The 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix kicks off Friday at the Miami International Autodrome, and the special-livery cycle is in full swing. Visa Cash App RB just dropped the round's biggest swing with a full Summer Edition repaint in deep yellow, the most committed one-off livery on the grid this weekend. Cadillac dropped a Stars and Stripes one-off for its first-ever F1 home race. Alpine put driver Franco Colapinto's Argentinian roots front and center with a yellow Mercado Libre photoshoot. Mercedes brought a purple race-suit moment with new partner Nu, and McLaren teased a Sega-themed Miami poster that has fans speculating about a Sonic-inspired livery. The helmet drops piled in alongside the liveries: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez run coordinated Cadillac 1990s Miami helmets, Charles Leclerc went baby blue for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz brought a custom Williams design, Esteban Ocon dropped a Haas Miami special, Gabriel Bortoleto unveiled a strong-color Sauber helmet, and Max Verstappen brought a custom Red Bull Miami helmet. We are tracking every reveal here and grading each one as it lands. For the sister tracker on the Suzuka weekend, see our F1 Japanese Grand Prix special liveries breakdown.
Updated Friday May 1 with five new driver helmet drops from Bottas, Perez, Leclerc, Sainz, Ocon, and Bortoleto. We will keep updating this post through Saturday qualifying and Sunday's race at the Miami International Autodrome.
1. Cadillac · Stars and Stripes Debut
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix is Cadillac's first F1 home race, and as the only American-headquartered team on the grid it makes sense that they would do something special for the weekend. The execution is intentionally subtle. Cadillac did not flip the whole car. The signature black and white color scheme stays intact, the MAC-26 chassis (named for Mario Andretti) keeps its standard base treatment, and the patriotic touches stay in carefully chosen spots. The front wing carries 50 stars, one for each American state. The rear wing reads "USA" alongside red, white, and blue accents. The wingtips pick up subtle hints of red and blue. Drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are running matching American-themed race suits to complete the look.
We actually like the restraint here. A lot of "country home race" liveries go full theme-park flag wrap and lose the team's identity in the process. Cadillac's version reads as still very much a Cadillac car at every camera angle, with American flag elements layered on top instead of swapping the whole car out. The wingtip red-and-blue hint is the best detail. Subtle, smart, and exactly what a debut-year American team should be doing on its first home weekend.
Standard Cadillac Livery vs Miami Special
Before · Standard 2026 Cadillac F1 livery
After · Miami GP one-off livery
The base of the car is identical in both photos. The Miami changes are the front wing star pattern, the rear wing "USA" wordmark, the red and blue wingtip accents, and the matching driver race suits for Bottas and Perez. Compared to past country-themed F1 home race liveries that have gone full repaint, Cadillac's version is one of the most restrained debuts you will see on the grid.
More Photos of the Cadillac Miami GP Livery
Images via Formula1.com
Cadillac F1 Race Suits for Miami
The matching American-themed race suits for Bottas and Perez are the part of this drop you will actually see on the broadcast feed during driver intros and parc fermé. Same restraint as the car. Black and white base with patriotic accents layered on top instead of a full theme swap.
Grade: B-
2. Visa Cash App RB · "Summer Edition" Yellow Livery
Visa Cash App RB dropped the round's most committed one-off Wednesday, a full Summer Edition repaint in deep summer-sun yellow that ties into a new sudachi lime summer variant in the Red Bull energy drink range. Drivers Liam Lawson and rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad, who stepped up from F2 this year to make Racing Bulls one of just two teams running a new lineup for 2026, unveiled the car in classic Red Bull style on a yacht with team principal Alan Permane and CEO Peter Bayer. Wakeboarder Guenther Oka launched off a ramp into a back flip and pulled the covers off the cars mid-flight. The chassis carries enough yellow surface area to read as a true repaint at every camera angle, with the Red Bull, Cash App, and Hugo logos kept in their usual reds and blacks for contrast and the rear wing branded "Red Bull Summer Edition" in a sun-warmed gold treatment.
This is the best new livery of the Miami round so far. Yellow is one of the strongest racing colors on a TV broadcast. It cuts through Florida sun, it pops against any track surface, and it photographs beautifully against both blue sky and night-race lighting. Where Cadillac played it intentionally restrained for their American debut and Alpine added a single yellow stripe and called it a Miami special, Visa Cash App RB just committed to a full repaint and gave fans a fully yellow F1 car for the weekend. The car looks incredible on track too. Easily the best of the round.
Standard Visa Cash App RB Livery vs Miami Summer Edition
Before · Standard 2026 Visa Cash App RB livery
After · Miami GP Summer Edition repaint
The 2026 base car is essentially unrecognizable underneath. Visa Cash App RB swapped the standard chassis treatment for a deep yellow that floods the entire surface, with the Red Bull, Cash App, Hugo, and Tudor logos kept in their original colors to read against the new base. The rear wing reads "Red Bull Summer Edition." Compared to Alpine's single-yellow-stripe Miami change earlier in the week, this is the polar opposite of restrained, and it is a stronger look on a TV camera every time.
Yellow Camo Race Suits for Lawson and Lindblad
Lawson and Lindblad are running matching yellow camouflage race suits with white shoulders and black accents to complete the Summer Edition look. The "Lawson 30" leg branding is the only personalized element on Lawson's suit. Rookie Lindblad takes the #41 car for his debut Miami weekend. The suits will be on every broadcast cutaway during driver intros, parc fermé walks, and helmet pulls between sessions.
More Photos of the VCARB Miami Summer Edition Livery
VCARB Miami GP Liveries Through the Years
Image via Formula1.com
Visa Cash App RB has now done a Miami one-off three years running. 2024 leaned hard into a chrome-effect purple and blue treatment. 2025 went pink and white in a glossy finish that fans nicknamed the Hot Wheels look. 2026 commits all the way to a fully repainted yellow Summer Edition. Each year has had its own clean visual identity, but the 2026 Summer Edition is the most committed surface-area repaint of the three and the easiest to spot on a TV camera.
Yellow Hugo Team Polos and the Minions Movie Tie-In
Earlier in race week, Visa Cash App RB teased the yellow direction by pulling both drivers into matching Hugo team polos for the Miami marketing rollout. The deeper play is the Minions movie crossover. The yellow Summer Edition livery is paired with a Universal Pictures Minions movie tie-in for the Miami weekend, leaning into the obvious color match between the Minions and the new VCARB chassis. The team has been seeding the Minions content across social through race week. The Minions tie-in is exclusive to Visa Cash App RB and is unrelated to any other team's Miami branding.
Grade: A
3. Mercedes · Purple Nu Race Suits (Suits Only)
Mercedes confirmed a purple race-suit partnership with Nu, the Brazilian digital financial services platform that signed a multi-year global deal with the team in January 2026, ahead of the Miami weekend. The team posted official photos of the new suits on Wednesday, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli wearing the deep-purple Nu treatment for the Miami marketing rollout.
It is important to flag what this is not. Mercedes has not changed the W17 livery for Miami. The purple is on the suits and the marketing only, with the car staying close to the standard Silver Arrows look. We are still including it on the tracker because the suit-and-helmet category is part of the broader Miami special-livery cycle, but on a wide camera shot the Mercedes will look like any other weekend. The suit treatment is clean, the Nu purple is a strong color on the broadcast, and the partnership is a smart one for a team chasing a stronger Brazilian fan footprint.
Grade: B (Suits Only)
4. McLaren · Sega-Themed Miami Poster (Livery Unconfirmed)
McLaren released a Miami GP poster designed by illustrator Matt Taylor featuring the MCL40 alongside Sonic the Hedgehog, gold rings from the video game franchise, and a silhouette of the 1993 McLaren MP4/8 that Ayrton Senna drove to his legendary Donington Park victory in the rain. Sega is McLaren's official gaming partner. The Donington connection is the giveaway: Sega was the race sponsor at Donington in 1993 and Senna received a Sonic trophy on the podium that day.
McLaren has not confirmed a Miami special livery. The poster could be promotional artwork only, OR it could be teasing a Sonic-themed retro livery for the team's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix at Hard Rock Stadium this weekend, which is the milestone the team is celebrating in Miami. We are listing this as a tease rather than a confirmed livery, and we will update this card the moment McLaren officially announces or rules it out.
Grade: Pending Reveal
5. Alpine · Argentinian Twist for Colapinto
Alpine ran an Argentinian-themed Miami GP photoshoot built around driver Franco Colapinto and his number 43 car, leaning into Colapinto's status as the only Argentine driver on the 2026 F1 grid heading into a Miami crowd that always travels heavy with Latin American fans. The studio backdrop is a flat Mercado Libre yellow that floods the entire frame, and the campaign emphasis is on Colapinto and the Mercado Libre partnership. The problem is the actual car barely changes. The 2026 Alpine livery stays in its standard BWT pink and Mercedes-blue base, and the only real Miami-specific addition is a single yellow stripe accent. For a special-livery tracker, "we added one stripe" is not enough. The marketing campaign is the right idea, the audience targeting is smart, but the car itself is doing almost no work for Miami. We were hoping for more.
Standard Alpine Livery vs Miami Argentinian Twist
Before · Standard 2026 Alpine F1 livery
After · Miami GP Argentinian one-off
The base of the car is essentially identical in both photos. The Miami change is the single yellow stripe accent and the Mercado Libre marketing emphasis. Compared to Cadillac running 50 stars on the front wing, USA wordmark on the rear wing, and matching driver suits for the same weekend, Alpine's Miami change is barely a livery special at all.
More Photos of the Alpine Miami GP Argentinian Photoshoot
Grade: B-
6. Red Bull · Max Verstappen Custom Miami Helmet
Max Verstappen unveiled a custom Miami GP helmet for the 2026 weekend, and it is one of the best driver helmet drops of the round. Red Bull main team rarely runs full one-off car liveries, and the driver helmet is the lever the team consistently pulls when a marquee race calls for something special on the broadcast. The Miami design is the part of the package fans will actually catch on the broadcast feed during the in-car cam, the parc fermé walk-up, and the helmet pulls in the garage between sessions. The execution is exactly what a Verstappen Miami helmet should look like, the design language hits, and the broadcast read is going to be excellent across every camera angle this weekend.
Grade: A
7. Cadillac · Valtteri Bottas + Sergio Perez 1990s Miami Helmets
Cadillac brought one of the boldest helmet drops of the weekend with Valtteri Bottas's 1990s Miami tribute, designed by his partner cyclist Tiffany Cromwell. The mint-and-lilac base is packed with Memphis movement patterns and retro motifs, with a pink Cadillac illustration tying back to his current team and the race number rendered in Comic Sans on purpose. Sergio Perez runs a coordinated team helmet with subtle variations on the same Miami aesthetic. A-. Coordinated team helmets that lean into a real cultural reference and connect back to Cadillac's brand without forcing the placement.
Grade: A-
8. Ferrari · Charles Leclerc Baby Blue Miami Helmet
Charles Leclerc unveiled a baby blue Miami helmet in soft pastel that nods to Miami's coastal palette, ocean hues, and pastel skyline culture. The pastel direction is a clean contrast against the standard Ferrari red identity and one of the most stylish helmet drops on the grid this weekend. A. The Miami GP rare driver helmet that gives Ferrari fans a softer aesthetic moment without breaking the team's core color story.
Grade: A
9. Williams · Carlos Sainz Miami Helmet
Williams driver Carlos Sainz brought a custom Miami GP helmet for the 2026 weekend, leaning into a Miami-specific palette that breaks from his standard Williams design. The unique direction earns credit for not just running back the regular helmet for an American home race weekend. A-. Different is the right move for Miami and Sainz commits to the one-off moment that the home race of the calendar deserves.
Grade: A-
10. Haas · Esteban Ocon Miami Helmet
Haas driver Esteban Ocon unveiled a Miami special helmet for the weekend with a custom design tied to the Miami GP. Solid effort from a driver and team that often run conservative helmets through the calendar, and Ocon commits to a real one-off Miami moment for the broadcast. B+. Strong helmet drop that earns the bump for committing to the visual moment that an American home race weekend should deliver.
Grade: B+
11. Sauber · Gabriel Bortoleto Miami Helmet
Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto brought a Miami GP helmet that leans into one of the strongest color combinations of any helmet on the grid this weekend. A-. The rookie continues to bring real visual ambition to his F1 debut season and Sauber gets a clean broadcast moment for Miami without changing the car.
Grade: A-
Not Yet Revealed (As of 2026-05-01)
The following teams have not announced a Miami GP full-car one-off livery as of Friday. Several have run Miami specials in past seasons and helmet drops covered above show many drivers still committed to a one-off moment for the weekend. We will add more as they drop:
- Ferrari has run Miami specials in past seasons (the asymmetric HP-themed treatment in 2025). No 2026 Miami car reveal yet, just a stylized race-week poster and the Leclerc baby blue helmet covered above.
- Sauber has run art-car-style Miami specials in past seasons. No 2026 Miami car reveal yet, just the Bortoleto helmet covered above.
- Williams sometimes do partnership-driven specials. No 2026 car reveal yet, just the Sainz helmet covered above.
- Aston Martin is the only team without any Miami-specific reveal so far. No livery, no helmet, no race suit.
- Haas has not announced a car livery for Miami, just the Ocon helmet covered above.
If your team is missing from the revealed sections above, refresh this post Saturday. We update each time a new livery or helmet drops.
The Verdict
Visa Cash App RB has won the Miami round on visual commitment. The Summer Edition full yellow repaint is the only fully repainted chassis besides Cadillac and the most TV-friendly look on the grid this weekend. Cadillac is still the headline storyline because it is the team's first home race in F1 history, but the patriotic accents stay deliberately restrained on a black-and-white base. Verstappen's Miami helmet is the best driver-kit drop, Mercedes brought race-suit theatre with Nu without changing the W17, McLaren has the most intriguing tease on the grid with the Sonic poster, and Alpine took the lightest swing of the round. We will close out the official rankings after Sunday's race and add anything that drops between now and the green flag.
Frequently Asked Questions About F1 Miami GP 2026 Special Liveries
How many F1 teams have confirmed special liveries for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix?
As of Thursday April 30, two teams have confirmed full one-off car liveries for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. Visa Cash App RB unveiled a Summer Edition full yellow repaint on Wednesday, tied to a new sudachi lime summer variant in the Red Bull energy drink range. Cadillac confirmed a Stars and Stripes-themed treatment for the team's first home race. Alpine added a yellow stripe to its standard livery for an Argentinian-themed photoshoot around Franco Colapinto. Mercedes has confirmed purple race suits with new partner Nu but has not changed the W17 car. McLaren has teased a Sonic-themed Miami GP poster that hints at a possible retro livery without officially confirming one. Max Verstappen unveiled a custom Miami helmet for Red Bull. We expect more reveals through Friday qualifying and will update this tracker as they drop.
What is the Visa Cash App RB Summer Edition Miami GP livery?
The Summer Edition is a one-off full repaint of the 2026 Visa Cash App RB Racing Bulls F1 car in deep summer-sun yellow, unveiled Wednesday April 29 at the Miami International Autodrome ahead of the Miami Grand Prix weekend. The livery ties into a new sudachi lime summer variant in the Red Bull energy drink range and was launched in classic Red Bull style on a yacht with team principal Alan Permane and CEO Peter Bayer, with wakeboarder Guenther Oka launching off a ramp into a back flip and pulling the covers off the cars mid-flight. Drivers Liam Lawson (number 30) and rookie Arvid Lindblad (number 41), who stepped up from F2 this year, will run matching yellow camouflage race suits with white shoulders to complete the look. The rear wing reads "Red Bull Summer Edition" in a sun-warmed gold treatment. We graded it an A and it is the best new livery of the Miami round so far.
Who are the two Visa Cash App RB drivers for the 2026 Miami GP?
The 2026 Visa Cash App RB Racing Bulls F1 driver lineup is Liam Lawson, who took over the second Red Bull family seat after Yuki Tsunoda's promotion, and rookie Arvid Lindblad, who stepped up from Formula 2. Lindblad is one of just two rookies on the 2026 grid and Racing Bulls is one of only two teams running an entirely new lineup for the 2026 season. Lawson runs car number 30 and Lindblad runs car number 41 for Miami.
Why is Cadillac running a special livery for the Miami GP?
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix is Cadillac's first home race in Formula 1. The team made its F1 debut in 2026 as the grid's eleventh entry and the only American-headquartered team. The Stars and Stripes-themed Miami one-off, presented by partner TWG AI, integrates 50 stars (one per US state) on the front wing and "USA" lettering on the rear wing in red, white, and blue. The chassis is named MAC-26 in tribute to Mario Andretti.
What did Mercedes reveal for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix?
Mercedes revealed custom purple race suits for drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Miami weekend, in partnership with Brazilian digital financial services platform Nu. The team posted the official photos on Wednesday April 29. The reveal is race-suit only. The team's W17 car livery is unchanged for Miami and will run in the standard Silver Arrows treatment.
Is McLaren confirmed to run a Sonic the Hedgehog livery at the 2026 Miami GP?
McLaren has not officially confirmed a Sonic-themed Miami GP livery as of Tuesday April 28. The team released a Miami GP poster designed by illustrator Matt Taylor featuring Sonic the Hedgehog, gold rings, and a silhouette of the 1993 McLaren MP4/8. The Donington Park connection is the source of the speculation, since Sega was the 1993 race sponsor and Ayrton Senna received a Sonic trophy on the podium that day. Sega is McLaren's official gaming partner. The 2026 Miami GP is also McLaren's 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix.
When is the 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix?
The 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix takes place at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, with practice and qualifying running Friday and Saturday and the race scheduled for Sunday. The Miami GP is the seventh round of the 2026 F1 World Championship and the first of three United States rounds on the calendar (Miami, Austin, Las Vegas).
Will Ferrari run a special livery at the 2026 Miami GP?
Ferrari has not announced a 2026 Miami GP special livery as of Tuesday morning. The team did run a one-off asymmetric blue-and-white treatment for Miami in 2025 to mark the first year of HP as title sponsor, which was the first asymmetric Ferrari F1 car in 75 years of team history. Whether a 2026 follow-up is coming this week has not been confirmed. We will update this post if Ferrari drops a one-off through the week.
