"There once was a time when the racing world was ruled by savage beasts."
I made this McLaren-Honda concept to visualize what F1 cars could look like with a closed cockpit. Ever since that week in 2009, with the accidents of Massa and Surtees, I've been wanting to visualize that canopies could look good. Of course the driving force behind this isn't looks but it's safety. Combined with the current state of F1 it's important to have something tangible to have a fruitful discussion about the future of F1.
The sidepods are reminiscent of the McLaren that Jenson Button drove to that legendary win in the 2011 Canadian rain. The message of my images on the track is clear: we need to reverse the trend that F1 no longer races in the rain.
Apart from the canopy, the car features wider rear tyres with an increased diameter and the car's width is increased. The front wing is smaller and less complex to reduce the sensitivity to turbulent air. The canopy encloses the same crash structure that's currently seen on F1 cars, and the traditional roll bar is no longer needed. For dimensions check the images.
This is part 3 of 'Echoes of a Nearby Future', where I explore the design, proportions and regulations of Formula 1 in the near distant future.
A short metaphor about my vision behind the project:
There once was a time when the racing world was ruled by savage beasts. They were captured just before the snowy season, when brave men had one winter to tame these creatures. After months of championship battle, a handful of the best animals were kept for another winter of training, while the others were set free.
The mixing of the creatures in the wild with their variety of genes gave rise to diversity at all levels. Every hunting season new species were discovered, with unseen traits that were often remarkable and sometimes invincible. We have all heard the myth of the hexapod.
But somewhere along the way, things changed. Once beloved peculiarities were now seen as monstrosities. The eccentric ones became freaks, and were put down and hunted down until none were left. These days only one species is left, living in standardized cages.
We must set them free. Legend goes that in the remote untraveled fields, savages still roam.
There once was a time when the racing world was ruled by savage beasts. They were captured just before the snowy season, when brave men had one winter to tame these creatures. After months of championship battle, a handful of the best animals were kept for another winter of training, while the others were set free.
The mixing of the creatures in the wild with their variety of genes gave rise to diversity at all levels. Every hunting season new species were discovered, with unseen traits that were often remarkable and sometimes invincible. We have all heard the myth of the hexapod.
But somewhere along the way, things changed. Once beloved peculiarities were now seen as monstrosities. The eccentric ones became freaks, and were put down and hunted down until none were left. These days only one species is left, living in standardized cages.
We must set them free. Legend goes that in the remote untraveled fields, savages still roam.
I would like to thank Heriberto Maruzza for providing amazing CAD files of F1 wheels. Although modified they gave me a great base & reference.
