M-Sport turns full blue
It’s no secret, rally car liveries do not matter. They’re just colors and ads and make no difference at all in terms of performance. They are, nonetheless, extremely important because they capture our attention, they provide connection and stir up emotions. Even though we won’t see them mentioned in official results and no titles will be given out to livery designers, those colours are essential part of any rally team. We cannot imagine WRC without engine noise, colourful liveries and bold drivers. Liveries matter.
In 2016 M-Sport’s cars will feature a new set of colours. Last year they had a white and blue combo, sort of a tribute to similar liveries in the past, but for 2016 they’re turning full blue, replacing white with bright blue. It’s almost like they want to really adopt the blue colour, but I cannot see why. Really, it’s not like their cars have anything to do with blue colour. I mean, have you ever heard anyone mention “blue” and “Ford” in same context? Maybe next year Fiestas will be even more blue (bluer?) and then in 2018 they will finally reach their final form, blue from head to toe. Maybe the amount of “new blue” is equal to the amount of Ford’s involvement in this project. They’re not ready to return yet, but they are here, waiting for Malcolm Wilson to finally find a set of drivers, gifted with speed and consistency.
We have yet to see Volkswagen’s 2016 colours, but for the moment I personally do like new M-Sport colour scheme, a lot. I will like it even more with some solid results under Fiesta’s belt, which has little to do with livery and all to do with M-Sport’s engineers and drivers. Pink or green or yellow or blue, just bring in some good results.
M-SPORT’S 2016 LIVERY REVEALED
The M-Sport World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RS WRCs will be adorned with an evolution of last year’s popular livery for the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).
The 2015 design quickly became a fan favourite and the team were keen to continue the same theme moving forward.
In a poll conducted by the WRC Promoter on WRC.com, M-Sport’s offering was voted the best looking manufacturer car of 2015 with 34 percent of the public vote – a huge figure when compared to that of their manufacturer rivals.
Continuing the trend, this year’s design maintains the eye-catching blue stripes that hark back to some of Ford’s most iconic rally cars. The white base however has been replaced with a popular colour from Ford’s 2016 palette – Nitrous Blue.
As well as being applied to the Fiesta RS WRCs of Mads Østberg and Éric Camilli, the bold new look will also appear on the new evolution Ford Fiesta R5 of Elfyn Evans which is confirmed to start both Rallye Monte-Carlo and Rally Sweden.
Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:
“The 2015 livery was immensely popular so rather than changing it completely, the team opted for an evolution which has created a bold look for our 2016 FIA World Rally Championship campaign.
“Drawing inspiration from what continues to be a strong technical partnership with Ford, this year’s colour scheme creates a fresh look for our new team.
“We also continue our partnerships with Michelin, Castrol and our valued trade partners – without whom this project would not be possible.”
