GP4: 2022/23 Red Bull RB18 download

As the new 2023 season rolls in, I'm happy to share with you a new car, it's the Red Bull RB18. 

2022 Red Bull RB18 by Fongu

 

This car was the class of the field for 2022, earning the team's first Constructors Championship since 2013, and with Max earning his second successive Drivers title. This of course was the first year of the new rules with ground effect aerodynamics returning to the cars. Whilst many teams struggled with bouncing and porpoising, Red Bull's car didn't suffer as much as its rivals did. Whilst Ferrari seemed to be the car to beat in the early rounds, it was Newey's Red Bull that would prove to be a better all round solution, and by mid-season was well ahead. This was no more evident than at the Belgian GP, where Max started the race in 14th place and still came home to a comfortable victory. 

This is quite a basic car compared to my other releases, but still looks great ingame to me. 

For the 2023 season, Red Bull tried to pass off the RB18 as their new car as they launched their new livery. Most people saw through that but hte RB19 that showed up in testing was a clear evolution from its successful predecessor. So with this release, you get the option to run the 2023 livery on this car as well.

2023 Red Bull livery by Fongu

At the launch, Red Bull announced a new partnership with Ford for the 2026 season, as it's own Red Bull Power Trains operation comes online, after much help from Honda in setting it all up. Until then, we see the return of the Honda name on the car, who can't help but put their name with all the success the team are achieving right now, and rightly so. 

You'll notice I have 2023 helmets for the Red Bull drivers completed in these screenshots, I am making good progress on that front and expect some releases on that front soon. 

Until then, I hope you enjoy this car. Happy racing. 

GP4: 2022 Mod by Carl_gpgames

Happy New Year, Race fans. 

As grandprixgames.org is still out of action, you may have missed that an updated 2022 mod has been released in recent days. 

This mod has been expertly compiled by Carl_gpgames. Carl has gone above and beyond in recent years as a CSM mod compiler, as well as pushing himself and others to further mod GP4 in new and existing methods.

A new breakthrough in this mod is that CSM now auto updates the magic data into most of the tracks and there's more details in the documentation in the mod surrounding that. Basically it amends the car setups to cope with the physics and removes some bugs in the previous iteration. 

I'm grateful that all my 2022 cars and helmets have been included in this mod as well as the updated Aston Martin from Excalibur. There's more updates in there, but I suggest you download it and try it yourself. 

Happy Racing. 

Download Link

GP4: 2022 McLaren MCL36 - Abu Dhabi Livery

Not content with one special livery this season, McLaren ended the season with this beauty.

2022 McLaren MCL36 Abu Dhabi livery by fongu

McLaren, in conjunction with their sponsors, hired Lebanese artist Anna Tangles (Anna Maria Aoun) to apply her signature artistic style towards the Abu Dhabi GP livery. Her art has a beautiful flow and elegance and works well on an F1 car. She's been helped by the Driven by Change programme, and the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP special livery was by another artist who is also a benefactor of that programme. 

The livery had its own special launch event and looked great at the Abu Dhabi weekend. 

Having tried various techniques whilst painting various helmets for the past couple of years, I decided for this one to crop some photos onto the livery and then paint on top of it. I was tempted to amend the photos, crop them, warp them etc but I decided I wanted to do it from scratch. It's really a simple pattern, though each shape is different and it was just a matter of perseverance. I'm really pleased with the end result and I hope you like it too. 

2022 McLaren MCL36 Abu Dhabi livery by fongu

The livery has been added to the car pack and you can download and play it now. 

GP4: 2022 Helmets pack complete!

Here it is, the final update to the 2022 pack. 

As is now customary, over half of the grid raced with special helmet designs in Abu Dhabi, especially those who are not returning to the grid next season. I've created 13 more helmets. For one last time this season, let's get into it.

Alex Albon  2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Alex Albon has replaced the white regions of his standard helmet with a chrome effect. The helmet itself is a simplified version of his standard helmet. In most pictures, there was a slight red tinge to the chromed reflections, so I've added a bit of red hint to some areas. The helmet also features Latifi's name, in honour of his last race. 

Fernando Alonso 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

It was a bit of a surprise that old rival Fernando Alonso was so sentinmental at Vettel's last race. He decided against fighting him in the first few laps of the race whilst also running this tribute helmet. He will replace the German at Aston Martin next year. The helmet is still largely title sponsor BWT influenced, but the German flag strip across the front is simple and iconic. 

Pierre Gasly  2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Pierre Gasly is not only ending his time with Alpha Tauri but also the Red Bull family, and so this helmet is half his old Red Bull helmet and this season's Alpha Tauri helmet. There are messages of thanks in various languages. 

Lewis Hamilton 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Lewis Hamilton ran another variation of his helmet with the rainbow flag at the Abu Dhabi GP. 

Nicholas Latifi 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

It's not really a new helmet for Latifi, but with a message to Seb, and the new Williams visor since Interlagos made this a quick job. 

Charles Leclerc 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Charles Leclerc has also gone chrome, with silver and red chrome. But this helmet is a tribute to all those working at Gestione Sportiva and trackside, with all their names printed on the Italian flag across the front, top and rear of his helmet. There were some angles where the names weren't clear in the pictures and blueprints I had, so there may be some alternative names on there. 

Kevin Magnussen  2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Kevin Magnussen has a lightly altered helmet from the one that he ran since the Monaco GP, but for the Abu Dhabi GP, he's also gone with a full on chrome effect, and the K on the side of his helmet is now white instead of red. 

Lando Norris 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Lando also ran a new lid with a glittery green/purplish tones. Not much was made of the helmet online that I could see, but it looks nice anyway. 

Daniel Ricciardo 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Daniel Ricciardo was another driver who would not have a full time drive on the 2023 grid. His final helmet with McLaren is given to sponsor OKX and has been cyberpunked. The livery is based on his standard livery by Ornamental Conifer, and MDM Designs has done a lovely job putting all that together in this shiny number. 

Carlos Sainz 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

As last year, Carlos ran a glittery version of his standard helmet at the Yas Marina circuit. 

Mick Schumacher 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Mick Schumacher doesn't currently have another F1 drive lined up for 2023, but instead of running his own helmet design, he dedicate his final helmet to Seb's design, which Seb stole off Mick's dad to be fair. Mick's regular design is embossed into the helmet, similar to his Japanese helmet. He'll be missed.

Sebastian Vettel  2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Seb Vettel went from pantomine villian at Red Bull, to a bit of an embarressing flop at Ferrari towards the end, to being the most likeable, kind and mature driver on the grid in his Aston Martin days. Everyone was overflowing with their tributes to his last drive and his helmet was about giving back. Dubbed 'the Final Lap', he let fans buy places on his helmet, with the proceeds going to environmental projects. A great driver leaves the grid. 

Zhou Guanyu 2022 Abu Dhabi GP helmet

Whilst it was probably fitting to leave Seb's helmet last, I've decided to mostly stick to alphabetical order for this post, so that leaves Zhou's helmet, which is actually the final helmet I painted for the 2022 season and so it's fitting it belongs here. Inspired by vintage Chinese ornamental floral patterns, the patterns already exist on his standard helmet at the top and around the bottom, but this helmet extends that design all the way around the helmet. Very nice design from KV Designs. The pattern was painted from scratch, so it took a bit of time, but I like the result.

GP4: 2022 Alfa Romeo C42

As we begin the final weekend of the 2022 season today, I'm delighted to be able to have finished another 2022 car and share it with you GP4 fans. This is the Alfa Romeo C42. 

2022 Alfa Romeo C42 by Fongu

The car is built from the Hinwil based of the team formerly known as Sauber and is powered by the Ferrari power train. The competitiveness dropped of by mid-season, with Zhou suffering a massive crash in Silverstone, landing sideways between two barriers. Thankfully he was extracted and not seriously injured. Going into the final race of the season, they lead the battle for 6th in the Constructors’ Championship. 

There are so many great sources around today to help me model the cars accurately compared to when I first started making cars for GP4, and I've tried to keep these cars as simple as I can so that it runs well on lower end machines. On that, I'm grateful once more to Carl_gpgames for making lods for this car. Even things like tiny logos are much easier to find nowadays, which all helds speed up production of these cars.

This car comes with two special liveries as seen in Baku and Monza. 

2022 Alfa Romeo C42 Azerbaijan GP livery by Fongu

This livery, run at the Azerbaijan GP was to celebrate the launch of the Tonale road car, an electic SUV. The added green is to make the car into a giant Italian flag with the hue of colours the colours tweak to match the green in the Montreal Tonale launch as well as a nod to it's green initiatives going forward and the deeper Alfa red. The Tonale has distinctive headlights, forming a 'UUU' shape and that's the reason that's on the livery in white on the engine cover and darker green on the sidepods. 

2022 Alfa Romeo C42 Italian GP livery by Fongu

Alfa Romeo, since it linked up with Sauber, has been using various old Alfa Romeo logos in it's time in F1. Just search for Alfa Romeo logo history and you'll see how the emblem has evolved over the years. The nose and engine cover logo on the standard livery is based on the 1922 font. In the Italian GP at Monza, the nose logo was replaced with the logo used in the 1940s and 50s. 

On the right side engine cover only, they have replaced the text with their emblem. Alfa Romeo, originally founded in Milan, has many nods to its history.  The cross is St. George's cross, associated with medieval Milanese soldiers during the time of the crusades, clearly backing the 'Christian' side. What I didn't know until I did a bit of research was that the serpent, Biscione, is eating a guy, the emblem being associated with the Visconti family of the 11th Century and linked with Milan. The guy getting eaten is in relation once more to the crusades, presumably a muslim, but it's still a bit open for debate. The crown relates to the family becoming Dukes in the 15th Century. The serpent itself is new, but clearly inspired from the past, so I had to paint it from scratch. It's a fascinating history if you wanted to read more into it. 

Thanks once more to Carl_gpgames for the screenshots and all that's left to do is share the pack with you, enjoy. 

GP4: 2022 Mexican and Sao Paulo helmets

Hey there race fans. Today I present to you various helmets from the last two races in Mexico and Sao Paulo (I still can't stop calling it the Brazilian GP). There are 10 new designs to show you and one variant added to the 2022 helmet pack. 

Sebastian Vettel - Mexican GP

Sebastian Vettel 2022 Mexican GP helmet

It was a real loss to that the world now that we are without Dietrich Mateschitz. He has done so much good without flaunting it or seeking business wealth, and that is no more evident than his contributions to F1. He did it for the love of it, and for sure F1 would be in much more dire circumstances without him. Seb dedicated this whole helmet to his memory, and based the design on his first helmet when he was signed as a Red Bull junior back in 1998, complete with Red Bull logos and the text replaced with 'Danke Didi'. As most juniors had essentially the same design back in the day, this helmet in a green Aston did bring back memories of Klien in a green Jaguar. 

Max Verstappen - Mexican & Sao Paulo GP

Max Verstappen 2022 World Champion helmet

Having clinched his second Championship early, Max has decided to wear a gold based helmet for the rest of the season. In Mexico, the helmet was gold-plated, whilst in Brazil it was chrome gold. Basically the Brazilian version was super shiny and both versions of the helmet are included in this pack, with the differences in the alpha channel.The Mexico edition features real 22-karat gold leaf, the real one not mine! 

Lando Norris - Mexican GP

Lando Norris 2022 Mexican GP helmet

Norris basically got someone to vandalise his helmet with spray paint. That person was artist Jimmy Pierce.

Sergio Perez - Mexican GP

Sergio Perez 2022 Mexican GP helmet

Checo says this is the most Mexican helmet he's ever done with this luchador-style helmet with el Día de los Muertos inspired skull at the front, and various Papel Picado designs. A lovely livery from MDM Designs. 

GP4: 2022 Alpine A522 v1.1 by fongu

Thanks to some feedback from some of you guys, I've done a quick update on the blue livery on the Alpine. There were some comments about it being too light, so I've taken that onboard and decided on the same blue colour as the car from the Codemasters F1 game. I had upped the highlights effect on the original car, but I've toned that back down for this livery to the normal amount I would normally use. I've also updated the Plug Power logo to match the mid-late season version on the front fin. 

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Added 8th November

Fixed the front suspension where one of the Genii logos was missing

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Sorry that there's no new screenshots, but the links are the same as before. 

GP4: 2022 Alpine A522 by fongu

I've taken a little break from creating helmets to bring you something I've spent a bit of time working on recently. This is the fourth car I've been able to release for the 2022 season and will be featured in the 2022 mod for GP4.

2022 Alpine A522 by fongu

Yes, here's the Alpine, and by popular demand, it comes along with the all pink livery as seen in the first two races of the season. The standard blue livery has reduced paintwork, as with many other teams, this was done in an effort to save weight. Personally, the launch liveries of both variations were truly terrible, but the iterations that arrived in Bahrain and later raced were much better. 

At the time of writing, Alpine are locked in a battle for 4th in the Constructors Title fight with McLaren, with the French team favourites to secure the position. The team were involved in some controversy when first, in advanced negotiations to secure Alonso to an extended contract, were caught out when he was announced to drive for Aston Martin in 2023. Alpine, in response, then announced that junior driver, Oscar Piastri would drive for them in 2023, only for the driver to announce he would not be doing so. Indeed he would soon be confirmed to drive for McLaren in the following season.

2022 Alpine A522 by fongu

This car is made for GP4 and my thanks goes to Carl_gpgames for once again creating lods for me. 

Here's a few more screens, courtesy of Carl_gpgames.

2022 Alpine A522 by fongu

2022 Alpine A522 by fongu

GP4: 2022 US GP Helmets (part 2)

It was really no surprise that there were so many speical helmets at the US GP in Austin, Texas, with 10 drivers that I could find running a different lid. I've already released two, and now I'm pleased to show you the rest of them that I have recreated.

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc 2022 US GP helmet

Leclerc has a barbeque themed helmet, that's similar to his Monaco GP helmet with the red top and white bottom. 

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo 2022 US GP helmet

Ricciardo's helmet is inspired by Will Ferrell's film, 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'. A nice special design, by JMD helmets. 

Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon 2022 US GP helmet

Esteban Ocon came with this simple yet instantly recognisable Spiderman design. According to Esteban, the US is the land of superheroes. It got better when Alpine recreated the Spiderman meme with the helmet.

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll 2022 US GP helmet

Lance Stroll wore this leather saddle based design, with the Aston Martin wings having the appearance of leather stitched onto a camel leather base. I like how the colour of the stitching highlights the strip along the top. A nice fun helmet. 

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel 2022 US GP helmet

Well, this helmet by MDM Designs wins the busiest helmet of the year, with a hippy based vibe to it, and peace and love worked in seamlessly in glittery gold. As you can imagine, this took a while to make, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. 

Nicholas Latifi

Nicholas Latifi 2022 US GP helmet

Most blogs and helmet spotters missed Goatifi's special helmet, and to be fair, I only spotted it by accident. It's an amalgamation of his previous two special helmets, the maple syrup one he ran in Montreal and the red version of his helmet he's run since Hungary. 

Zhou Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu 2022 US GP helmet

Zhou's helmet is denim jeans inspired, complete with leather belt and buckle. I really enjoyed making this one, doing the stitching and leather effects to go on top of the denim base. A nice design from KV helmet designs.

Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher 2022 US GP helmet

Mick Schumacher created this helmet inspired by his family's ranch with images of his sister, Gina-Marie as a surprise for her. She's an accomplished reining horse rider with several international accomplishments to her name. The images were put onto a sunset backdrop, with the front and top showing a clear night sky, like the ones you see in parts of Texas that are awe inspiring. 

Special thanks to 32bobo32 for helping me find the pictures of Gina-Marie. It's a shame the wing shape has changed and that's exactly where Gina's picture is, but I've tried to make it seamless enough.

As ever, these helmets are painted on Jvinu's templates and shapes, and are ACSPRH compatible.

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GP4: 2022 US GP Helmets (part 1)

Howdy y'all, it's race week in the USA and I expect a flurry of special helmets for this race. It's only Thursday and there's two helmets revealed already. 

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen 2022 US GP helmet

Max has gone blue, red and white for his helmet, replacing the gold he's been running most of the season. There's the blue and red ribbons underneath his usual design. All season, Max has run a star on the rear of his helmet for the Championship that he won last season, and now, fresh off his confirmation as a double World Champion, he's now running two stars on his lid.

Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly 2022 US GP helmet

Gasly is back to gold, having run a similar gold design back in Monaco. This time, the gold is super reflective and the French flag is gone. On the top there is a homage to Texas, with the state star prominently displayed

These helmets are painted on Jvinu's templates and shapes, and are ACSPRH compatible as usual. 

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GP4: 2022 Ferrari F1-75 by Fongu

2022 Ferrari F1-75 by Fongu

Today, I present to you my third 2022 car release, the Ferrari F1-75. The car began the year as the car to beat, with Charles Leclerc taking a commanding hold on the Championship. However, the Scuderia's fortunes began to turn and various mistakes, along with a resurgent Red Bull, meant the team lost its grip on the Championship. 

At Monza, the team ran a special Modena yellow livery, that in conjunction with the car's chassis designation, F1-75, is to commemorate 75 years of Ferrari. I'm happy to include the livery in this release of the car.

2022 Ferrari F1-75 by Fongu

My thanks goes to Carl_gpgames once more for creating lods for me and doing some testing. As with my other 2022 cars, the car is designed with the lower end PC in mind, so it has less high details, but without losing out on overall accuracy. I hope you enjoy this release.