The love affair between Star Wars and Formula 1
On this May 4, the holiday for all Star Wars fans, Motors Inside looks back at the unusual union between the world of Formula 1 and that of one of the most popular film sagas.
A long time ago, in a distant, very distant paddock, Red Bull adorned a livery with Star Wars imagery. An event created to promote the latest Star Wars film: Revenge of the Sith. An episode that allowed us to discover why Darth Vader became such a fearsome villain.
The spectators of the Monaco Grand Prix in 2005 had the opportunity to see George Lucas, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader strolling through the paddock alongside David Coulthard, Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Christian Klien. The Red Bull mechanics were wearing suits representing the Stormtroopers, the iconic soldiers of the Empire.
Unfortunately for the Milton Keynes team, there is no party during the race as Coulthard collides with Michael Schumacher early in the race and Liuzzi hits the barriers at the exit of the tunnel and is forced to retire.
After 12 years of absence, Star Wars made its big comeback in the world of Formula 1 with Renault. Indeed, both were coincidentally celebrating their 40th anniversary. The first Star Wars was released in 1977 and the diamond-shaped brand made its debut in the top category of the motorsport that same year.
Like Red Bull a few years earlier, Renault went all out as part of this partnership with Star Wars logos on the RS17 and Nico Hülkenberg and Jolyon Palmer wearing suits representing a driver of the Empire and one of the Rebellion respectively.
Same story as the Austrian brand in terms of performance, where Renault had a difficult Monaco Grand Prix, with Palmer achieving the best result of a modest 11th position, while Hülkenberg, who was fighting for points, was forced to retire due to a mechanical issue.
Marketing events that have often entertained fans and brought together communities with very different passions.
