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This is What an F1 Car of the Future Might Look Like

Formula 1 is currently trying to figure out what its new rule package from 2021 onward will consist of.

The admittedly confusing sport had its last major regulation change in 2017, when the series moved from narrow cars with tall, upright rear wings to wider machines with fatter tires and broader, lower rear wings. The series is going to change the rules once again for 2021 as it looks to make the racing better, with the turbulent air thrown up by the complicated wings of today’s cars making it difficult for cars to follow each other on track or make passes. It also wants to better integrate its halo head protection device into the car’s design.

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An image from a secret meeting held with F1’s head honchos and team bosses recently leaked through social media, showing what a Formula 1 car might look like if developed under the 2021 rules package. The futuristic-looking machine features a simplified front wing and side pods, a neatly integrated halo, bodywork covering the upper part of the rear wheels and a small rear ‘fin’ joining the rear of the car to the rear wing. It also features the larger 18-inch wheels that will arrive in F1 from 2021 onward at the request of tire supplier Pirelli.

The slide showing the early draft 2021 F1 car, which has a Scuderia Ferrari livery, features a tab in the upper right corner that reads ‘Concept 2’. That likely means that Formula One Management (FOM) is considering a few different rule package proposals and has yet to decide which will make the cut. It does seem as though Formula 1 is chasing a futuristic look with the rule package, however, much like the fully-electric Formula E series did for its second-generation race car.

F1 owners Liberty Media are currently working with teams to develop the rules package, so the concept study pictured here is subject to change, but we’re loving the way it looks even as an early draft.

[Source: Twitter]

Photo via @Shazzeraz on Twitter.