Ranking the 2023 Formula 1 cars from worst- to best-looking

The 2023 Formula 1 season is on the horizon. Before the lights go out in Bahrain during the first weekend of March, theScore ranks the 10 liveries we'll see on the track this year.

Note: We've opted to evaluate each team's primary livery only, leaving Alpine's secondary pink number in the pit lane.

10. Haas (VF-23)

This certainly is a car.

Perhaps that's too simple and mean, but Formula 1 will feature three American races on its calendar for the first time this year; one would think the lone U.S. manufacturer would try to capitalize on that - perhaps with some patriotism? Haas has never picked a lane - both figuratively and literally, actually - in its designs. Without any brands seemingly dictating what the car should look like, this is far too restrained.

9. Aston Martin (AMR23)

Aston Martin is an iconic car company known for its distinctive green. So why does its Formula 1 entry always lack the pop of the emerald racing green we see on the road? Too much black, inexplicable yellow, and just too boring.

8. Alpine (A523)

This was our No. 1 car last year, so dropping it to eighth might seem steep. But no team gets to simply hit repeat on a great design after finishing firmly midfield and losing its marquee driver to one of its biggest competitors. Also, the all-pink livery is just better. Enough with keeping this bolder design on the shelf for most of the season:

7. Red Bull (RB19)

While Alpine loses points for maintaining the status quo, there's something to be said for Red Bull running it back with a title-winning car. Not to mention, this design will undoubtedly go down as iconic when Max Verstappen's run as champion - however long - is in the rearview. But this look is almost identical to its predecessor, and one would expect some sprucing up after the team won both the driver and constructors titles for the first time since 2013. Perhaps a splash of purple from the RB11 days or some white and gold to go with Verstappen's distinctive helmet designs - just a little something that doesn't make everyone think the designers forgot to do their homework the night before the unveiling.

6. Williams (FW45)

The addition of red is a nice touch, but it still feels like Williams is searching for an identity after ownership and team principal changes. Still, the two-tone blue with black looks sharp with the matte finish, and some of the branding is pretty inventive. Better results will certainly conjure more positive feelings about the designs going forward.

5. Alfa Romeo (C43)

In what might be Sauber's last year running as Alfa Romeo, this design is too boring and restrained. The team used white with small green accents to great effect last year. This year's swap for black looks like Ferrari Jr., and that's not necessarily a good thing.

4. AlphaTauri (AT04)

From a very plain icy white-and-blue combination to a much bolder blue-and-white pairing with red accents, AlphaTauri takes a step in the right direction here. The shape looks shockingly similar to that of its parent at Red Bull, and while the farm team won't be competing for a title, perhaps Yuki Tsunoda and newcomer Nyck de Vries can shake up the midfield after a disappointing ninth-place finish.

3. McLaren (MCL60)

Bright orange is always going to be eye-popping, but McLaren loses marks here for under-utilizing the iconic blue in favor of more black. The front wing is now completely black as opposed to last year's orange, and the back wing is now orange instead of electric blue. It's still good. It's just a bit more boring than expected.

2. Ferrari (SF-23)

A deeper red and the iconic wordmark along the back wing - what more could we want for the Prancing Horse? Well, reliability and wins, perhaps. It looks great - hopefully, the Tifosi actually get to watch it win races instead of staying off the track or in the pits this time around.

1. Mercedes (W14)

The team is colloquially known as the "Silver Arrows," but let's be honest: Mercedes has always looked better in black. It's also performed better in black, running as champion in 2020 and 2021; here's hoping this car runs as well as it looks.