Bernie Ecclestone isn’t a man who takes criticism. As the dictator leadership behind Formula One, he has pretty much implemented a “my way or the highway” approach to how teams operate, and for the most part, it sounds like F1 cars circling their way down the drain of relevancy. What used to be a loud, exciting, technologically advanced and competitive racing series has now become so watered down and focused on things such as liveries and imperceptible aerodynamic tweaks here and there, which cost teams millions of dollars to keep up with. Indeed, several teams have gone away or have died off because the costs of keeping the big boss happy are too high. Even storied racetracks, such as Nurburgring and Monza, are in danger of losing Grand Prix races if they don’t bend to the will of Ecclestone, Formula One Group and the FIA.
Meanwhile, Ferrari hasn’t been completely happy with the way Formula One is playing out. Before his ousting, Luca di Montezemolo hinted that Ferrari might have considered leaving F1 for endurance racing, like Blancpain GT and LeMans. Drivers have voiced frustrations at being uncompetitive. And, unlike other teams, Ferrari has the clout to actually say something with the expectation that the bosses will take notice. Which is why the concept renderings you see here are interesting and even entertaining for us. On a bespoke web page , Ferrari is asking the public to voice their opinion of the F1 Concept, which departs from the cookie-cutter look of the current F1 cars and would be a step towards each competing manufacturer being visually different from the other cars, a change from the current standardized setup. As reported by WIRED, Ferrari’s reasoning for showing off the rendering is a political middle finger to F1: “Would it be possible to come up with an F1 car which not only is technologically advanced, but also captivating to the eye and aggressive-looking? And could this be made without having to overturn the current technical rules? Minimal changes give the car a look that is way different from what have been familiar with so far. Our challenge was to create something that was—to put it short—better looking. We value your comments on that.”
The audacity it takes to tell Bernie that the current F1 car is ugly while asking the general public to sound off on a better version is refreshing. Don’t ever expect this rendering to transform into a real car…this is nothing more (currently, anyways) than Ferrari telling the FIA and Formula One Group to pull their head out of the dark and cavernous spot it’s currently located and to notice that cookie-cutter racing that doesn’t elicit an emotional response from fans will be the ultimate downfall of the sport. A visual re-work of the car is just the tip of the iceberg of change that needs to happen, but it’s a good start. It will be interesting to see the response.
I think that this looks like an endurance car that’s lost a few body panels anyway!
You want to make F1 interesting – allow any size or type of engine or tyre or even aero package.
Imagine modified pro mod mountain motors in a single seater – awesome!
No Bryan ! As a Ferrari insider …. allow me to explain what this really was all about .
What it is … is a cynical marketing BS [ not BangShift ] attempt on the behalf of Ferrari to raise both their relevance [ which is rapidly diminishing what with LEGO now taking over the #1 spot and Ferrari falling out of the top ten for brand recognition ] .. as well as their credibility as their futile attempt at an IPO to raise desperately needed funds rapidly approaches
What it has actually done is to offend F1 fans as well as the entire industry to a level not reached in decades across the board . … as well as make Ferrari look even less relevant .. and approaching looking like a bunch of half wit fools with this Endurance wanna be posing as a future F1 car
As to what the fix is for F1 ? Drop 80% of the aero add ons as well as the DRS and KERS … forego Turbos .. allowing any engine configuration [ 4-6-8-10-12 .. hell even 16 if VWs insane enough to try ] with a 3 liter maximum capacity . Wider tires . And damn it .. allowing room for genuine innovation in the rules so all the cars stop looking exactly the same underneath the paint .
The concept does look like a GT car with slightly less body work.
GS, it would be nice if the “fix” was that simple. The problem is being F1 is a engineering driven formula if the rules remain the same for period of time all the cars will end up looking the same anyway.
I agree the aero is out of hand with all the little winglet, fins , tiny blades etc. sticking out every where.
I disagree on tossing KERS (although it’s not called KERS anymore) even though it is to appease some greenie somewhere. The normal manufactures are moving that way and the technology needs to be worked to the limit somewhere,F1 is great for that.
As for the fan on the side of the track , yes V8 , V10 (oh the Hondas!) , the V12 ,that make your ears bleed. The sounds all there own voice, standing on the side of the track, back to cars, your ears tell which went past. That was incredible!
I hope they become more dynamical, and 8cyls and beyond. That race is extreme entertainment, the engines that sing immortally are gone. I like the drawing addressing wheel/tire. The death to a wheel not long ago was too sad. where is the technology on that one?