Racing
© Liauzh
Aston Martin has unveiled a special Monaco Grand Prix livery for its AMR26, with principal partner Maaden taking over the car in a one-off design built around a first-ever color-shifting wrap.
The team says the bespoke iridescent finish uses a specialist wrap material it has never used before, creating a surface that changes shade depending on the light and the angle from which the car is viewed. Around Monaco’s street circuit, that means Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s cars are set to appear to change color as they run through the weekend.
The concept sits under the campaign theme “From Rock to Racetrack,” which Aston Martin and Maaden say is meant to show the path from raw metals and minerals in the ground to the advanced materials and components used in Formula 1 technology.
The visual change is not limited to the cars. Aston Martin has also applied the same Maaden-inspired treatment to the drivers’ race suits, as well as to the helmets and overalls of the number one mechanics.
Jefferson Slack, Aston Martin’s managing director, commercial, said the launch was designed to highlight more than just a new look. “This weekend, we are proud to celebrate our Principal Partner Maaden through this unique livery takeover at the Monaco Grand Prix,” he said. Slack added that “more than a livery alone, the whole campaign highlights the important role Maaden plays in shaping and transforming materials into components we all use, including in the world of Formula 1.”
Bob Wilt, Maaden’s CEO, cast the Monaco reveal as a wider statement about the industry behind the materials. “The minerals power the modern world, yet mining remains one of the most underappreciated industries,” he said. On the “From Rock to Racetrack” campaign, Wilt added: “It’s not just a campaign. It’s a challenge to see mining and Maaden differently.”
For Aston Martin, the Monaco weekend becomes more than a standard sponsor livery change, with the team using one of Formula 1’s highest-profile races to tie its car’s appearance directly to the material story behind modern motorsport technology.