When Britain hosted the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup the following year on a closed course at Athy in Ireland, the British adopted Shamrock green which later evolved into various shades of ' British racing green'.Ĭolours were definitely established in the Interwar period of Grand Prix motor racing and listed by the AiACr (the forerunner of the FIA), when the Bleu de France Bugattis and the Rosso Corsa Alfa Romeos of Italy won many races, while the British racing green Bentleys dominated the Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance until 1930. Selwyn Edge's winning Napier of 1902 was painted olive green, and green was well-established as an appropriate colour for locomotives and machinery, in which Britain had led the world during the previous century. When Britain first competed in 1902, it had to choose a different colour from her national colours of red, white and blue, as these had already been allocated. (Italy did not adopt its famous 'Racing Red' until a red Fiat won the Grand Prix race in 1907). The first competition in 1900 assigned: Blue to France, Yellow to Belgium, White to Germany and Red to the United States.

Count Eliot Zborowski, father of inter-war racing legend Louis Zborowski, suggested that each national entrant be allotted a different colour.

The colours have their origin in the national teams competing in the Gordon Bennett Cup, which was held annually in 1900-1905. These were often quite different from the national colours used in other sports or in politics. From the beginning of organised motor sport events, in the early 1900s, until the late 1960s, before commercial sponsorship liveries came into common use, vehicles competing in Formula One, sports car racing, touring car racing and other international auto racing competitions customarily painted their cars in standardised racing colours that indicated the nation of origin of the car or driver.

Download blue and yellow flag in racing