Eye of the tiger

The 2006 British Grand Prix will see the Renault F1 Team debut the first of its 2006 artwork liveries – with more to follow later in the year. The livery has been designed by Taiwanese design studio ‘DEM Inc.’, run by the brothers Demos and Edward Chiang, which also conceived the ‘Phoenix’ motif that saw Fernando Alonso to victory in the 2005 French Grand Prix.

The Tiger is one of four mystical guardian figures that, in ancient Chinese tradition, accompanied the emperor on the battlefield. It has been designed to convey the same protective power on Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella in their challenge for victory this weekend.

The powerful eyes of the tiger are displayed on the front and rear wings, while on the sidepods, the animal is portrayed crouched, ready to pounce.

Alert to its constantly-changing surroundings, instinctively using attack as the best form of defence, the tiger is the perfect motif to symbolise the Renault F1 Team’s challenge at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.