Formula One is on track for a collision with 3M, the maker of Scotch tape and Post-it Notes, after it emerged that the sport’s new logo bears a striking ­resemblance to a pan-European trademark registered by the American conglomerate.

The new logo was unveiled at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November as part of a re-branding plan by Liberty Media which bought F1 for $8bn (£5.8bn) at the start of 2017. It hopes to launch it on a new clothing range at the 2018 season-opener in March but 3M’s trademark registration could put the brakes on that.

F1’s previous logo had been used for 23 years and cleverly created the silhouette of a number one between a slanted letter “F” and the speed lines opposite it. In contrast, the “F” in its successor is simply formed from a curved stripe with a white line running through it followed by a line which represents the number one. It was created by Wieden+Kennedy and has had a frosty reception, derided by fans and industry figures alike.

An “F” in the same style has been used by 3M for the past year as the logo of its Futuro brand of compression tights for airline passengers.