First images of Racing Bulls’ special Formula 1 jeans-look design: who came up with the idea and which well-known car design the team is borrowing from
Mercedes is not the only Formula 1 team to send its cars to the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix with a special design. Racing Bulls is also ditching its usual colors for the night race at the Marina Bay Circuit, at least in part.
Because where dark blue and white usually dominate, in Singapore a surface reminiscent of denim is emblazoned. And it’s no wonder: Racing Bulls’ Singapore design was created by team sponsor Hugo, a fashion company from the Hugo Boss Group.
A particular eye-catcher is the team logo, which is printed on “leather” on the nose and rear wing end plate of the Racing Bull VCARB 01. At least that’s how it’s supposed to look.
The Formula 1 team has also adopted a design from British American Racing (BAR) from the 1999 season and placed a zipper on the car. Unlike BAR back then, however, the car is not divided into two halves
The result is a Formula 1 car design that has never been seen before in this form, says Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda. “Fashion is one of my passions. That’s why it’s super-cool that we’re cooperating with Hugo in such a special way.”
According to his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, however, this is perhaps just the beginning: “Fashion brands have been active in Formula 1 for years, especially when it comes to team clothing. But so far we haven’t seen fashion brands take the next step and go directly to the race track. “
Racing Bulls sees itself as a pioneer for a new type of sponsorship placement, says Ricciardo. “Brands can do so much more. I guess we’re opening the eyes of all the fashion houses and we’ll see even more designs inspired by fashion in the future. “
Hugo Boss in Formula 1
Hugo has been a sponsor of Racing Bulls since the 2024 Formula 1 season. With its Boss brand, Hugo Boss is also represented by a second team: Aston Martin. In previous years, Hugo Boss was also a sponsor of Mercedes and McLaren.
Racing Bulls had already presented its first special design in Miami, which had also been initiated by a team sponsor. The VCARB 01 therefore appeared much more colorful than usual. Other Formula 1 teams were also already sporting special designs in 2024