Ferrari unveils Austin livery for Leclerc, Hamilton at United States Grand Prix
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 22, 2026
Ferrari Austin livery
Ferrari has put a special Austin livery on the center stage at the United States Grand Prix, and the team says the design is built to reflect how an SF-26 takes shape from the first concept to the finished race car. The one-off look, created with title partner HP, will run on the cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton and uses sketches, engineering drawings and blueprint-style graphics to underline the development process behind Ferrari’s Formula 1 program. Ferrari said the design is meant to highlight both the creativity and technical work that go into building the car, and head of color and trim Silvia Cavallaro said the livery was intended to show the journey from idea to reality and the craftsmanship behind Ferrari’s performance. The team also said the artwork required extensive testing so it could be applied correctly across the car’s complex surfaces, a reminder that a special livery has to fit the machine as cleanly as it does the marketing brief. Ferrari said it will showcase the design throughout the Austin weekend, giving HP a visible role on the team’s SF-26s as the paddock turns its attention to Texas.
Ferrari progress
Ferrari arrives in Austin trying to carry momentum without overpromising. Team principal Fred Vasseur said Ferrari is coming off two encouraging races in Asia, where it scored solid points, and he pointed to the Circuit of the Americas as a different challenge because of its varied corners and demanding layout. That makes the weekend about more than a fresh paint scheme. It also tests whether Ferrari can keep building on recent progress at a demanding track. Vasseur said Ferrari is looking to build on that progress without setting a specific finishing target, a measured stance that fits a team still trying to convert encouraging signs into a more complete run of results. The Austin livery sits inside that bigger picture. It gives Ferrari and HP a chance to present the team’s engineering identity in a visually distinct way while the on-track focus stays on the performance of Leclerc and Hamilton’s SF-26s. The design’s blueprint theme ties neatly to that message. Ferrari is selling process, not just presentation, and Austin gives it a weekend to do both at once. The team’s move also comes with a practical edge, because a one-off livery can stand out only if the car’s core package supports it. Ferrari’s own message suggests the team wants the special look to reinforce its technical identity rather than distract from the race program.
Austin special liveries
Ferrari is one of several Formula 1 teams treating Austin as a showcase weekend for special designs. Mercedes and Aston Martin also unveiled one-off liveries for the United States Grand Prix, while Haas and Cadillac had already joined the list, leaving five of the 11 teams with special Austin looks in place. Mercedes added blue sections to its W17 to highlight its MANUFAKTUR personalization service, and the team said it will pair the car design with special race suits and garage branding for the weekend. Aston Martin’s one-off AMR26 livery marks five years of its partnership with Cognizant, a relationship that began when the team returned to Formula 1 in 2021. Red Bull took a different path and kept its car livery unchanged for Austin, but Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar will still carry a theme of their own through Ford Raptor-inspired race suits and related branding around the garage. The range of approaches gives the Austin paddock several distinct visual identities around the race itself, with each team choosing a different way to use the race weekend as a visual platform. Ferrari leaned into the car’s development story. Mercedes tied its paint to personalization. Aston Martin linked its design to a long-running partnership. Red Bull stayed with its standard look on track while using the garage and apparel to make its statement. Together, the special liveries turn the Austin paddock into a rolling display of team identity, sponsor integration and marketing strategy, all framed around the race itself.
