GP4: 2023 AlphaTauri AT04 by fongu download v1.1

 

Hello, me again! Following the initial release of my Alpha Tauri, it was pointed out to me that the driver number on the halo was missing. There was another small texture error that I've also corrected in there too. That's now been fixed and a new package has been assembled. You can download the updated car here:

GP4: 2023 AlphaTauri AT04 by fongu download

I'm proud to present to you my latest offering for the 2023 season, the Red Bull junior team's Scuderia AlphaTauri AT04. 

Powered by the Honda power unit, this car has not been particularly competitive in 2023. Honda protege, Yuki Tsunoda leads the team in his third season and has been solid and quietly impressive at points. But it still remains to be seen how good a talent he is. The Red Bull family were quick to snap up Dutch driver, Nyck de Vries after his impressive stand-in performance for Williams the previous year. The former Formula E champion struggled in the car and was dropped from the team after only competing 10 Grand Prix. 

This lead the way to a return for Daniel Ricciardo, however he broke his wrist avoiding a t-bone situation with Oscar Piastri's crashed McLaren. With no room to avoid the accident, he had no choice but to crash into the wall himself. 

Rather than call Nyck back for his home race, long-term Red Bull junior, Liam Lawson fills the seat until Ricciardo is fit to return. He has performed well given the circumstances, unlucky to miss out on a points finish in his second race at Monza. 

The team have had some striking liveries since being rebranded from Toro Rosso, with no two seasons showing any continuity other than the white and blue colour scheme and the AlphaTauri logo largely plastered onto the engine cover. This year's livery features the biggest Alpha Tauri logo yet, and it's designed to be perfect from a side angle. That means I had to manually paint the logo from scratch to get it to fit the shape properly. Similarly for the front wing, I found it easier to draw it from scratch than chop up the logo as it's split over three seperate wing elements. 

I'm pleased with how this car has turned out. I know that Isaint has released his own version of this car already, but I was already quite advanced in my own version by then and decided to finish and release it for you guys. This car comes with liveries for all four drivers.

Here's the download link, and some screenshots on F1Virtual's beautiful Sochi race track. 

For all the 2023 content for GP4, I've tried to compile a list of links here: link

GP4 - 2022 Alpha Tauri AT03 - download

2022 Alpha Tauri AT03 by fongu

I present to you my first 2022 car for GP4, the Alpha Tauri. After releasing a 1994 Minardi car, I now release the latest car from the Faenza based team. All new regulations for this season means new shapes and different shaping challenges. Though the livery is relatively simple, the lines are curved and go through several seams on the mapping that made it a bit more challenging. However, I hope you like the result.

To me, this is one of my favourite liveries on the grid for 2022. Alpha Tauri started out the season with white wings, but like many teams, the car was over weight and teams began to run less and less paint on their liveries, running with exposed carbon fibre instead. Personally, I prefer the darker wings. Sadly it's not been a particularly successful season on track, after the many highs of the previous two seasons, this car has spent much of its time in the lower midfield. 

The car has a different nose to the other teams, in that the leading front wing element meets the nose at the top, bringing back memories of the 1990 Tyrrell, especially in blue and white. That car, the Tyrell, was the car that kicked off the high nose trends. 

Back to the AT03, this is similar to the 2021 standard of cars, so not super high in details like my 1990s cars, but aiming to be simple, smooth and accurate. It should lighter to run on less powerful machines. My thanks goes to Carl_gpgames for creating the lods for this release, much appreciated.

GP4: More special helmets & Aston Martin AMR21 updated

I have another batch of helmets for you, as we head towards the closing stages of the 2021 season.

US GP

Valterri Bottas

2021 Valterri Bottas US GP Helmet

Valterri Bottas has run a few one-off designs this year designed by his girlfriend. This one is based on a mural in Austin, so thankfully there were lots of good photos of the original mural that I could use for this helmet. There's a F1 car behind the visor that I didn't know what it was, so there is a lovely artist impression of one of Botta's former Mercedes chargers. 

I quite like this helmet, and I'm quite pleased with how this has turned out on the Stilo helmet shape by Jvinu. I had hoped to have his Brazilian GP lid done for this update, but I need a bit more time to finish it off, but you'll get it soon. 

(mirror)

Mexican GP

Yuki Tsunoda

2021 Yuki Tsunoda Mexican GP Helmet

Yuki Tsunoda has an amended helmet design which he'll be using until the end of the year. It comes in two versions, the brighter yellow on an orange background, and the flip reverse of that. I personally prefer this yellower version as the other one is pretty indistinguishable from Gasly's helmet, particularly from a distance. It's a shame Tsunoda's race ended so early on what was a promising weekend for him. Instead, he racked up another costly repair bill for the team. 

The link is below...

Brazilian GP

Yuki Tsunoda

2021 Yuki Tsunoda Brazilian GP Helmet

Here is the said helmet from Brazil with reversed colours. He used this again in Qatar, but at least there, he was running at the opposite end of the grid to Pierre. Both of Tsunoda's helmets are painted on the Arai helmet shape. 

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Qatar GP

There were three new sparkly helmets in this night race. 

For the sake of not putting any publicity towards political issues, the Mercedes driver's helmet has been updated and is included in the season pack. 

(mirror)

Pierre Gasly

2021 Pierre Gasly Qatar GP Helmet

Pierre Gasly has gold stickers on his standard helmet, with shiny stickers of his logo and number and a an extra sparkly number 10 on top of his helmet. Gasly uses the Bell helmet, as do the majority of drivers on the grid. 

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Daniel Ricciardo

2021 Daniel Ricciardo Qatar GP Helmet

Daniel Ricciardo used a chrome version of his helmet. It basically meant I had to design his helmet from scratch, but make the base colours darker, to make the chrome effect work best in-game. There are minor, very subtle changes from his usual helmet, but I'm quite pleased with how this turned out in game. 

(mirror)

GP4: Assorted Helmets from USA, Mexico and Brazil

It's been a little while since I last posted some helmets, but there's been a lot of helmets in the last three races and I'm slowly catching up with them. Today I can present you with seven new helmets and one slight update on a previously released lid. 

US GP

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll 2021 US GP Helmet

One of Lance's sponsors held a competition via their app to vote for a helmet design to be used. Designed by Mark Anwar, there were three space themed designs and this Solar System version got the vote. 

Download | (mirror link)

GP4: 2021 Italian GP Helmets... most of them

Sorry for a lack of updates recently, I've both been busy with real life and took a little bit of a break. I'm slowly catching up with helmets, so here's a bumper edition of helmet releases:

With Oggo's new tweak, we can now run GP4 with the correct helmet shapes per driver, as they were originally designed for, created by Jvinu, on whose excellent template I've been using all season. 

Pierre Gasly 

Pierre Gasly  2021 Italian GP Helmet

This is my favourite Gasly lid of the season, mostly because it's subtle and simple. He ran this helmet to commemorate his first victory in 2020. Sadly the 2021 weekend did not go very well for him at all. Gasly uses the Bell helmet. 

Download Link | (mirror)

Charle Leclerc 

Charles Leclerc  2021 Italian GP Helmet

Another French-man, another Bell helmets user. Both Ferrari drivers ran special helmets for their team's home race. Charle's been using a white version of his helmet most of the year, this time replacing the Monagasque flag for the Italian one, putting a Ferrari logo at the back of his helmet and on the top, and having Monza written in the tricolor's colours. Simple but effective. 

Download link | (mirror)

George Russell

George Russell  2021 Italian GP Helmet

Mr. Saturday sports his fourth special helmet of the season, this an all red number. Again, nothing too complicated, but effective and evocative from the cockpit. George has been earning lots of points finishes in an improving car. 

Download Link | (mirror)

Carlos Sainz Jnr

Carlos Sainz  2021 Italian GP Helmet

This is my first Carlos Sainz helmet I've painted this year, and it's one of my favourite helmets of the season. It's a simple mix of Italian and Spanish flags, with subtly changes of tone and instantly recognisable. The Spanish flag has a Hakkinen helmet feel to it. Chilli is his nickname, and he continues to run the star in memory of Maria de Villota. Sainz runs the Schuberth helmet. 

Download Link | (mirror)

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda 2021 Italian GP Helmet

Tsunoda, running the Arai helmet, has gone for a brighter yellow and orange, similar to the pallette used at the Belgian GP. It's not particularly easy to tell him and Gasly apart, but as Gasly is racing towards the front end of the midfield, Tsunoda is mostly found either at the back or crashing out. Anyway, the grafitti has changed along with the colour scheme, and whilst I like the brighter colours, I'm not a big fan of it personally. At least he tends to wear his helmets more than once. 

Download Link | (mirror)

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel  2021 Italian GP Helmet

To be fair, Sebastian has been reusing his helmets more this season. With the darker base and the neon pink, it helps it all stand out more, and gone are the stripes on the world map, and in with the waves for the oceans and seas. The white strip at the top of his helmet is now also dark grey. 

Download | (mirror link)

That's it for this post, that's 6 new helmets for you to enjoy. 

GP4: Yuki Tsunoda 2021 Belgian GP Helmet

 

Yuki Tsunoda 2021 Belgian GP Helmet

Yuki Tsunoda ran a special helmet at the Belgian Grand Prix, a tribute helmet for Anthoine Hubert, who lost his life a few years ago at Spa. The helmet features Anthoine's logo, his initials, and also the star in yellow and red. 

This is painted on Jvinu's Arai template, to whom I owe a great debt in order to bring you these helmets. 

This pack includes the helmet he's been using since the French GP and this one.

Download Link | (mirror)

GP4: Yuki Tsunoda 2021 French GP Helmet

Since the French GP, Yuki Tsunoda has been using a brighter more orange version of his helmet, which also features slightly different and more prominent grafitti. Alpha Tauri helpfully posted this picture below to show the difference. 

The design of the helmet remains unchanged though, and continues to sport his number 22 with geometric shapes and the picture of the Japanese God of Wind on the back of his helmet. The helmet also has an all matte finish. 

This is made for the Arai helmet shape by Jvinu, designed for GP4, and as with all my helmets this year is pretty much compatible with the ACSPRH helmets in other games.

Download | (mirror link)

GP4: Pierre Gasly 2021 French GP Helmet

All the French drivers ran special helmets at their home Grand Prix in 2021 and first up of those is Pierre Gasly's version. It's the usual Alpha Tauri template with his standard layout but in French GP colours. The Pierre Gasly logo and number 10 logos are all over the helmet now, rather than being confined to one stripe. 

I think the colours work well and help to distinguish between Yuki Tsunoda's helmet, although personally I'm not a fan of the logos that litter the helmet. Hidden in all the graffiti esque white stripe are his usual tributes to Jules Bianchi and Antoine Hubert, you just have to look a bit harder than usual to find them. 

Thanks as always to Jvinu for his Bell helmet shape and template. 

Download | (mirror link)

Being in a middle of a triple header I can see it getting busy so onto the next helmet! Here's some in game screenshots. 

GP4: Pierre Gasly 2021 Monaco GP Helmet

Next up we have Pierre Gasly's 'gold' helmet used at the Monaco GP. 

The helmet is his usual design but with gold added, and the French swirly flag replaced by a bold gold band on the top. Small changes include a different number 10 in the dark red. I always think it's odd that the red band above the visor does not follow the contours under the visor, so I've replicated that on my helmet, it's not a mistake. I also had fun creating the alpha channels on this, with the matte Alpha Tauri blue, to the super shiny gold and everything in between. I've opted not to put any highlights on the gold, choosing rather to let GP4's reflections do the job. 

Going through these helmets, I'm noticing differences between the original sketch ups to the actual photos, which is a bit annoying, but I've tried to base it on race worn photos if I can. 

There's a lot of Bell helmets this year, Gasly switching from Arai, but my thanks as ever goes to Jvinu for his great shapes, and to Jsoria for whose standard 2021 helmet helped me with the contours of my helmet. 

Download | (mirror link)

GP4: Gezere's 2020 Alpha Tauri AT01 Texture Update

Well it's been a bumper week of downloads from me. When taking screenshots of the Gasly helmet, I thought I could do a tweak to the textures on the Alpha Tauri. It was a quick edit of the alpha channels to change the reflection on the dark blue, which is matte in real life, with the white parts of the car the classic shiny/reflective gloss. So I've tried to replicate in this little update. 

This is just a tweak to the work done by Gezere, and season updates by Gap177 and the pack only includes the textures.

GP4: 2020 Pierre Gasly Emilia Romagna GP Helmet (Senna tribute)

Well being such a nerd for the 1994 season, it would have been wrong for me not to remake this helmet, worn at Imola at the so-called Emilia Romagna GP by Pierre Gasly in his Alpha Tauri.

The yellow is iconic, and the view from the front in unmistakably Senna's iconic helmet look, particularly with the Honda logo on the visor. The Alpha Tauri logos look nice, albeit a bit too intrusive on the main design, but it's nice to have matte blue against the rest of the helmet which is classically shiny. 

There's tributes on the back to lives lost, to Ayrton Senna, to Jules Bianchi and to Anthione Hubert (maybe Roland Ratzenberger was missed because he doesn't have a fancy logo). Anyway, a lovely tribute to drivers lost doing what they loved.

Download

Model Updates - first 2020 preseason cars by Spark

Hey model fans,

I hope you're keeping safe and healthy during this very strange year. 

I was so glad that we do have a 2020 season, and I've been so grateful for a shuffled calendar. 

No doubt the global pandemic has affected the model makers, but I'm glad to see that Spark have started releasing some 2020 F1 models, based on pre-season testing. So I've started a 2020 model summary page. I've been keeping the 2019 model summary page up to date too. 

With the new rules on the horizon, most teams have simply updated their 2019 cars for the 2020 season, with Racing Point being the only team to try a new concept, and it seems to be paying off for them. Now that the same chassis needs to be retained for the 2021 season, we'll be looking at these shapes for a while. With the global pandemic affecting revenues, some teams like Haas will not bring any upgrades to the car in 2020, only specific race setups.