The Monaco Grand Prix is a special time of year in the Formula 1 calendar. The circuit carries the biggest historical meaning for F1, and is also ideal for showing off the glamour and luxury of the sport to sponsors and prospective investors.
McLaren is taking it one step further this year by using a special livery to show off their partnership with Gulf. This move has only impressed upon us the need for a proper livery editor in Codemasters' next game, F1 2021.
McLaren Gulf
The special livery is replaces McLaren's papaya-blue look with the classic Gulf colouring that is most recognisable from Ford GT cars and LeMans runners.
And it looks amazing.
Undoubtedly a money-spinner for McLaren, coming with a unique apparel line to boot, it's a reminder that F1 car designs are far from static things these days.
Sponsorship logos come and go, colouring changes, and just like driver helmets, they can be highly detailed and truly beautiful things.
Which is why players need the freedom to create their own masterpieces in F1 2021.
Upgrading the livery editor
F1's livery editor was new for F1 2019 in multiplayer and then updated and moved into My Team for 2020. It was a good first step on the journey for the game franchise. It let players pick the look of their own car and colourise around pre-set designs before slapping some sponsors on it. However, it never really looked like an F1 car.
Sponsor logos were just slapped on, without real location and sizing options, while the livery designs varied from bizarre to ugly. Colour choices were limited, without the option for gloss, matte, or metallic paint options.
Now it's time for an upgrade.
What needs to be added?
Let's start with the car numbers. We need to be able to choose the font and style of these, and then adjust the location and surrounding area. Then it's time to be able to freely place, resize, and stylise the sponsor logos.
No more logos that barely fill the rear wing or huge empty areas of a championship car. If players want to hit AMG levels of sticker spamming then they should be able to!
Finally we need to be able to select the finish of paint used. Games like Assetto Corsa Competizione, and even Codemasters' own DIRT 5, let players pick between glossy, matte, chrome, or metallic finishes which just lets players get an even deeper sense of ownership over their cars.
Finally, like Forza Horizon and others, we need to be able to share these liveries with each other. The Formula 1 community has a lot of talented creators out there, but also people (like us!) who can't quite make their liveries come to life and would love to explore what others have made.
It's time to open the livery editor up and let players go wild.