Formula One motor racing is all about speed and this not only applies to on the track. To keep car looking great and in tip-top lightweight aerodynamic shape also requires speed in the paint shop and when it comes to painting performance the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team puts it faith in Spies Hecker.

With twenty races spread across five continents the F1 schedule is relentless and this means intense pressure to turn components around between races at the team’s Paint Shop at their headquarters in Brackley. Spies Hecker has been responsible for the paint on the instantly-recognisable cars for the past three years.

After each Grand Prix, all components are put through a rigorous test procedure to ensure there is no damage or wear that could affect the car at the next race. If passed, the components are then sent to the Paint Shop and it is a race against time to get them ready for the next event.

Andrew Moody, Head of Paint and Graphics at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, says, "Speed and accuracy are essential as we need to turn jobs around very fast. It takes about 14 hours to paint the front wing, which is the most time-intensive component. The reliability we get with Spies Hecker throughout the season is great, but it is the speed of its products that is particularly vital because we don't have time to accept anything less than perfect.”

The Paint Shop uses a variety of Spies Hecker products on the team’s race cars. They start with Priomat® Wash Primer 4075. Then they use either Permasolid® HS Vario Primer Surfacer 5340, a high solids primer surfacer, or Permasolid® HS Performance Surfacer 5320, a fast drying 2K HS sanding surfacer. Once the surfaces are prepped, they follow with Permahyd® Hi-TEC Base Coat 480 and use Permasolid® HS Speed Clear Coat 8800 on parts that need to be dried quickly.

Andrew says two futher challenges are the constantly changing shape of the car and the intricate livery. The car is constantly changing due to new set-ups and aerodynamic upgrades, while the livery’s complex lines, stripes and spark effects run across multiple components. The 2017 Silver Arrows livery comprises 13 colours, none of which are commercially available: five shades of green, three shades of blue, four shades of graphite silver, and the main colour Stirling Silver. This complexity means that it is essential that the design on every interchangeable component matches up with the adjacent panels perfectly in terms of placement, size, shape, colour and shading.

Joachim Hinz, Spies Hecker Brand Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, says, "Part of what we aim to deliver to all our end-users, including Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport in Brackley, is exceptional efficiency thanks to fast, reliable product systems. The Spies Hecker Hi-TEC Performance System has proved itself in the top echelon of motor racing, so we know every refinisher can achieve outstanding results quickly, just like Andrew and his team.”