| Bleu de France | |
|---|---|
 Colour coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #318CE7 |
| sRGBB (r,g,b) | (49, 140, 231) |
| HSV (h,s,v) | (210°, 79%, 91%) |
| CIELChuv (L,C,h) | (57, 90, 250°) |
| Source | ColorHexa[1] |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Vivid blue |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
Bleu de France (French pronunciation:[blødəfʁɑ̃s], "Blue of France") is acolour traditionally used to representFrance. Blue has been used in theheraldry of theFrench monarchy since at least the 12th century, with the goldenfleurs-de-lis of the kings always set on a blue (heraldic "azure") background. A brighter version, based on the blue of theFrench Tricolour, is used in modern times, particularly in a sporting context. French national teams in all sports will normally use blue as their main colour.
Blue is France'snational racing colour;[2] therefore, several French motorsport teams have used it, includingAlpine,Amilcar,Ballot,Bugatti,Delage,Delahaye,Gordini,Ligier,Mathis,Matra,Panhard,Pescarolo Sport,Peugeot,Prost Grand Prix,Rondeau,Salmson,Talbot-Lago, andVoisin.[3]
The two notable exceptions areCitroën andRenault: the former has used red and white, whereas the latter has used yellow and black. Between the2002 and2006 seasonsRenaultF1 cars wore a blue colour not as the national racing colour of France but due to theteam's title sponsor the Japanese cigarette brandMild Seven. Blue de France appeared on theEnstone team's car again for the2021 season, when the team rebranded toAlpine F1 Team, continuing the Alpine marque's association with the colour across motorsport.
Since a country is represented in the motorsportthrough a team and not through a constructor,[4] Frenchprivateer teams entering cars built by constructors from another country before the1968 season painted cars in thebleu de France blue, e.g. the FrenchGuy Ligier's privateer team entered cars painted inbleu de France blue in1966 and1967 seasons despite the fact that they were built by the British constructorCooper.[5]
"French blue" has also been in use by theMassachusetts State Police, in uniform and livery, since June 1933, to render troopers immediately recognizable to the public.[6] Since 1944 it has also been in use byDelaware State Police on their uniforms.[7]
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In June of 1933, the Massachusetts State Police changed from forest green uniforms like a forest ranger's to French blue shirts and electric blue pants...The French blue and electric blue transferred from uniform to sheetmetal. The colors allow troopers to be identified, even when inside their cars...
