential, but it’s wasted because they didn’t put any effort into the design.

  46. FlyingLobster27
    16th March 2016, 20:53

    The yellow Renault is nice, but why so plain? They’ve got something nice going on at the back though with the gold hexagon motifs, they could have done more with that.
    My favourite livery is Red Bull’s. It looks fresh despite being unable to decide what colour it is. Is it really blue? Or is it black? The reflections on the rear wing provide some purple shades. The mystery drags on…
    For physique, I’d say the Mercedes.
    Biggest let-down: Haas.

  47. If it is beautiful looks it is between the Mercedes, Manor and the Renault. If it’s just outright badassery it has got to be the Toro Rosso.

  48. I give for Ferrari, but i think the Renault and Red Bull look very well.

  49. It’s Red Bull for me. That car’s front end is beautifully sculpted and it sports a superb livery in my opinion.
    Manor’s would be the alternative. That is a proper oldschool look!

    1. For me it’s go to be the Merc, but I have to admit the livery is what makes it for me.

  50. Seems the Renault RS16 has won this vote even without anybody seeing the actual car painted yellow yet. The yellow paint will show off the cool triple oval air box much more. I’m surprised the Sauber has so few votes, I like it’s distintive triangle intake with the two boxy air scoops, very angular and mean looking.

  51. The thing I like most about the Renault colour is how they didn’t revert to the 2010-spec colour: it looked too cheap. Their latest hue of yellow is magnificent.

  52. I am surprised that many people like the Manor livery, to me it just look bad and plain.
    They just slap the Pepsi colorway on it and call it a day.

    I voted for Red Bull for the bold graphics, they finally get rid of the purple and the color stripes. Well done.
    Red Bull, Renault: fresh and clean
    Mercedes, Force India, Ferrari: good looking but nothing special here
    Haas: simple color but done right
    Torro Rosso, Mclaren, Williams: Just boring
    Sauber, Manor: the worst

  53. I voted for the Mercedes, because the car looks ‘together’ and the nose is the best of them. And their livery has been tweaked to finally resemble something like a design (puma hello?). I also think the Red Bull car looks great on track, and their livery downplays the stub of the nose; Renault looks quite good too (though I am looking forward to see it on track – RBR car was unimpressive in studio, looked great in Barcelona).

    Apart from the nose, the STR car looks fantastic (cola improvement, but livery still uninteresting). Williams a bit the same, but with less nice looking back. I do like the FI car, but again, others are nicer looking at the back; Ferrari and McLaren both have ugly nose part, too square and with kink to chassis, and a messy or unimpressive livery to ruin what might be quite nice cars.

    Sauber is a bit blocky, and the livery is again a ‘lack of effort’ despite the blue and yellow having potential.
    Haas as a car looks nice, the livery is a bit bland (and I’m not sure about the Melbourne livery which adds white in – maybe it will look good, maybe not). Manor looks a bit too unrefined, but the livery works pretty nicely.

  54. Props to Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams, Red Bull, Renault, Sauber and Manor. These 6 teams have a chassis that stands out one way or another.

    My vote however, goes to the Manor. It’s just a beauty.

  55. It’s the Mercedes for me. Nice and complex car. It has a ‘simple’ nose as well in comparison with the others.
    If I only had to choose on livery, it’s the Red Bull.

  56. Jeeeez, you gotta be kidding me to vote for Renault! Dunno if THE BEST LOOKING CAR means to take into consideration the livery too, but even so, that yellow Renault is by no means the best looking car. Funny how most people tend to vote 1 of the latest entrants, liveries etc. 2 years ago, when Williams came up with the Martini livery, everybody thought is the best looking car without much thinking. Now, although almost nothing changed in the field since then, Williams is not even amongst favourites. Renault’s car is OK, while the livery is nice, a classic-looking paint scheme… but that’s all. Let’s hope McLaren won’t change their colour… otherwise we might have problems to tell one car from another. :D

    Let’s be honest, this contest should be won by 1 of these cars: Mercedes, Manor, Force India, Haas. The rest, with that falic design, are plain ugly. No contest here.

  57. The Manor is a beaut. So is the Renault.

  58. My top 3: Manor, Renault, Mclaren

  59. I thought I would leave my vote for who has best looking 2016 car until after the first race, to get a better idea of what they all look like.

    Physically I don’t think any cars are significantly better than any other in the looks department so my comments are more about the liveries.

    I think the changes to the Mercedes livery are an improvement on last, especially on the engine cover, but I preferred some aspects of last year’s cars such as the front wings supports, they seem narrow this year and I don’t think that looks as good.

    The Ferrari livery I think would have worked better if it was more like the 1970s livery it has been compared to, without the black areas for start and without the white on the bottom of the nose section behind the wheels.

    Not much appears to have changed with Williams but considering it was one of the best looking cars on the grid that is not bad for this poll.

    When I first saw the new Red Bull livery at the launch I didn’t like it but after having seen it on TV it has grown on me, the only thing I am not too keen on is that the navy appears too dark and more like black in some shots.

    Force India have kept same livery from last year with silver, black and orange which I am not that keen on, I thought the previous livery of white, orange and green was better and made the car stand out more.

    The nose on the Force India is one of type of features that I like as I feel it adds a bit of variety but I wouldn’t be keen on it if every car had the same design.

    I like the fact that Renault is yellow as it is their traditional colours and I think you should have a good mix of colours on the grid.

    However the fact that it basically plain yellow with some black text means that when I saw the car on track it reminded more of a Jordan and I think the shade of yellow is a bit too dark as in some shots it looks orange which reminds me of the orange interim liveries McLaren have used in the past.

    The Toro Rosso looks a good car overall, the livery is basically the same but I still think it looks quite good.

    Like a few other cars the livery of the Sauber is fundamentally the same as last year, but again this is okay as there is nothing up with the basic design and as mentioned it is always good to have different colours on the grid.

    The McLaren looks okay, in some shots it looks like the livery is black and red but in others it looks more grey and red, and the black and red is definitely better, another downside is the race numbers which just don’t look right.

    The photo of the MP4-31 from testing when it had green and red flow vis paint looked really good though.

    The Manor is ones of those that looks acceptable, it isn’t great but it isn’t bad either.

    The Haas livery of grey, black and red may be their corporate colours but I don’t think the livery works, maybe if this colour scheme or ones like it hadn’t been used a few times in recent F1 it would seem better.

    At the moment I don’t think any of the cars or their liveries stand out as great looking cars, but I think with some adjustments a few of the liveries could probably be improved significantly.

    At the moment I think the Mercedes W07 looks best but that could easily change as the season develops and I get more used to the cars.

  60. This is easy because since the cars all essentially look the same or at least the details of variance are hard to observe at the distances and the speeds involved the one factor which can be readily seen and thus defines the car is the color scheme. Ferrari has the best. I say this because psychometric testing has shown that in a competition the human brain selects two colors as reflecting the most potent competitor : black or red. If shown the same car or person in different colors where the car or person is painted or dressed in black or red people will almost always select those pictures over any other color when ask to select the best competitor based solely on reaction to the picture.The question then is black or red. Since,I believe ,that red shows details and catches one’s eye better than black I vote for red especially where cars and speed are involved. As the saying goes : the police will always ticket the RED sports car even if other cars are going faster ….I have seen that happen .

  61. Keke is king
    26th May 2016, 12:25

    Williams by a mile

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