Gallery: What F1 Cars Would Look Like if F1 Got Its Act Together
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Dutch designer Andries van Overbeeke shows a new spin on F1 cars, with changes like closed cockpits.
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There's no reason closed cockpits can't work. There are some minor technical issues (like making sure the driver can always escape the car quickly), but nothing insurmountable.
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Van Overbeeke says he first considered the design in 2009, when F1 driver Felipe Massa suffered a concussion after being hit in the head by a loose spring, and 18-year-old Formula 2 (F1’s minor leagues) driver Henry Surtees was hit in the head by a loose wheel and killed.
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Van Overbeeke makes other practical changes to his cars: They’re stripped down, free of many of the aerodynamic doodads that add cost and complication to car design.
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The front wings are less complex and delicate than those used on today’s cars. The idea is to make overtaking other drivers easier—and thus make the racing more exciting.
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A simpler and wider wing might produce less downforce, but it would also be less perturbed by airflow changes. That would let cars get close, and make passing more common.
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Widening the car and wheels could have a similar effect, improving grip and allowing cars to get closer together.
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The cars are beautiful, but, more importantly, they're realistic.
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“There’s nothing on these cars that doesn’t look like it couldn’t be possible,” says Craig Scarborough, a journalist who focuses on the technical and engineering aspects of F1.
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“You have all these geniuses working for Formula One teams, and they are so restricted,” van Overbeeke says. “I would just like to see simpler rules.”
