When Star Wars came to Formula 1 – The story of F1's trips to a galaxy far, far away

Ahead of the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, we look back at the occasions when the world of Star Wars crossed over with Formula 1.

F1 has welcomed plenty of famous faces into the paddock over the years, but few have arrived with an entourage quite like George Lucas.

Stormtroopers have performed pit stops, Darth Vader has stood alongside an F1 car, and R2-D2 has wandered through the Monaco paddock as the worlds of Formula 1 and Star Wars have crossed paths on some memorable occasions.

It makes for timely viewing as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art prepares to open its doors in Los Angeles on September 22. Co-founded by Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum is dedicated to visual storytelling, with more than 100,000 square feet of space spread across over 30 galleries.

Among its opening exhibitions is Star Wars in Motion, which showcases the vehicles, props and costumes behind the first six Star Wars films. From Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder to General Grievous's Wheel Bike, it also provides a chance to revisit the saga's motorsport connections.

And for that, there is only one place to start...

2005 – Red Bull joins the Dark Side

Red Bull Racing were only six races into their Formula 1 story when they arrived in Monaco in 2005, but the new team had already found a way to ensure all eyes were on them.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith had just been released, and Red Bull teamed up with Lucasfilm to promote the final instalment of the prequel trilogy over the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

David Coulthard and Vitantonio Liuzzi's RB1s were transformed with flames running along the bodywork, huge Star Wars logos on the sidepods and references to the Dark Side across the cars.

And Red Bull did not stop at the livery.

Darth Vader, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and an army of Stormtroopers descended on the team, creating some of the most comical images in F1 history. Even Red Bull's mechanics got involved, swapping their usual pit stop attire for white outfits inspired by the Empire's Stormtroopers.

It was all happening against the typically glamorous backdrop of Monaco. Red Bull's then-floating Energy Station was stationed in the harbour, while Lucas himself joined the team as a guest.

There was only one problem – the Force did not appear to extend to the race result.

Both Red Bulls retired. Coulthard's race ended after his car was damaged during an incident involving Michael Schumacher, while Liuzzi later stopped as well. It was the team's first Grand Prix of the season without a points finish.

Kimi Raikkonen ultimately took victory for McLaren, ahead of Williams pair Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber, but more than two decades later, Red Bull's Star Wars cars remain among the most distinctive one-off looks ever seen at Monaco.

2015 – George Lucas takes over the podium

Star Wars itself would not officially return to an F1 team for another 12 years, but its creator remained a familiar face around the paddock.

Lucas attended the 2015 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where he was photographed among the guests on race day.

A few months later, he had a rather more prominent role at Monza.

Lewis Hamilton had dominated the Italian Grand Prix, starting from pole, leading every lap and setting the fastest lap on his way to victory ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Williams driver Felipe Massa.

Waiting for the top three on the podium was Lucas, who conducted the post-race interviews.

It meant Hamilton went from fighting his rivals around the Temple of Speed to discussing his victory with the man behind Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and one of cinema's most famous fictional universes.

2017: Star Wars returns to Monaco with Renault

In 2017, both Star Wars and Renault had a 40th anniversary to celebrate.

The original Star Wars: A New Hope was released in May 1977. Less than two months later, Renault made their Formula 1 debut at Silverstone with the turbocharged RS01.

Four decades later, Renault and Disney marked their shared anniversary at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Once again, the paddock gained a few unexpected visitors. Stormtroopers and R2-D2 joined then-team mates Nico Hulkenberg and Jolyon Palmer, while Lucas himself returned to Monaco for the celebrations.

So 12 years after Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers had taken over Red Bull's corner of Monte Carlo, Star Wars was back in the Monaco paddock.

Renault's fortunes on track were mixed. Hulkenberg started 10th but retired with a gearbox problem after 16 laps, while Palmer finished 11th, narrowly missing out on the points.