Even though Formula 1 teams seem to be scaling back their liveries in favour of an 'exposed carbon' for extra performance, they have still produced some striking examples of testing specials over the years. They may only get a limited outing but are a fun concept that teams can use to draw attention away from some of their cars secrets. Here are some of our favourite testing liveries in Formula 1 from over the years.
Valentines camo livery for Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo elected to run with a special Valentines camouflage car livery during their first outing of the C39 in 2020. The one-off snakeskin style livery with hearts was ran when they took to the track at Fiorano in Italy for the first time for a shakedown, prior to them unveiling the car on the morning of winter testing. The team said the Snakeskin was a homage to one of the brand's dominant icons: "The heraldic Biscione - the large serpent featured in the city of Milan's crest."
McLaren-Honda second era
When McLaren ran the Honda engine for the first time in the hybrid era, it was at the end of the 2014 season. The team did a shakedown of the car - dubbed MP4-29/1X1 - at Silverstone in the weeks prior, sporting a similar livery the one they ran throughout the 2014 season. However it featured two key elements: Honda logo's on a McLaren for the first time since the 1992 season, and teased what would be the return to the iconic papaya orange.
The Red 'Camo' Bull
During the 2015 pre-season test Red Bull turned up to Jerez running a camouflage livery. The zebra-themed livery turned a few heads, as it was the first time the team had departed from their usual brand colours. It would later turn out to be a difficult season for the team as they struggled to win, following the departure of Sebastian Vettel to Ferrari.
Honda go all-black
Honda elected to run an all-black car during pre-season testing in 2007, which was somewhat more sleek than the 'Earth Livery' that they ended up racing with during that year. The highlight was the black and silver version of driver Jenson Button's helmet, another compliment to simple take on F1 liveries. How apt that several years later the very same team that is still based in Banbury, Oxfordshire - now under the Mercedes name - has returned to the all-black livery for the 2023 season.
Renault sleek look
Another from the 2007 season, this time it's Renault who elected to run with a darker tone of blue for their R27 during testing at Jerez. Driven by Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella, the livery was ultimately not used after the test because they signed title sponsor Dutch bank 'ING' for the season.
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