HRT F111 – F1 Racing Car Livery Design by Daniel Simon

This time of the year is always exciting in the world of Formula One as we approach the start of the racing season.

After hiding away in their research labs and factories for the last few months, one by one, the teams reveal their latest contending car designs, and liveries for the season ahead.

Most of the established teams already have a solid visual brand built into their cars (think Ferrari red) which only changes when a major sponsor or partner company departs from the sport to be replaced by a new one. The newer teams however, do not have such heritage and can be much more flexible with their livery design.

I was interested today to see the designs for the new HRT (Hispania Racing Team) F1 Car – the F111. For those who are not avid F1 fanatics, HRT were one of the 3 new teams which joined the sport last year (the other two being ‘Virgin’ and ‘Lotus’). They were pretty much nailed to the back of the grid most of the season and obviously struggled financially while valiantly contesting each race. Their 2010 car livery design was, in my opinion, pretty uninspiring. It’s obvious you’re lacking sponsors and cash when you have to splash each driver’s name in massive letters down the side of your car!

(Image courtesy of FOTO ERCOLE COLOMBO)

This year however, they have drafted in car designer Daniel Simon to rework their visual identity and personally I think the result is great. Unfortunately, the graphics won’t make their car any faster, but at least they look like a proper racing team now!

Daniel who?

Daniel Simon is a renowned vehicle designer and conceptual visualiser. He has worked on various interior and exterior concepts for Audi, VW, Lamborghini and Bugatti and has also been commissioned to create stunning visuals for blockbuster movies such as Captain America, and more recently, Tron Legacy for Walt Disney.

In 2007, Daniel also released a book called ‘Cosmic Motors‘ featuring gorgeous renderings of futuristic concept vehicles and racing machines which captured the imagination of many car design fans around the world. If you love futuristic car design, then I’m sure you’ll already be aware of Cosmic Motors, but if not, then search out a copy!

HRT F111

In my opinion, Daniel has done a great job with the HRT 2011 F1 car. He has shifted the visual weight to the rear of the car which really makes for an aggressive, well thought out design. The red, white and black colour palette is also much more dynamic than the graphite colour used throughout 2010. It’s obvious that HRT are still struggling for money and sponsorship as the 3D renders show the livery interspersed with placeholder logos and text (“This could be you” , “This is a cool spot” etc.). I’ve seen numerous people poking fun at this today, but I think it’s much easier for potential sponsors to imagine their logo on a car visualised like this, than by looking at a blank livery.

Taken from the press release…

The presentation of the new 2011 HRT F111 Formula 1 car also brings to life Daniel Simon’s visionary graphic concepts for the 2011 season. Daniel is one of the most imaginative and adventurous designers in both Hollywood and the motor industry.

Although he and his Cosmic Motors live mostly in the future, he also has a strong passion for motor racing’s bold iconic liveries from the past – and he has drawn inspiration from then in creating HRT’s new car graphic. “I miss fearless visual statements and large beautiful numbers on today’s racing cars.”

Daniel had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve, “I centered the visual focus around the engine of the car – the intrepid red spaces embraced by a wavy chequered flag. In contrast, the nose stays light and dynamic, as its aerodynamic beauty suggests.”

As I said, great graphics unfortunately won’t make the car go any faster, but at least they will look good bringing up the rear 😉