Otmar Szafnauer has shared the fascinating story behind the famous pink livery of Force India, which became a symbol of recognition in Formula 1. Szafnauer, the former team principal, explained that the company Best Water Technology (BWT) had initially sought a sponsorship deal with Mercedes, but was rejected by the board of the sister team.
During an episode of the podcast High Performance Racing, Szafnauer detailed that the choice of the striking pink shade was the idea of BWT’s CEO, Andreas Weissenbacher, who, at a water treatment technology forum, realized that most competing companies were using the color blue. Thus, he decided to opt for pink to stand out.
Initially, BWT presented its proposal to Mercedes, but as Szafnauer revealed, the board’s response was: ‘We are the silver arrows, not the pink arrows.’ In the end, Mercedes rejected the idea, but the team principal, Toto Wolff, intervened to offer an alternative solution.
Wolff recommended that BWT reach out to Szafnauer, assuring them that he would be willing to collaborate. This decision was crucial for the transformation of the team, which decided to paint its cars pink. Szafnauer confirmed that Wolff did not request any financial compensation to facilitate this agreement, although he joked about buying him lunch as a thank you.
With only two weeks from the meeting with Weissenbacher, Szafnauer found himself facing the decision to paint the cars pink for the race in Melbourne. With little time and no signed contract, he chose to take the risk, thinking about the consequences if BWT did not pay. Ultimately, the gamble paid off, and the iconic pink livery of Force India was born.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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