Car
The multi-layered process of painting a Formula 1 car
by Samarth Kanal
5min read
The Formula 1 grid comprises a spectrum of coloured cars - but what does it take to paint a design onto a carbon fibre chassis? We look at the cost, weight and design implications of this process.
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Black carbon fibre weave - as spectacular as it is - seems to be more and more prevalent in modern F1 car livery designs. Less paint means less time spent applying an identity to a car, and lower costs.
There are however a number of teams that have retained colourful liveries for the 2024 F1 season: RB, Red Bull, and Ferrari among them.
Another team that applies paint more liberally to its car is Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team. Its engineering director Luca Furbatto talked us through the process of painting an F1 car.
Choosing the shade of paint
Aston Martin’s signature colour, currently dubbed ‘Aston Martin Racing Green’, is visible across much of its AMR24.
This colour is thought to stem from ‘British racing green’, which actually has its roots in Ireland, but has appeared on iconic British racing cars from marques such as Bentley, Vanwall, Jaguar and, of course, Aston Martin.
When Aston Martin re-entered F1 in 2021, it used a different shade of green but tweaked that shade to a brighter shade in 2022.
Aston Martin used a different shade of green when it returned to compete in F1 in 2021
A change in colour has wider-ranging implications: it needs to be carried over to the garage, race suits, hospitality, and more areas
In an interview on Aston Martin F1 Team’s website, Jack Brown - senior manager of colour, material and finish for Aston Martin - said: “It wasn't a case of making the paint lighter, just a question of making the highlighted areas shine.”
The F1 team’s engineering director Furbatto told RaceTeq that, despite the weight implications of adding more paint to the car, the team opted to use more colour than rivals including Alpine and McLaren in order to deliver exposure for its brand and its sponsors.
“We spend quite a lot of time looking at this, trying to do a decent job of effectively making sure that our car is visible and can be easily identified whilst keeping an amount of black," Furbatto says.
“Keep in mind also, it's not just the car you have to paint but everything around the garage and trucks. And I think we changed the colour from ‘21… and you cannot imagine the implication of that."
Indeed, the same shade of green is applied not just to the F1 cars, but Aston Martin’s trucks, the walls outside and inside its garage, and even within its hospitality area.
Which areas of an F1 car are left unpainted?
Of course, not every visible area of the AMR24 F1 car is green.
Areas under the sidepods, on the floor, and on the front wing, are kept ‘naked’ - with the carbon fibre weave exposed.
Ahead of the season, the engineering team shares the surface of the car with the marketing team in the form of realistic computer-generated renders, which Furbatto says are “super realistic” - almost emulating the final product.
The marketing team then decides where to place the logos and, together with the engineering team, it defines the most visible areas that need painting, and which areas can remain unpainted.
Those departments also need to take into account where there might be gaps between different bits of bodywork such as the sidepod and the engine cover, to ensure the paintjob flows across the car coherently.
Areas that get a lot of “abuse” towards the bottom of the car, such as the forward areas of the floor, are generally left unpainted.
Unpainted areas of the Aston Martin AMR24 include those areas prone to damage such as the wings and floor
The direction and pattern of the carbon fibre weave needs to match to ensure a more congruous look to the car
It’s not as easy as just leaving the carbon fibre untouched, however.
“In the areas where we decide not to paint, just to be clear, we need to make sure that the quality of the carbon underneath is very good. Imagine, if you had different types of carbon fibre [weave], it could look a bit patchy or untidy.
“I’m not saying we work to the quality of a hypercar, where people look closely at the weaves of the fibres, but say you have a wider weave on one part and a finer weave on another part: if you have a sequence of those, it looks a bit untidy.”
Painting versus wrapping
Some teams do wrap their F1 cars. For example, McLaren has opted for a vinyl wrap rather than a paintjob, while Alpine added vinyl to its car when creating its Deadpool vs Wolverine livery for the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix.
“We considered the option of wrapping the car against painting it. We certainly prefer a painted car. I think if you're wrapping the car, you perhaps need [more] support trackside to remove a logo," Furbatto adds.
“So, I think [a wrap] is good if your livery is changing regularly at every race. But we are steady and we’ve got our brand image and so on, so we think painting looks really good in that sense."
A close-up of Alpine’s special Deadpool vs Wolverine wrap for the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix
Aston Martin is in the process of expanding its headquarters, which will include a new paintshop with two booths
“There could be a temptation to paint the rear wing and then put an Aramco or Valvoline logo on the top, but if you do that there will be a small step [between the painted bodywork and the vinyl wrap]," says Furbatto.
“Even if you apply lacquer on top of the logo, then you still have a little bit of a bump, whilst, if you actually paint the Valvoline [logo] in white on a flat green background with proper masking, then you get a proper, smooth surface,
“And that's much better because there's no kind of airflow obstruction."
The paint itself is applied back at Aston Martin’s F1 headquarters near Silverstone, the British Grand Prix venue.
How to paint an F1 car
Aston Martin is currently in the process of expanding its factory with two new buildings. They will include a new wind tunnel and simulator, along with quality-of-life improvements for its staff such as a new gym and restaurant.
One of the new buildings will also include a paint booth that can fit two cars. Currently, however, Aston Martin subcontracts the painting of its cars to another company. That job is done very close to its current headquarters.
Furbatto explains that a conventional paintjob is done using a base coat or primer, then numerous extra layers, and a clear coat or laminate that gives the finished paintwork a glossy - or matte - finish.
“We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the preparation of the paint with our supplier,” he says.
To save weight, costs, and time, Aston Martin’s car is coated with a combined primer and laminate.
“It reduces your labour because you have to put a lower number of coats, and it reduces the thickness of paint."
According to the team, the paint applied to its AMR24 is around 20 microns or 0.02 millimetres thick.
Furbatto says that nanoparticles - very small particles of paint that have magnetic and protective effects - are also used to ensure an even thinner layer.
Once the process of painting is brought in house, the team will have tighter control of the process - ensuring more consistent quality and lower costs.
Will 2026 bring more colour to the F1 grid?
In 2026, cars are set to be 30 kilogrammes lighter with the minimum weight of the car and driver to be set at 768kg. This is an ambitious target for the teams and a target that implies that they might use less paint on their cars.
However, Furbatto expects the new set of technical regulations to require more paint on the cars. This could have further implications on teams chasing weight savings.
The 2026 F1 cars may be lighter, but they might also include more paint
“I think F1 is pushing towards having a percentage of the car, a number like 75%, painted - or something along those lines. Our car already complies to [that].
“But if you are fighting against the minimum weight, then, everything you can do in terms of technology is going to be very helpful."
It takes a layer of paint just half the width of a human hair to evoke a brand’s identity, but teams will soon be looking at ways to make that layer even thinner - or even formulate a new coating - in the quest for performance.