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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Zach Koons

F1 Teams, Drivers Show Off American Flair With Liveries, Helmets at U.S. Grand Prix

F1 Grand Prix Alex Albon McLaren Indiana Jones Oscar Piastri Austin Google MoneyGram Haas F1 Team Texas
Drivers and teams alike brought the American flair to F1 to begin U.S. Grand Prix weekend. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the first time since the Miami Grand Prix in May, Formula One returns to the United States at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Drivers will take to the track Sunday at one of the most iconic venues in American motorsports for the 2024 U.S. Grand Prix.

Since this is the second time this season that the F1 paddock is stateside, it's only fitting that the drivers, teams and cars looked the part. Red, white and blue accents were on the menu, but plenty of teams opted to get creative with the ways in which they chose to honor the home country of this weekend's race.

Let's take a closer look at how the paddock embraced their return to the States to kick off the weekend.

Haas

Haas, the lone American team on the grid, led the charge by leaning into a patriotic red, white and blue theme. The new livery featured an eagle alongside accents of blue on each of the side pods, as well as stars on the front wing.

Once the car got out on track for Friday's practice it looked perfectly in place for Haas's home race.

Alpine

Alpine, a team based in France, opted to pay homage to the world of American cinema and in particular, one of the most iconic American movie characters: Indiana Jones. The special livery came in partnership to promote the forthcoming video game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, Alpine's two drivers, also embraced the Indiana Jones theme with their racing apparel—though it seems unlikely that cowboy boots will be the choice of footwear come race day.

McLaren

McLaren also opted for a unique livery this weekend, though it's connection to the U.S. might be a bit looser. The team, which has American tech company Google as one of its partners, swapped out some of its usual papaya color for a silver chrome in a nod to Google's internet browser. Rest assured McLaren fans: there's still plenty of papaya.

When it came to helmets, drivers similarly went all out. McLaren's Oscar Piastri announced his Route 81-themed helmet, which he'll wear both in Austin and Las Vegas, from inside Texas Memorial Stadium. Too bad the 23-year-old Aussie will miss out on Saturday's top-five college football showdown between Texas and Georgia while he competes in the sprint race.

Red Bull

Sergio Pérez of Red Bull, who will make way for his own home race next weekend in Mexico, donned a helmet with a special Disney+ and ESPN twist. Though it's not exactly as creative as Piastri's, the Guadalajara native is likely keeping his best design of the season in his back pocket until his trip to Mexico City.

Visa Cash App RB

Liam Lawson, who will return to the F1 grid in place of Daniel Ricciardo for RB, quickly got into the spirint of the U.S. Grand Prix by adding red, white and blue to his helmet. The 22-year-old will start from the back for Sunday's race due to an engine penalty, but at least he'll look stylish while doing so.

Williams

Though not exactly embracing the star-spangled nature of the other, Alex Albon chose to remember his racing roots to honor his 100th Grand Prix in F1 by wearing a design similar to that of his first-ever helmet. Hard not to love a throwback photo to Albon's karting days.

Sauber

Last but certainly not least, Sauber's Valterri Bottas chose to honor the city of Austin with his helmet. He specifically embraced host city's "Keep Austin Weird" slogan, with a funky green and pink design.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as F1 Teams, Drivers Show Off American Flair With Liveries, Helmets at U.S. Grand Prix.

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