THE Formula One season continues this weekend as teams head to Japan for the third race under the new regulations.
Mercedes are looking to continue their excellent start to the season following back to back 1-2 finishes in Australia and China.
George Russell sits top of the drivers’ leaderboard on 51 points after two rounds, with teammate Kimi Antonelli four points behind his Silver Arrows teammate.
Reigning constructors champions McLaren have work to do heading into Suzuka, with both cars not able to start the race in Shanghai with electrical problems – Oscar Piastri is yet to race a lap in 2026.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has not finished on the podium yet as Red Bull struggles to match up to Mercedes and Ferrari under the new era.
With the Japanese Grand Prix being a track Verstappen has won at each of the last four years, he will be eyeing this weekend to make his mark on the new F1 season.
Heading into Suzuka, three teams have unveiled special liveries, and SunSport has all the details on each car.
Why have Mercedes, Haas and Racing Bulls changed their liveries?
Often for certain races throughout a season, F1 teams will adapt or change their cars to suit a particular country or theme to connect with fans.
This week, teams have revealed special liveries for the first time this season.
Mercedes
The Silver Arrows have changed the styling of the front wing on the W17 to feature a wolf, under the tagline ‘unleashing the beast’.
It comes as part of a collaboration with fashion brand Y-3, which was set up by Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto.
The brand is owned jointly by Yamamoto and Adidas, with the collaboration also being extended to an exclusive line of merchandise for the Grand Prix.
Haas
The team have agreed a season-long deal with Japanese entertainment company Toho Co, who are the studio that owns the Godzilla movie franchise.
The American team describe it as “the first ever collaboration with an entertainment IP in the history of the Haas team”.
Drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman revealed the special design at a launch event in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Racing Bulls
Red Bull’s second team have unveiled a one-off ‘spring edition’ of their livery.
Compared to their usual 2026 design, it features a lot more red throughout, which is also seen in the drivers’ racing kit this weekend.
This was unveiled at the Red Bull Tokyo Drift event on March 21, which saw the Racing Bulls drivers as well as Red Bull’s reserve driver and Japanese national Yuki Tsunoda.
