Illustrating Speed: Chris Rathbone on Art, Motorsport, and Power.

Inside the creative journey behind the limited-edition mophie x Oracle Red Bull Racing race destination series.

Illustrator and designer Chris Rathbone has carved a unique lane at the intersection of sport, speed, and art. With a lifelong passion for motorsport and a background in graphic design, his bold vector-based style captures the energy, precision, and drama of the world’s biggest sporting stages. From Ferrari books to live illustration sessions, his work has spanned NBA courts, cycling tours, and Formula 1 circuits — and most recently, the mophie x Oracle Red Bull Racing collaboration. We sat down with him to talk about his journey, creative process, and the inspiration behind the limited-edition race destination artworks.

Background & Inspiration

Can you take us back to the beginning — what first drew you into illustration and design?


I have always been passionate about drawing, and since a kid at school, art and design were always my favourite subjects. I’m a lifelong motorsport fan too, so I feel very lucky to be able to combine 2 of my passions and create illustrations within the world of motorsport.

You’ve worked across so many sports — from NBA to Tour de France — what is it about sports and automotive culture that inspires your creativity?

I love the speed, energy and passion that sport brings, and that’s something I always try to capture in my illustration work.

Formula 1 has been a recurring theme in your work. Do you remember the first time you illustrated something F1-related, and how that experience shaped your journey?


I initially started doing cartoons after each F1 race and I built up quite a big following from my work, which was unexpected. As fun as the cartoons were, I decided I wanted to move away from that and create a more grown up, graphical style of illustration.

I posted some illustrations on my Instagram and then a book publisher in the U.S. saw my work and commissioned me to illustrate a book for Ferrari. I drew around 60-70 illustrations of all the iconic Ferrari cars, and the book was published. It was awesome to see my work in the flesh, and it gave me the confidence that I could quit my job and earn a living as a freelance illustrator. 

Artistic Process

Your art is all vector-based — what is it about that medium that speaks to you, especially when capturing high-energy sports like F1? 


I come from a Graphic Design background, so vector work is just something that I was familiar with creating. I have really leaned into it as I think the vector format lends itself perfectly to my graphical style of illustration.

When you’re starting a new piece, what does your creative process look like — from concept to final illustration?


It depends on the job. Some projects require me to work from photos if I need to draw a specific car or athlete, however my favourite work is where I can start the composition from scratch, work up a sketch draft or two, and then draw from there - like this project I worked on.

You’ve done live illustration sessions before — does working in front of a live audience change the way you approach your art?


Totally. Quite often with live drawing the final illustration has been worked up prior to the event as the client and any sponsors, stakeholders etc need to have the work approved prior to the live event. I am essentially then recreating my own drawing for the audience to see my process.

Collaboration & mophie x Oracle Red Bull Racing Project

Each artwork in this series represents a race destination. What’s your process for capturing the essence of a city or track in a single piece of art?


If it is a location or track that I have not personally visited, I like to look on Google maps to see the environment in which the track is located. For example, is the track located in or near a city, or near any recognisable landmarks? I will sometimes watch highlights of races and qualifying sessions from the track to get a sense of ‘tone’ of the track and the area surrounding it. For specific buildings and landmarks that need to be accurate I then use reference images to draw from.

Do you have a personal favorite among the race destination artworks you created? If so, why?


From these illustrations, my personal favourite is the Mexico illustration. I loved drawing the iconic stadium section, full of fans, and trying to capture the energy and excitement of the car racing through the stadium section of the track. I also enjoyed drawing the Austin illustration as I spend a lot of time in America, and a lot of my clients are based there, and I loved the ‘Stars and Stripes’ theming around the COTA track.

When fans hold one of these limited-edition powerstations, what do you hope they feel or take away from the design?


I hope they like seeing my illustrations on the powerstations. I have never created work for such a product before, and I’m super excited to see the products in real life!

Philosophy & Mantra

Illustration can be a demanding process — how do you “Power On” when facing creative blocks or tight deadlines?

Creative block can be a real challenge - especially as I work from my own studio, so quite often there aren’t any other people around to share ideas with and get inspiration. I like to try and get out and about when I can, travel and see clients, attend sporting events and see my work in all the locations it’s used. It helps me to focus and remember where my work ends up, rather than just staring at it on my screens in the studio!

Your work blends precision and imagination. Do you see any parallels between your artistic process and the precision-engineered world of Formula 1?


It’s important to pay attention to the details - especially when I’m drawing specific cars, locations and/or athletes. In F1, and any form of sport, attention to detail often makes a huge difference to the end result.

Looking Ahead

You’ve already worked with some of the world’s biggest sports and automotive names — is there a dream project or collaboration still on your horizon?


I feel incredibly fortunate to have already worked with so many awesome brands, teams and clients. I’m always excited to see where the next project comes from, who it’s for, and what’s involved.

Chris brings the same precision, creativity, and energy to his art that Formula 1 demands on track. His illustrations for the mophie x Oracle Red Bull Racing collaboration don’t just celebrate each race destination — they capture the spirit of speed, power, and performance that defines the team itself. For fans, holding one of these limited-edition powerstations means carrying a piece of that story, where design meets engineering and passion powers on.

Grab your collector’s item here.