In the past, F1 teams have often taken the opportunity to run their cars in special or raw liveries during pre-season testing.

From McLaren to Red Bull, Force India, Williams or Ligier, Arrows and Renault, many outfits introduced new ideas or interim schemes, some of which looked even better than the final version.

Just a few weeks before everyone pulls the covers off their 2018 chargers, we've delved into the archives and put together a selection of pictures of some rare liveries.

Nicolas Carpentiers

Nicolas Carpentiers is F1i.com's resident technical expert, providing in-depth technical analysis and casting his critical eye across the developments of the teams throughout the season.

Recent Posts

Austrian GP Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?

Don’t let the idyllic green hills of Spielberg fool you. Clocking in at a compact…

28 minutes ago

Red Bull apologises, takes blame for Verstappen Q3 crash

Red Bull has accepted full responsibility for Max Verstappen's dramatic qualifying crash at the Austrian…

2 hours ago

Norris: McLaren 'where we deserve to be’ but race brings opportunity

Lando Norris admitted McLaren ended up exactly where it belonged on the grid after Saturday’s…

3 hours ago

Austrian GP: Saturday's action in pictures

F1 fans near and far were treated to a thrilling qualifying at the Austrian GP,…

16 hours ago

Hamilton hopes Ferrari can ambush Russell into Turn 1 in Austria

Lewis Hamilton believes that Ferrari’s best chance of disrupting Mercedes in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix…

17 hours ago

Russell: ‘Unbelievable’ Austrian GP pole lap came out of nowhere

George Russell was not about to let a cloud of controversy hang over his Austrian…

17 hours ago