New Ferrari F1...WTF?

[dr_gn]

I've been an F1 fan all my life, and there have been many times whan I wondered why, but this is probably the final straw:

http://www.formula1news.net/2009-f1-season-the-new...

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44908

Is this really what things have come to?

Cheers,

Edited by dr_gn on Monday 12th January 09:23

[Jungles]

Apart from the unfamiliar shape, what's so bad about it? The doorframe-like rear wing?

As for me... slicks!

[GreigR]

After a few months we won't think anything of these new cars, it's not that bad.

[westtra]

I actually really like it. Nice and clean and the pic from the front looks really good.

[rude-boy]

GreigR said:

After a few months we won't think anything of these new cars, it's not that bad.

But until that day, it just looks sooooooooooooo wrong!

[DeadMeat_UK]

I quite like it. Especially the huooooge front wing.

Something odd going on with the mirror mounts though - they looks like they might be doing more than holding mirrors to me !

[Altrezia]

Not pretty, but still feckin' cool.

Mmm Slicks.

[Farmboy UK]

The rear wing looks a bit odd, other than that, I like it.

[patmahe]

Its certainly not as bad as some of the 08/09 hybrids were. I think the fact that we've lost all the winglets etc... was going to be a bit of a shock, the design looks very clean. Its a big change from recent years but I think most would agree a big change was needed.

The return of slick tyres is very welcome and I'll reserve judgement on the looks until I see the other challengers and how they race looking forward to start of season now

[dr_gn]

GreigR said:

After a few months we won't think anything of these new cars, it's not that bad.

I'm sorry, but as someone who finds the aesthetics of a car almost as important as the engineering, these cars will *never* be anything other than a bad joke. IMHO an F1 car defined by a set of rules will never be 'beautiful', since it's form is dictated not by achieving ultimate speed, but by artificial constraints. Having said this, the cars do seem to become better looking after a period of rule stability. When I first saw the '09 interim development cars I hoped and prayed that the stupid new wing regulations would somehow be integrated into a clean sheet design without such wincingly bad results.

It's one thing to have rules intended for safety, but quite another to have rules to try to 'improve the show' for the lowest common denominator observer.

Crazy.

[kevin ritson]

Couldn't disagree more. I'd rather have an ugly race than a beautiful parade. In any case, the car looks a lot better than the testing mules from last year.

[dr_gn]

kevin ritson said:

Couldn't disagree more. I'd rather have an ugly race than a beautiful parade. In any case, the car looks a lot better than the testing mules from last year.

Then watch GP2, or any other lesser formula. Formula one should be about excellence in all areas, not making an artificial 'race'.

[Nick_F]

The overhead view is bizarre - it looks like the car's been built to a larger scale from the cockpit forward.

[magic torch]

Slicks

[freedman]

Apart from the narrow rear wing its far better looking than the cars of the last 5 years or so

[DSM2]

dr_gn said:

GreigR said:

After a few months we won't think anything of these new cars, it's not that bad.

I'm sorry, but as someone who finds the aesthetics of a car almost as important as the engineering, these cars will *never* be anything other than a bad joke. IMHO an F1 car defined by a set of rules will never be 'beautiful', since it's form is dictated not by achieving ultimate speed, but by artificial constraints. Having said this, the cars do seem to become better looking after a period of rule stability. When I first saw the '09 interim development cars I hoped and prayed that the stupid new wing regulations would somehow be integrated into a clean sheet design without such wincingly bad results.

It's one thing to have rules intended for safety, but quite another to have rules to try to 'improve the show' for the lowest common denominator observer.

Crazy.

I agree. The cars are no longer designed for ultimate performance but to achieve a specific objetcive as a group. I do fully appreciate that we were all pissed with the lack of overtaking but did they have to go this way?

From what I hear anyway, it wil not be the basic design that allows slipstreaming and overtaking but the fact that the front wing flaps will be adjustable during a lap. Couldn't that have been done with the old regs?

[LaSarthe+Back]

If it gets them racing - and racing properly, I don't think any of us will car what they look like!

[flemke]

DSM2 said:

dr_gn said:

GreigR said:

After a few months we won't think anything of these new cars, it's not that bad.

I'm sorry, but as someone who finds the aesthetics of a car almost as important as the engineering, these cars will *never* be anything other than a bad joke. IMHO an F1 car defined by a set of rules will never be 'beautiful', since it's form is dictated not by achieving ultimate speed, but by artificial constraints. Having said this, the cars do seem to become better looking after a period of rule stability. When I first saw the '09 interim development cars I hoped and prayed that the stupid new wing regulations would somehow be integrated into a clean sheet design without such wincingly bad results.

It's one thing to have rules intended for safety, but quite another to have rules to try to 'improve the show' for the lowest common denominator observer.

Crazy.

I agree. The cars are no longer designed for ultimate performance but to achieve a specific objetcive as a group. I do fully appreciate that we were all pissed with the lack of overtaking but did they have to go this way?

From what I hear anyway, it wil not be the basic design that allows slipstreaming and overtaking but the fact that the front wing flaps will be adjustable during a lap. Couldn't that have been done with the old regs?

To facilitate that, they needed a smaller rear wing that would disturb less air.

[Strangely Brown]

Looks OK to me. It's an F1 car that is designed to do the best possible job within the current technical regulations. What do you expect it to look like? Oh, and it's a hell of a lot prettier than some previous monstrosities that have come out of the stable, including all of the high nose cars.

[Stu R]

The rear wing is a bit of a stinker, and they're a lot wider looking at the nose, but the rest of it doesn't seem too bad at all. Certainly a whole lot nicer than the angular things we saw last year with random bits of bodywork jutting out all over the place.