The reveal of each season’s F1 liveries is always a highlight, and over the years some designs have become iconic. Here are ten past liveries we’d love to see reappear on modern cars.
Renault R26
The R26’s blue and yellow scheme celebrated huge success in 2006, when Renault claimed both Teams’ and Drivers’ titles. Fernando Alonso’s championship-winning car paired bold colours with frequent podiums and eight wins; seeing that palette on today’s Alpine would be a striking nod to the past.
Jordan 191
Jordan’s 1991 debut car wore a memorable green livery adorned with 7Up branding. The Jordan 191 is beloved for its looks and for being Michael Schumacher’s F1 debut car at Spa — a historic design that would look excellent reinterpretated on the current Aston Martin entry.
McLaren MP4-23
McLaren’s silver, chrome and red MP4-23 is synonymous with Lewis Hamilton’s first World Championship in 2008. The Vodafone-era design combined a high-shine finish with strong sponsor graphics; bringing a modern take on this chrome look back would be a dramatic throwback.
Williams FW14B
Nigel Mansell’s 1992 championship car carried a bold blue, yellow and white scheme with a red #5 on the nose. The FW14B combined striking livery and dominant performance; its colours remain one of Williams’ most recognisable looks and would be a popular retro return.
Brawn BGP 001
Brawn GP’s one-season fairy tale in 2009 came with a simple, effective white chassis accented by fluorescent yellow. The livery matched the underdog story and Jenson Button’s title run; a modern Mercedes sporting that Brawn look would celebrate one of F1’s great upsets.
Benetton B186
Benetton’s 1986 B186 used bright green with splashes of other colours and even experimental painted tyre sidewalls on some occasions. The kaleidoscopic, playful approach stood out in the era and would provide a colourful contrast on today’s grid, especially from the team that evolved into today’s Alpine.
Toro Rosso STR12
The STR12 introduced in 2017 switched Toro Rosso from navy to a vivid royal blue with red, silver and purple highlights. The shimmering finish immediately caught fans’ attention during the Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat era; its modern revival would bring a distinctive, vibrant palette back.
Jordan 198
Jordan’s long association with yellow peaked with the 1998 Jordan 198, featuring the “Buzzin’ Hornets” motif and a black nose with a hornet graphic. The bold yellow-and-black identity became a fan favourite and a playful example of how mascots and graphics can define a team’s look.
McLaren M23
Before papaya orange, McLaren wore a classic red-and-white livery in the 1970s. The M23’s red, white and gold design is tied to Emerson Fittipaldi’s title success and the later Prost/Senna era nostalgia. A modern homage would reconnect McLaren with a key chapter of its history.
Red Bull RB11 (testing livery)
Though it never raced, Red Bull’s 2015 RB11 arrived at Jerez covered in a black-and-white camouflage wrap to obscure details — a clever and much-discussed reveal. Seeing that camo or a similar testing-style graphic used in competition would be an inventive nod to one of the sport’s most talked-about unveilings.
Each of these liveries carries history and personality. Whether tied to championship triumphs, debut moments, or offbeat creativity, they’d all make striking comebacks on today’s cars.