As the lights go out and the racing gets underway at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the official Formula 1 site takes a look back at the times Star Wars has been to the racing series.
2005 – Red Bull Joins the Dark Side
Red Bull Racing were only six races into their Formula 1 story when they arrived in Monaco in 2005, but the new team had already found a way to ensure all eyes were on them.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith had just been released, and Red Bull teamed up with Lucasfilm to promote the final instalment of the prequel trilogy over the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.
David Coulthard and Vitantonio Liuzzi’s RB1s were transformed with flames running along the bodywork, huge Star Wars logos on the sidepods and references to the Dark Side across the cars.
And Red Bull did not stop at the livery.
Image: Red Bull’s crew looked ready to serve the Galactic Empire, sporting Stormtrooper-inspired overalls during the Monaco weekend
Darth Vader, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and an army of Stormtroopers descended on the team, creating some of the most comical images in F1 history. Even Red Bull’s mechanics got involved, swapping their usual pit stop attire for white outfits inspired by the Empire’s Stormtroopers.
It was all happening against the typically glamorous backdrop of Monaco. Red Bull’s then-floating Energy Station was stationed in the harbour, while Lucas himself joined the team as a guest.
There was only one problem – the Force did not appear to extend to the race result.
Both Red Bulls retired. Coulthard’s race ended after his car was damaged during an incident involving Michael Schumacher, while Liuzzi later stopped as well. It was the team’s first Grand Prix of the season without a points finish.
Kimi Raikkonen ultimately took victory for McLaren, ahead of Williams pair Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber, but more than two decades later, Red Bull’s Star Wars cars remain among the most distinctive one-off looks ever seen at Monaco.
2015 – George Lucas Takes Over the Podium
Star Wars itself would not officially return to an F1 team for another 12 years, but its creator remained a familiar face around the paddock.
Lucas attended the 2015 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where he was photographed among the guests on race day.
A few months later, he had a rather more prominent role at Monza.
Image: George Lucas joined Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa on the Monza podium in 2015, conducting the post-race interviews after Hamilton’s victory.
Lewis Hamilton had dominated the Italian Grand Prix, starting from pole, leading every lap and setting the fastest lap on his way to victory ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Williams driver Felipe Massa.
Waiting for the top three on the podium was Lucas, who conducted the post-race interviews.
It meant Hamilton went from fighting his rivals around the Temple of Speed to discussing his victory with the man behind Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and one of cinema’s most famous fictional universes.
2017: Star Wars Returns to Monaco with Renault
In 2017, both Star Wars and Renault had a 40th anniversary to celebrate.
The original Star Wars: A New Hope was released in May 1977. Less than two months later, Renault made their Formula 1 debut at Silverstone with the turbocharged RS01.
Four decades later, Renault and Disney marked their shared anniversary at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Once again, the paddock gained a few unexpected visitors. Stormtroopers and R2-D2 joined then-team mates Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer, while Lucas himself returned to Monaco for the celebrations.
Image: Trading black and yellow for Jedi-worthy style, Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer embraced Renault’s Star Wars makeover.
So 12 years after Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers had taken over Red Bull’s corner of Monte Carlo, Star Wars was back in the Monaco paddock.
Renault’s fortunes on track were mixed. Hulkenberg started 10th but retired with a gearbox problem after 16 laps, while Palmer finished 11th, narrowly missing out on the points.
George Lucas is still a frequent visitor to F1 races around the world in support of his friend Lewis Hamilton. It will be interesting to see if Star Wars returns to the paddock for the film’s 50th anniversary in 2027.
Images: Getty Images
