The Honda Racing F1 Team didn't win a lot of fans when it pulled the bold move of ditching its sponsors and painting the 2007 car like a globe. Thankfully, the Japanese team has revealed that it'll be ditching the map scheme for next season's car, the RA108.
The world map livery was instituted last year to promote Honda's environmental conscience, but came off as an ironic statement considering that it was painted on a gasoline-slurping F1 car. The only slogan on the car was the rear wing that pointed spectators to the team's tree-hugging website, myearthdream.com. But while the 2008 car won't carry the global map theme itself, the new livery will bear some sort of environmental slant to it. We'll have to wait for the it's unveiling on January 29 to see exactly what Honda has in store for us.
In related news, Honda F1 announced that it's hired veteran Austrian racer Alexander Wurz as its test driver. Wurz had announced his immediate retirement from F1 in the middle of last season, and cited the opportunity to work with Honda's new chief Ross Brawn as a principal motivating factor for his return.
[Sources: F1-Live and autosport]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
CentralParkWest99 @ Jan 10th 2008 7:42PM
Pshh why hug trees when you can hump them!
Save the world WOT !
Steve P @ Jan 10th 2008 7:57PM
I think if they did a highly stylized leaf-vein pattern it could look really good. They won't, but it would sure be unique.
Anyway, who cares how the FACTORY Honda is painted. Super Aguri is the #1 Champ; I hope they have a fantastic season. You can just tell it's all about the racing to them, which is awesome. Apparently their first chassis was actually a repainted Arroz taken from an airport display... They've come quite a way.
kurt @ Jan 10th 2008 8:07PM
I don't get why everyone hated this livery, I thought it was kind of a unique approach, definitely made the car stand out on the grid.
tankd0g @ Jan 11th 2008 1:48AM
On TV it didn't look like anyhting at all. I had several people convinced that it was Godzilla puke.
JD @ Jan 11th 2008 5:00AM
I agree with each of you. It's a neat idea, and I like how it looks in pictures. Sadly, it doesn't look nearly as cool in low def TV. Don't know if the rest of the world has F1 in HDTV, but I sure as hell don't, and it doesn't look cool at all. There is of course the irony factor, and the enviro-friendly thing was definitely out of place in F1.
matt @ Jan 10th 2008 8:27PM
I didn't mind the paintjob too much. Actually, I thought it was kind of cool since I'd rather hear about/see a car and its driver rather than its sponsors.
Not that the globe paint helped with seeing the car's lines...
psarhjinian @ Jan 10th 2008 9:14PM
I quite preferred this car. It was refreshing to see a racecar that wasn't whored up with sponsor logos and the paint job was definitely unique.
I can only hope that it sparks a trend of de-corporatization of racing. I get twitchy listening to "my Home Depot Red Bull Budweiser Nextel Chevy run real good!".
Anthony @ Jan 10th 2008 10:37PM
How do I change my icon?
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jan 10th 2008 11:02PM
Once upon a time, race cars had beautiful paint jobs. Cars such as Interscope's signature black, red, and pink coupled with their signature 0 and 00 numbers. John Player's signature black and gold paint schemes. Gulf Oil's signature blue and orange. Rothman's blue and white 956's and 962's. Those are all paint schemes that will be remembered throughout motor sport history.
Personally I miss having such beautiful cars shooting down the straights of the world's most famous race tracks with drivers who were heros and cars that are legends.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jan 10th 2008 11:02PM
Once upon a time, race cars had beautiful paint jobs. Cars such as Interscope's signature black, red, and pink coupled with their signature 0 and 00 numbers. John Player's signature black and gold paint schemes. Gulf Oil's signature blue and orange. Rothman's blue and white 956's and 962's. Those are all paint schemes that will be remembered throughout motor sport history.
Personally I miss having such beautiful cars shooting down the straights of the world's most famous race tracks with drivers who were heros and cars that are legends.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jan 10th 2008 11:02PM
Once upon a time, race cars had beautiful paint jobs. Cars such as Interscope's signature black, red, and pink coupled with their signature 0 and 00 numbers. John Player's signature black and gold paint schemes. Gulf Oil's signature blue and orange. Rothman's blue and white 956's and 962's. Those are all paint schemes that will be remembered throughout motor sport history.
Personally I miss having such beautiful cars shooting down the straights of the world's most famous race tracks with drivers who were heros and cars that are legends.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jan 10th 2008 11:03PM
Once upon a time, race cars had beautiful paint jobs. Cars such as Interscope's signature black, red, and pink coupled with their signature 0 and 00 numbers. John Player's signature black and gold paint schemes. Gulf Oil's signature blue and orange. Rothman's blue and white 956's and 962's. Those are all paint schemes that will be remembered throughout motor sport history.
Personally I miss having such beautiful cars shooting down the straights of the world's most famous race tracks with drivers who were heros and cars that are legends.
Anthony @ Jan 10th 2008 11:37PM
Ignore my last post......I got it.
Shaft @ Jan 11th 2008 12:55AM
Once upon a time, race cars had beautiful paint jobs. Cars such as Interscope's signature black, red, and pink coupled with their signature 0 and 00 numbers. John Player's signature black and gold paint schemes. Gulf Oil's signature blue and orange. Rothman's blue and white 956's and 962's. Those are all paint schemes that will be remembered throughout motor sport history.
Personally I miss having such beautiful cars shooting down the straights of the world's most famous race tracks with drivers who were heros and cars that are legends
Shaft @ Jan 11th 2008 12:57AM
Sorry HotRod, it was the evil paintjob that forced me to do that!!!
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jan 11th 2008 1:58AM
That evil paintjob made me post like a million times over.
MGBYG @ Jan 11th 2008 9:09AM
Beats the NASCAR rolling billboards.
David Traver Adolphus @ Jan 11th 2008 12:57PM
Hey, I've got my name on that car...in 6pt type somewhere on the nose. How will the world love and respect me now?