This week, Formula One roars back to the fastest street circuit on the calendar, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Known for its high-intensity, flat-out turns and the massive commitment required from drivers, this track promises a dazzling display under the lights.

In this week's race poster, the high-octane thrill of Saudi Arabia is vividly captured. Paul Allen, Senior Graphics Designer for the BWT Alpine Formula One Team, shares the intricate process behind the creation of this stunning visual and explains how he brought it to life.

What initial steps did you take when designing the Bahrain GP Race Poster?

What I wanted to get across for this race poster was the use of interesting light and dark shadows, and a focus on how the livery looks in a night race setting.

Can you explain how you made this graphic?

One of the primary challenges is achieving dramatic, high-contrast lighting over the car itself. Given that this was a night race — and considering how exceptionally the A525 appeared under the floodlights in Bahrain — replicating that night race illumination was the key. The whole scene was lit by a physical sun to create the shadows falling onto the track with a nod to the geometric architectural roof of the grandstand. Getting the floodlight shadow-effect of the car was made with a small area light set to a linear cloner; duplicated to light just the car from both sides and from the rear.

Adjusting the camera to it's final position allowed me to include the grid-lights, giving a nice perspective and a balance to the composition. Having elements near and far to the camera meant I could experiment with the depth of field and motion blur — key to making the A525 the focal point.

Did you face any challenges during the design phase?

As a team we have been using 3D software for many years now — the first Enstone car to get the full 3D test was the R29, yes way back in 2009 — we have quite a garage of Enstone race cars in 3D world! Over the last few seasons we have been working with numerous renderers to generate the final output — this season we are using Maxon's Redshift.

Each one has it's own methodology and quirks; so getting the lighting and shadows to a pleasing level was a challenge (thanks for the help by my experienced colleagues who have been making the rest of these race posters so far this year).