Man, but next year’s F1 cars are ugly. I’ve been itching to see one up close since the regulation changes were announced earlier this year, and yesterday, at the first full test of the winter ‘off season’, I got my chance as the new breed broke cover for the first time.
What can I say? That they make a bulldog chewing a wasp look like Kate Moss, that’s what.
These tests are notoriously hard to read at the best of times, and I’ve never attended one in which there were more variables: old cars, new tyres (slicks: they looked bloody marvellous), hybrid aero set ups, some bloke called Nico Hulkenberg in a Williams… But there was no mistaking the ‘09 BMW as it rumbled up the pit-lane.
Rather than the usual aero geniuses, they’ve clearly opted for the designers from Fisher Price this time round. The out-sized front wing looks like a fat lip, while the one at the back has all the visual grace of a Hackney high rise. I honestly can’t recall an uglier racing car.
There used to be a truism in motorsport that if a car looked good it usually was good. God knows where that leaves next year’s grid. Of course, pretty soon we’ll get used to the changes, and we’ll forget all about this year’s model which, while no raving beauty itself, at least represents the peak of the aerodynamicist’s art.
But the era of the beautiful F1 car is definitely over, with at least one technical director warning me that there’s no guarantee that next year’s mutants will be any easier to overtake, or overtake in. In its desperation to improve the show, the FIA has scored another own goal. I only hope I’m proved wrong come next March.
Luckily, happier things were happening in Barcelona, too. One was the return of the name Senna to an F1 timing sheet, the other was the appearance of a familiar motorsport name in an unfamiliar setting.
Sebastien Loeb, five times world rally champion, was testing a Red Bull, and he didn’t disappoint. As I say, you can’t read that much into an F1 winter test. But I know a fast racing driver when I see one, and there was no doubting Loeb’s sheer pace. Or application: he didn’t make a single mistake in 82 laps.
Read the full story in the next issue of Top Gear magazine. In the meantime, somebody please say something kind about next year’s cars…
why can’t loeb go into F1??
I reckon they’ve made the cars like old cars for Senna.
I think this years cars are growers: I prefer them from yesterday already.
The air intake doesnt look too bad I guess….
can’t wait to see Bruno going around the f1 track, hope he gives lewis a run for his money, as for the cars… They will grow on everybody once the sport becomes better to watch
with Ferrari’s obvious Red “Baron” colour scheme, we can enjoy a more sensual Formula One Experience watching the whole race to the sound of “Flight of the Valkeries”
I dont get the hype around Bruno Senna, apart from having the most famous name in motorsport he hasn’t done anything, and Honda are only considering hiring him for marketing purposes. Although I think it is time Rubens moved over
i much prefer these new cars to last years which just had ugly winglets, and winglets on the winglets, and turning vains of the winglets’s winglets (quite a mouthful. I just hope we get some proper racing that doesn’t involve overtaking in the pits, are you listening kimi raikkonen???
Not sure about the look of the car but it will be good to see F1 back on slicks again. There’s something inherently wrong about with the aesthetics any form of motorsport that uses patterned tyres in dry conditions. Let’s just hope that by relying much more on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip we might just see some closer racing and, God forbid, an overtaking move on the pit straight rather than the pits.
BWM’s have a tendancy to look bad but…
…please please please fix that stupid front wing a bit
Even though the looks are dissapointing if it makes good racing I’ll be happy.
Klien said “I never saw such a sexy car”. After he stopped laughing, he admited it looked wrong.
Tough I’m afraid the rear wing will be hideous, the front wing can look good, just see the William’s front wing. Granted not as elegant as the 08 cars, but not as hideous looking as the beemer’s.
In any event the cars are always shaped by the regulations. There have been beauties and ugly ducklings in every era of F1; it’s a matter of time before engineers and designers get a functional car that looks good for the next set of regs.
the maclaren and the ferrari look just as nice as the ‘06 cars with out all the vanes and sticky out bits
Jeremy once asked Simon Cowell: “What is the worst thing you can say about a car?” with Cowell’s response being “nice airbags”.
I wish this had airbags, I really do because I’m struggling to find some way to compliment the design. Backwards of the driver’s cockpit looks like an explosion of fat, the rear spoiler reminds me of a teatray that TG attached to the back of a Rover 800 as a bullet shield.
My only guess on the front wing is that we’re going to see a Siberian Grand Prix this year, because that is clearly a snow plow.
Obviously drivers wanted to keep pets with them along the way, for that’s the only reason I can see for the gaping kennel on the nose and I hope they put a net over it to prevent birds and spectators from getting scooped into it.
The slick tires look fantastic though, and I look forward to seeing the more complimenting colours of McLaren and Ferrari on that pig ugly body.
I’ll miss the beautiful aerodynamics, but if this does allow for more overtaking, I’m all for it.
I’m sure the looks will grow on me, though their comparisons with fungus are already prominent.
So, what’s the best thing I can say about the car?
Nice Tires.
The spoiler..the one and only complain i have..we will see skyscrapers instead of sculpted wings on the back of this fast machines..
Just think how beautiful it will be when a first lap moment takes the front wing off at least ;o)
SLICKS! They give me happy shivers so much I can overlook the wings!
After a very emotional moment biting my lip over Nick Mason’s Maserati 250 at the NEC’s classic car show on sunday, I’m all for a return to the simplicity of the 50s/60s. Skinny tyres, no aero aids and cojones of steel, that’s what we need. While we’re at it, we can push to get Group B reinstated as part of the deal..
I expected less aero help, but I wouldn’t expect so awfull stuff. I thougt the wings would be smaller, the sort of IRL uses for ovals or something like that.
Anyway, we will get used to this horrible things, like we did to non-slick narrow cars, beneton’s high nose in the 90’s, Honda colours, etc. Ah, how about when we lost those beatiful V12’s, that was a hit to my ears.
Surely we’ll see nice curvy vaiations of this theme as winter turns into yay it’s almost back spring?
Can’t imagine Macca’ll let a shiny silver shoebox out of the garage….
And I miss the V12s too
(
Variable turbos anyone?
Omg, it looks like a Formula BMW car and a Champ car got drunk and made some bad decisions at the Wind Tunnel Hotel!
comment 15:
First of all, go watch Formula Ford races if that’s what you want the cars to look like.
Second, bringing Group B back would be nothing but a televised snuff film. That’s why they got rid of it in the first place.
The idea of rule changes, which give us cars like this, in the name of creating more racing/passing is all fine and good, but if the cars end up looking like a Formula BMW on crack, then what’s the point of having F1?
One of the things that made me fall in love with F1 was the fact that the cars were beautiful. Amazing shapes that would tell even a casual observer, “these are the most advanced racing cars in the world.” I personally don’t think it’s worth having cars that look like this just to increase the possibility of passing by a few percentage points.
The “procession” aspect of F1 is just something that comes with the territory when you’re creating cars that are pushing the limits of aerodynamics. And it’s a price I’m gladly willing to pay in order to have cars that look like the one’s we’ve had in recent years.
Personally these new F1 cars look hideous compared to last years modles. hopefully it will improve the overtaking situation, but seriously isn’t their someting else they could do.
Also i don’t want another bloody Champ Car season of racing. let Champ Car be Champ car, they have always been prodominantly street tracks and i’m ok with that, but F1 should be raced on proper tracks not all these new road circuits. F1 has always been the pinnical of racing, and I sorry this seems to be a step backwards form last year. I mean last years cars were pushing to break the times of the old v10s that alonso won his world championship in, that’s development.
sorry just caught an error
ment v12s not v10
the only thing i’m looking forward to with the new rules/cars is the slick tires.
finally the fia have made a good decision with out making a huge cock up, oh ya the cars, never mind!
Permission to say “C**k” the rear spoiler is awful… check out cosmicmotors.com then you’ll see some cool designs
Couldn’t they have just tried KERS and the new slicks in one year, and left the aero packages the same? Too much at once. As for the rear wing, it makes the car look like the renault avantime did with Hammond’s super aguri wing on it!! Is there a regulation forcing those (out of) proportions? Because the williams one is like that too. I’m a Ferrari fan, but i’m relying on the McLaren to restore faith, sometimes I can’t look at McLarens because i actually get sexually excited!!
GAH! My eyes are burning, I really really hope they improve the look of the car by the start of next season. Widening the wear wing should make it look less something… The slicks do look right
The side pods look good. The slicks look great.
The rest needs sorting out.
I agree, Mikeado. They do look like those out of proportion toy cars you get in happy meals at fast food outlets. All we need is a giant chicken driving one.
They are growing on me though, because the sides look awesome.
Anyone know where I can see the 2009 Mclaren?
aagh im soo sad, F1 is the pinnicle, and if it isnt for technical development and extremes of engineering, then what is it for? I want good racing too, but i see it gettting to the point where manufacturers will get bored and leave F1, and it will turn into a rich mans formula ford. nooooooo
Catersam: no-ones seen it yet, they havent tested and they wont be releasing the final one until start of next year
what i meant there Catersam is they havent tested the full ‘09 aero yet..
At least one things not changing, Martin Brundle wiil be joining the BBC F1 team next year along with DC and some guy Johnathan Legard, dont listen to radio commentary so I dont know who he is,
Good on you BBC.
Congrats to the Beeb for the wise choice of commentators. Brundle was, quite honestly, an obvious choice to make.
On the subject of the 2009 cars, they have actually started to grow on me, especially since I saw a photo from testing which showed the good ol’ fashioned vorteces swirling off the rear wing.
F1 cars will have vortex moustaches again! Now it’s only a matter of some of the drivers matching it with a Nigel Mansell moustache.
if you think the ‘09 car looks good then you probably think your girlfriend looks like a model too. Good god what an ugly thing. They are ruining F1 with constant changes. Years of changes in qualifying, grooved tyres, more groves, smaller engines and so on. Cutting costs they say well constantly adapting to new rules costs a lot more money then sticking with a concept and make lesser dramatic changes. They want to make it more exciting and yet they took away the belgian GP, fortunately it’s back, this year the canadian GP is gone and what do we get in return, circuits like valencia where it’s hard to overtake anyway despite what car you have. A lot of the newer circuits give us boring races where the older ones are often more exciting. Bernie and his entourage should retire and stop ruining F1.
GHASTLY! William’s is pretty sleek, this on is a walrus.
Here’s an idea, why don’t all the teams all go out and put their engines in bricks??? At least they’ll look better than what i’m looking at….Jeesh… Whoever thought it would be a good idea to put shoeboxes on the ends of the front wings and pass them off as “winglets” should get a slap on the back of the head.. Just imagine 20-odd Lego bricks going full-pelt into the first corner…
a brick would be too small
i really like the paint work and the slicks.
there, that’s everythnig nice i can come up with.
this is a great chance for the stig to go around the track and try to beat a lap record of 59 seconds set by a Renault F1 in 2004.
the car is not nice at all and i really hope that the teams change this, which they will, and make cars that don’t blind you!
Man, the new cars are the uggliest things this side of the Moon … it’s the martians on the other side
overtaking? bollocks … the only way to get that is to make the criteria for winning the championship having the most race wins … that will push the front drivers harder and harder … picture Kimi and Lewis and Fernando fighting for the win!
Its another pants attempt to ’spice up’ the action, yet they are too stupid to realise that if you leave the rules as they are and stop tw***ing about with them, the racing naturally gets closer by itself, as it has done this season.
Also, Gold medals?!!!! WTF?!!!! That will do more damage to the sport and totally craps on drivers like Robert Kubica who have excellent consistency. Sure it might make drivers fight harder…. but only for the top three places, the others are likely to think f*** it, im in 8th, i’ll retire.
Heres a BETTER idea to revamp the points system;
Current system stays the same in terms of positions;
1st – 10pts
2nd – 7
3rd – 6
4th – 5
5th – 4
6th – 3
7th – 2
8th – 1
This emphasise the importance of the win better than crapping on mr. consistency.
IN ADDITION:
1pt for overtaking a car on track, not in the pit-stops, sister/team mate car doesnt count, the point also does not count if the car which was overtaken re-passes over the course of a race, unless there is a retirement.
5pts for overtaking the championship leader, this spices things up, as in effect it creates a bulls-eye on the championship leader, meaning he will have to fight more to keep his lead in the standings.
I am also in the process of sending an open letter to Mr. Ecclestone and other key figures in the sport, they only way we can stop them from making this HUGE mistake is by making our voices heard
the fia are screwing themselves over by trying to get “f1 more intresting” they should just let the consturctors goa a bit mad with turbos. v10, and as much aero as they want
BMW looks ugly, front wing is too big, rear wing too small and the nose too high. As has been said already slicks look great, F1 cars must have slicks. If these cars prove easy to overtake then I will be happy. If not the FIA will have made another c**k up.
Still think drivers should drive for money aswell for the fame. Give them 100K a year and watch them race for a jackpot of say 30Mil, that i would want to see !
That car… really ugly.. no.. it’s fugly!..
just curious..
all those change to benefit ferrari?
again.. it’s hell ugly… GT race car are more ’sexually’ attract me.
Totally agree on Kay.
Mosley/Ecclestone are ruining F1 lately!
The day they freezed the engines the slow death started. Inventing this new aero rules will speed up the process. One starts to wonder if this is being done in purpose…
Can hardly imagine all involved just let this happen.
An F1 car should be fast and cool, soon as it is lacking one of these elements it ain’t an F1 anymore!
Wheres the fuss? Its a racing car, not a criuser! You’re not going to be driving it around the streets so why does it matter what it looks like? If it makes the aerodynamics better then let them get on with it!
Sorry to say but you miss the point.
We are watching F1 for pleasure, not to see something disgusting.
It does not make the aero better, the rulemakers indicated cars should be like this to ease overtaking.
Same as making the goals bigger with soccer.
They change the rules to often and the majority of the crowd doesn’t get it anymore, they will only see funny, ugly cars in spring on tv and laugh and switch to another channel.
F1 Fan, you were right the first time. Alonso’s car (and all the other cars) in ‘05 were 3 liter V10’s. There haven’t been V12’s since or before the 3.5 liter days, which was something like a dozen years ago?
Okay, so the new aero rules are an evolution of the “less downforce/less wake/more passing” idea that’s been the trend for the last 4 or 5 seasons. but the new front wings look much lower to the ground, which would help downforce. So is the reduction in downforce coming from a reduction in overall wing area? any help anyone?
And that new rear wing get’s uglier every time i look at it. Since 2004, whenever the aero has changed on the cars, i always thought the cars got uglier, but then they grew on me the more i looked at them. it isn’t happening with these new cars!
in terms of the rear wing and helping overtaking/reducing wakes, i think they should have gone with the “split” rear wing idea they were throwing around in recent years, instead of just making it a conventional shape that’s just way smaller.
As a small consolation, the new williams does look way better than the new BMW.
i was thinking about something alonso V10 reno went around the TG track in 59 something and these new cars with frozen engines and reduced aero will be slower. so my question is how long until non-formula one cars catch up i mean a DBR9 with a 1:09 and a caparo T1 with a 1:10 it would be a sad day when any other car can go faster then a F1 car
ugly
The kindest thing that can be said about that BMW thing above is: damn! It looks like as if next year we’ll be watching Formula 3000 races from the 90’s.
I’m trying to figure whether any of the ugliest F1 car of the past could be uglier than this. 1996 Ferrari springs to mind (before the nose being raised), but it wasn’t bad enough to beat that BMW.
I’m wondering what if not power and reliability (=budget) and tyres, as ever obviously, will decide things next year. We shall forget this year’s Toro Rosso and Renault, who improved little things that won’t exist any more, like aerodynamics.
What’s sure, is that F1 no longer features the ultimate machines. F1 cars are going to be dodgy ugly carts barely capable of going round a track as fast as 10 years ago.
So far it’s just mr E. to blame. FIA actually didn’t say a word about changes or medals. This is only Ecclestone’s crap. Please FIA, don’t disappoint us by accepting even that idiotic medals idea.
Man the new F1 cars are horrible! This & the new medals system about to come will probably make my interest in F1 fade away!
what the hell was wrong with all the bits on the cars? i loved them, bit of personalisation on the body work did no one any harm, but we could have done without them. These cars could be much nicer than last year if they sort the wing restrictions out?
The only reason they’ve made these changes is to supposably increase viewing figures and ‘action’ in races, but they’ve added more regulations to an already overloaded rulebook. stupid bernie ecclestone, the knob. by making the cars this ugly you’ve lost all of the viewers that want the ‘glamour’ of motor racing. Honestly, if your daughters weren’t as sexy as they are there would be no reason for you to be on this earth.
why are the cars this year so horrible what are the FIA thinking of just as F1 was getting intresting they decide to make it rubbish agian cant they just let them race
I love how they look, personally.
F1 cars turned from gorgeous open wheel racers into alien/fish-looking hybrids around 1998 or 1999, and I’m glad they’re finally reverting back to a clean, simplistic design.
I agree the front wing looks a little odd, but the rear wing looks awesome–tall, like the wings from the 80s, like the F189 and the McLaren MP4/4.
The whole point is, the cars look purposeful–function over form, in a simplified manner. Function was WAY over form from 1998 to 2008, and resulted in some downright stupid looking features (rabbit-ears anyone?)
I’m really looking forward to this season and these cars look really cool.
GET RID OF ALL THE WINGS!
THEN the cars will look good, and there will be more passing.
The new O9 F1 cars look like a school wood technology project. Boy will I miss the brilliant aerodynamic extensions of the McLaren MP4-23.
not a bad bloger
but for f1 styling
can it look more like how the guys in the pits have it on ther screen
then i can comment.
on the sceen like the guys in the pits
not a bad bloger
but for f1 styling
on the sceen like the guys in the pits
not a bad blogs site
for f1 the styling could be as if your writing to an f1 boss , the tv ,cable man, inform radio failure , oxygen needed asap pits in number5 have gased pits 4 and 6 with smell of fish ,camera sreen 550 now being replaced with camera 599 gtb ,
oxygen man fallen
camara 550 replace
to599
cam
550
replace to 599gtb
oxegen
arrived in
pits4 andpit 6
pits5 have now a smell of piss coming outb there thanks tyrone
toliets leeked out into pit 5
smoke coming out of entrance to pit lane and worried drivers will be able to see in the rain
someon e turn of there
wind tunnel its draining the electric
would be safer in a ford mondeo
xbow come and have look at this