The FIA is set to discuss concerns with Formula 1 teams about the difficulties in distinguishing between car liveries due to exposed carbon and similar color schemes.
As teams strive to reduce the weight of their cars, a popular method has been to leave certain areas unpainted. This results in less vibrant liveries because of the exposed black carbon fiber.
Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s head of single seater matters, highlighted two major concerns: the prevalence of naked carbon, and the similarity of color schemes among some teams. These issues will be addressed at the next F1 Commission meeting. According to Tombazis, the goal is to promote collaboration among teams to make liveries more distinguishable without enforcing regulations.
Tombazis commented, ‘As always in F1, it is a bit more complicated than maybe meets the eye… We don’t want to be making regulations about liveries as the FIA, but we do want cars to be distinguishable.’
Additionally, the FIA aims to make it easier to identify individual drivers, noting that the once-recognizable helmets are now harder to see due to frequent design changes and the Halo device. Tombazis believes this is another area where teams need to see the common good in making their cars and drivers easier to identify.
Former Aston Martin strategy chief Bernie Collins weighed in on the discussion during a Sky F1 podcast. Responding to a fan question about using colored carbon for liveries, she explained that while it’s possible to color the resin, it wouldn’t create vibrant hues and would complicate manufacturing processes. She added, ‘So carbon fibre works best when it’s black, just because the resins and everything works right. So you could tinge it, but you wouldn’t get like a Ferrari red… you’d get like a very sort of dull sheen to it.’
Collins added that teams often start the season with a lot of exposed carbon but might add more paint as they find other ways to reduce weight through the year.
The FIA hopes to encourage teams to collaborate on livery designs that are both lightweight and easily distinguishable, aiming for a balanced solution that benefits the sport as a whole.
Source: Planetf1
