dpa
Berlin
Formula One champions Red Bull have decided to abandon plans for fan-inspired livery takeovers at the Singapore and United State grands prix over concerns about the extra weight of new paint schemes.
“Unfortunately when we came to the testing phase of what some REBL CUSTMS designs could look like, in real life, on the RB20, we found the paint used to create these bespoke full car takeover liveries added unforeseen and undue weight to the bodywork of the RB20,” Red Bull said in a statement.
The team had invited fans on social media to come up with designs that would be used at the races in Britain, Singapore and the US this season.
The winners would get to see their ideas realized on the cars driven by three-time defending champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and also attend the races as special guests.
The first design was used at Silverstone earlier this year, but Red Bull decided to change their plans ahead of this weekend’s Singapore GP amid a very tight fight with McLaren and Ferrari for both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.
According to news portal Autosport, it was found that the paint scheme added around one kilogram of weight to the car, which could lead to a loss of 0.03 seconds per lap.
Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings 59 points ahead of Lando Norris, but Red Bull are second in the constructors’ championship behind McLaren.
