Red Bull held its F1 2023 season launch in New York City on Friday, a decision reflecting the growth of the series in the United States and significance of the market.
But as part of the announcement, Red Bull F1 chief Christian Horner revealed the team was set to hold a competition called ‘Make Your Mark’, inviting fans to design different liveries for the races in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas.
Horner explained that submissions would be judged by a panel before a winner was announced, getting the honour of their design racing on the RB19 for a race.
“This is very much about getting the fans involved in the design and look of the car,” Horner explained.
“For the three US races that we have this year, for the first time ever, we’re going to get the fans involved to create the livery for those three races.
“It’s going to be a competition, it’s a huge opportunity and we’ve thought long and hard about it. We know it’s what what people want to see, to get involved, and this is your chance to be able to do that.
“For the first US race in May in Miami, the competition opens I think today, and [it’s a chance] to get involved and come up with some interesting liveries.
“There’ll be then a panel of judges and we’ll pick out the best and most striking ones for these three races.”
It will not be the first time that Red Bull has raced with a one-off livery, most recently having run a white-based design for the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix in honour of its outgoing engine partner, Honda.
The team also regularly raced with a one-off design in its early seasons as part of an initiative for its charity partner, Wings for Life. This allowed fans to get a small picture of their face on the car through a donation, leading to a patchwork design across the car within the Red Bull colour scheme.
Ahead of the 2023 livery reveal on Friday, an image of a black and white doodle design on an RB14 car circulated social media.
But Horner revealed that this was a showcar which had been given a unique livery by a designer called Mr Doodle, and that it would be auctioned off for Wings for Life.
"We’re going to auction that car for our nominated charity Wings for Life, and every single penny from that auction for that car is going to go to the charity,” said Horner.
“The auction opens today through Christies. It’s going to look great in somebody’s living room or wall! It’s a fantastic piece of art, you have to say.”
