Why The 2014 F1 Season Will Be The Ugliest Yet

If these renderings by Giorgio Piola become a reality, then F1 cars look set to become damn ugly in 2014. Piola, an Italian technical expert, is an experienced journalist and illustrator of Formula 1 machinery, so his vision is, unfortunately, likely to be accurate.

The change in design is largely due to the revised regulations for the front nosecone. Not only will the front wing become thinner next season, but the highest point of the nose will be lowered from 550mm above the ground to just 185mm.

The regulation has been put in place to prevent cars launching off the back of a rival's machinery, causing it to be kicked up in the air like this...

So why has that resulted in such bizarre designs? Simply put, engineers want to get as much air under the car as possible. If they pulled the current nose down to 185mm, it would block the flow of air, which is why technical experts are predicting this ugly solution.

If you thought the stepped noses of 2012 and 2013 were ugly, just you wait for 2014. All 11 cars will be launched ahead of the first winter test in Jerez on January 28th. Get your sick buckets at the ready!