Over the years, Formula 1 has often witnessed divided opinions among the fans; For instance, in 2018, when F1 mandated halo cockpits, and in 2021 when the sport witnessed one of the most controversial incidents during the title-deciding season finale at Yas Marina which left the racing world into two halves.
But, one such incident blew up out of proportion in 2017 as numerous fans threatened to quit following F1, presumably due to fear of change. So, what really happened? Well, that was the dawn of the Liberty Media era! The US-based owners arrived at the sport with a major makeover – A new official Formula One logo.
After having watched race weekends start with the classic F1 logo for over 20 years, the change came as a shock to many, including multiple-time world champions, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. However, quite interestingly, 2018 wasn’t necessarily the first time F1 tweaked its official logo. Let’s take a look at the timeline, shall we?
The Evolution of Formula 1 Logo – Where Did It All Start?
The first Formula One logo was rather simple, designed in blue. Of course, it wasn’t a particularly appealing logo, but it was more than enough to represent the series. Fast forward to 1987 when the sport unveiled its first logo makeover.
This time, the words ‘FIA Formula One World Championship’ were in bold and underlined, with a white silhouette of an F1 car in the backdrop. Job well done, indeed! Not only did the design look like a massive upgrade to its predecessor, but, also added an extra bit of sophistication to the sport itself.
Then arrived the second logo makeover in 1994. This was arguably the most famous and the most fan-favorite logo of all time. Anyone who’s been following the sport since the 90s would acknowledge this opinion. The stunning logo was created by Carter Wong, a design agency based in London.
What’s rather fascinating about the design is its intricacy. The red lines have often proven to be misleading, as fans may mistake it for the letter ‘1’. But, as a matter of fact, the letter ‘1’ is actually hiding in the black space between the letter ‘F’ and the red layout.
Unfortunately, as years passed, the V12 and V8 era ended and so did the reign of this beautiful logo. In 2017, Liberty Media, with the help of the Wieden + Kennedy advertising agency, unveiled a simple red logo depicting the letters, ‘F1’.
Soon after, Formula 1 ended up in a wild turmoil when stationary giants, 3M, filed a copyrights violation against the sport, citing similarities between F1’s newborn logo and 3M-led Futuro’s logo. However, the pair eventually arrived at a settlement after numerous discussions.
Over the last couple of years, there have been minor tweaks to its design, but the base has remained the same.
Hence, it looks like this modernized logo isn’t going anywhere for at least a decade from now. And, with that in mind, let’s hear from you – Which logo would you prefer to have in Formula 1?