Leica Q3 43 Formula 1 Edition: Carbon fibre comes to Wetzlar

Leica and Formula 1 have signed a licensing partnership, and the first fruit is a special edition of the Q3 43. It goes on sale today. The camera underneath is the familiar 43mm Q, but the dress is pure motorsport, with genuine carbon fibre, red accents and a covering modelled on a racing steering wheel. There is also a Leica Look of its own, available on no other camera. All this for £7,300…

Launched in Los Angeles

Leica unveiled the camera at an invitation-only event at its Los Angeles store and gallery. Formula 1 presenter Ariana Bravo introduced the collaboration alongside Jenson Button, the 2009 Drivers’ World Champion. On the walls hung 26 motorsport photographs by Callo Albanese, an Italian photographer who specialises in Formula 1.

Leica pitches the partnership on shared values. Both organisations, it says, depend on precision, teamwork and craftsmanship, and both know that success can hang on a fraction of a second that will never come round again. Whether in the cockpit or behind the viewfinder, the company points out, the outcome rests with one person.

Carbon at the controls

The headline material is carbon fibre, which Leica says it has not traditionally used on its cameras. In motor racing, of course, it is everywhere, prized for its combination of low weight and great stiffness. The carbon parts for this edition were made and tested exclusively in Germany.

Leica has placed the carbon where the hands fall. It forms the shell of the wireless charging handgrip, the matching thumb rest and an inlay on the soft-release button. The company says light playing across the weave gives the surface a shifting depth as the camera moves, so the racing connection is something you feel as well as see.

The rest of the body wears black Microvelour, its texture borrowed from a racing steering wheel. That is also where the red comes from. On a Formula 1 wheel the controls are colour-coded so the driver can find them in a hurry, and Leica has picked out the rim of the soft release and one of the two thumb-rest function buttons in the same way. An F1 logo sits on the top plate and the lens cap.

The set comes with a rope strap carrying both logos, styled to suit the carbon parts, and bespoke packaging with a red inlay.

The camera underneath

Mechanically, this is the Q3 43. The APO-Summicron 43 f/2 ASPH. gives an angle of view close to that of the human eye, which Leica reckons suits the paddock and trackside, where atmosphere and proximity matter more than reach. The full-frame BSI CMOS sensor offers 60, 36 or 18MP through Triple Resolution Technology, backed by hybrid autofocus and extensive video features.

Owners need not start a new accessory drawer — the edition works with all the Leica Q3 and Q3 43 photography accessories.

A look of its own

Alongside the hardware comes a new “Formula 1” Leica Look. Leica developed it for this camera alone, with higher contrast and richer saturation intended to capture the atmosphere of the track and paddock. It is installed through the Leica FOTOS app and exclusive to this edition.

The look is applied as you shoot, so you see the effect in the viewfinder rather than discovering it later at the computer. FOTOS then handles the transfer of pictures and video to your phone or tablet.

Price and availability

The Leica Q3 43 Formula 1 Edition is available from 21 October 2026 at Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store and specialist retailers. The recommended price is £7,300, or €8,500, including VAT. Dollar prices to be added.

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