The 10 Most Beautiful Cars To Ever Race In F1

1. Jordan 191

The first ever F1 car built by Jordan is undoubtedly one of the sport’s prettiest machines. Just look at it. The 7 Up livery made it even more iconic too. Andrea de Cesaris and Bertrand Gachot drove the 191 for the majority of the season, before the latter was sent to prison for two months. He was replaced over the final six races by Alex Zanardi, Roberto Moreno and a certain Michael Schumacher.

2. McLaren MP4/4

As dominant on track as it was gorgeous, the MP4/4 and its red and white Marlboro livery remain iconic and a real fan-favourite. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost raced it in 1988, winning 15 of the 16 races, with Senna eventually taking the title.

3. Maserati 250F

The stunning 250F was driven in 46 F1 races between 1954 and 1960, taking eight victories in total. Juan Manuel Fangio won the first two races of the 250F’s debut season before switching to Mercedes, and the points scored helped him take the drivers’ title. He returned to Maserati and the 250F, taking the 1957 championship.

4. Lotus 49

The original 49 in the famous green and yellow Lotus livery was raced in 1967 and the start of 1968. It was an incredibly quick and wonderfully elegant-looking car. Powered by the Cosworth DFV engine, Jim Clark won five races in the 49 – including his final F1 victory at the South African Grand Prix – and Graham Hill took the 1968 title.

5. Ferrari F2004

The car proved to be one of the most successful in F1 history, with Michael Schumacher and Ferrari taking the 2004 titles in style. With its clean lines and iconic red livery, the F2004 won 15 races and 12 pole positions.

6. Mercedes-Benz W196

Whether it was sporting the sleek “Type Monza” bodywork or not, the W196 was a beauty. It was also very, very fast, winning nine of the 12 races it entered and two drivers’ championships in 1954 and 1955.

7. Williams FW14B

With its blue, yellow and white Canon livery and Adrian Newey design, the FW14B was always going to be included on this list. Nigel Mansell won nine races at the wheel of the car and took the 1992 drivers’ title. Williams also claimed the constructors’ crown.

8. Lotus 79

The iconic black and gold car was the first to take full advantage of ground effect aerodynamics in F1. It changed the sport and was also a stunner to look at, as well as being hugely successful – scoring seven wins, 10 pole positions, one drivers’ title (Mario Andretti) and one constructors’ championship.

9. Eagle Mk1

Here’s another stunner from the 1960s. Sometimes known as the Eagle T1G, the pointy-nosed car was most often raced by Dan Gurney in F1, claiming one victory, and the dark blue and white livery made it look even better.

10. Mercedes W05

Some may disagree, but we certainly think the sleek, clean lines of the W05 and the elegant interpretation of the 2014 regulations (when so many looked ugly as hell) deserves a shout-out. It is arguably one of the best-looking cars in recent F1 history and treated fans to a close fight for the drivers’ title between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

What do you think are the most beautiful F1 cars? Let us know in the comments!