With less than a month left until the start of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain, the excitement of car launches continues as seven teams announce their 2024 competitors. Ferrari became the last team to withdraw the cover.
After last year’s grille looked relatively similar (the main three colors were red, blue, and carbon fiber/black), there’s at least some change this year.
The remaining three teams are three of the teams that finished in the top four last year. Mercedes and McLaren will unveil their cars on February 14 (McLaren has already revealed a livery) and Red Bull will wrap up the event on Thursday, February 15.
Here are the 2024 cars and liveries we’ve seen so far, in championship order. As always, as teams introduce their upgrades and updates, expect some of the real cars to change during testing and actually look different again in the first race.
Ferrari SF-24
Of course, Ferrari’s new car is red, but it also features a few other colors associated with the team: yellow, white and black. The halo is red this year and the wheel covers are mostly red. Luckily there isn’t as much exposed carbon fiber as has become common. There’s a bit on the back of the car, yes, but it’s tastefully done.
Time will tell if it will be faster than last year’s car. While team boss Frederic Vasseur said the team needed to be “more clinical and effective”, team technical director Enrico Cardile said that “every area of the car has been redesigned” and that they wanted to “create a completely new platform” with the SF. -24.
McLaren MCL38
McLaren didn’t actually introduce its cars for the upcoming season, but it did release the livery. Not much blue this year.
Aston Martin AMR24
Aston Martin, which is in fifth place in the rankings after a stormy start to the season, hopes that the 2024 car, the first vehicle produced at the team’s new campus in Silverstone, will start this season as strongly as last season. And with a stronger finish.
The car, which has slightly more exposed carbon fiber than last year, was tested at Silverstone on the same day. Team principal Mike Krack said: “Almost every area of the car has been improved and developed, utilizing our strengths and taking lessons learned from the previous season. Our aim this season is to score regular points, get on the podiums and fight for our first win on the green.”
Alpine A524
Once McLaren recovered, Alpine had no chance of finishing anywhere other than sixth in 2023. They finished the year 160 points behind Aston Martin and 92 points ahead of Williams.
The exterior on the 2024 car is a prime example of “carbon fiber creep.” Pink and blue are still present, but black is now the dominant color.
Williams FW46
Williams is a team whose main aim will be to build on last year’s strong points tally and close the gap on Alpine or anyone above them. Their appearance is quite similar to the one in 2023, although they are not real cars. I still have the Duracell battery air box.
Visa Cash Application RB VCARB 01
Formerly AlphaTauri (and before that Toro Rosso), Red Bull’s latest sister team has a name that is unlikely to please or excite F1 enthusiasts. And the name of the chassis is not very good.
Their livery is almost a return to the 2019 Toro Rosso colours, with a touch of the white that characterized the AlphaTauri days. At least they didn’t overdo the exposed carbon fiber. Actually there are very few. They finished last year strongly after a slow start and hope to continue that trend with the addition of Daniel Ricciardo.
Sauber C44
The Sauber team has been rebranded from the 2019-2023 Alfa Romeo version, before switching back to Audi in 2026. The official name is a bit jarring (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber), but the livery is something different and striking. least.
Lots of black, yes, but also plenty of daytime green. It won’t be hard to miss on the grid.
Haas VF-24
This is a big year for Haas, the first without former team boss Gunther Steiner. The first appearance of the rendered F1 cars was the usual red, white and black livery ahead of last weekend’s test run at Silverstone.