The Most Iconic Livery In Motorsports Is Making A Big Return To The F1 Grid This Weekend
There's just something about a Gulf livery, isn't there?
There are countless iconic paint schemes and liveries from the world of motorsports. Dale Earnhardt's black No. 3 and any Ferrari in its instantly recognizable red livery are some of the first that may jump to mind.
But, for my money, there is no livery more iconic — since it has appeared in so different racing disciplines over the years —than the legendary powder blue and orange Gulf livery.
And lucky us, it's coming back to the Formula 1 grid this weekend in São Paulo.
READ: IF YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF EXTRA MONEY ON HAND, I FOUND A COOL RACECAR FOR YOU TO BUY
For the last couple of seasons, Gulf Oil has sponsored Williams Racing, and they've run versions of the iconic livery before. On Wednesday, the latest iteration was unveiled, and it has some pretty cool little Easter eggs hidden in it.
The regular Williams livery is good, but how is this not on the car every week? It's spectacular!
How about just leaving it on the car for the last four races of the season?
Anyway, while this looks like a pretty traditional Gulf livery, a closer look reveals that there is writing all over the bodywork of the FW47. The livery is being described as a tribute to the fans and features 493 words written in 12 different languages.
It's such an awesome look for a team that is looking to finish strong after a stellar season.
Williams is currently P5 in the Constructors' Standings thanks to strong campaigns from drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. Seeing as they're sitting at 111 points — 49 points clear of Racing Bulls and over 200 behind Red Bull (a veritable Red Bull sandwich) — it looks like their fate is sealed barring anything nutty.
Still, there will be some tracks at which the team could excel, including Las Vegas, which features long, fast straights that have been Williams' bread and butter for the last few seasons.
We'll see how Interlagos treats them, but I'll just say that I wouldn't be bummed out seeing some powder blue and orange firesuits on the podium.