Bleu de France (colour)

Bleu de France (Bleu de France) is a color traditionally used to represent France. Blue has been used in the heraldry of the French monarchy since at least the 12th century, with the golden irises of kings always on a blue background (“blue” heraldry). A lighter variant, based on the blue of the French tricolor, is used in the modern era, especially in sports. French national teams in all sports often use blue as their primary colour. Blue is the national racing color of France; This is how several French motorsport teams have used it, including Alpine, Amilcar, Ballot, Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Gordini, Ligier, Mathis, Matra, Panhard, Pescarolo Sport, Peugeot, Prost Grand Prix, Rondeau, Salmson, Talbot- Lake. Near. The two notable exceptions are Citroën and Renault: the former used red and white, while the latter used yellow and black. Between 2002 and 2006, Renault F1 cars raced in blue, not as France’s national racing colour, but because of the team’s main sponsor, Japanese cigarette brand Mild Seven. Blue de France reappeared on the Enstone team car for the 2021 season when the team was renamed Alpine F1 Team, continuing the Alpine brand’s association with color in motorsport. “French blue” was also used by the Massachusetts State Police in uniform and livery from June 1933 for immediate recognition of soldiers by the public. It has also been used by the Delaware State Police on their uniforms since 1944.