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[Four mules as one]

How long do the current regulations for car design last? Its just with these ugly stepped noses perhaps it would be better to make the front nose be very low to the ground. That way we would see proper racing cars and not these hideous slightly stepped things that we are currently seeing. The rule makers have cleaned up the rear end of the cars over the years by banning all those extra wings on the sidepods but now they really need to bring back the aesthetics of the front end.

At first I thought it was interesting with the car launches as it gave the cars an aggressive chunky look but when you see the angles they give on track they look hideous, stupid and downright ugly.

As McLaren are the only ones who have an overall good looking car (actually its one of the best I've seen in years) I hope they blow everyone away at the first few races just to make the other teams realise their noses aren't worth picking. Alain Prost has a better looking nose.

[bud]

I think they may step in. all they have to do is make the forward part of the chassis bulkhead the same height as the new nose height and the step won't be needed.

the FiA wanted to introduce this from the get go, but the teams complained that it would require more money and time to redesign their chassis, so the compromise was made to lower the nose ahead of the bulk head.

This hasn't really affected McLaren their bulk head was already low last year and again this year so no step nose. If they do step in say for as soon as 2013 then McLaren will be in the best position for certain.

[Four mules as one]

Personally I like the front nose design of the 2004 Ferrari with its lower sloped nose. Tried to put a picture of it up but my computer doesn't want to play properly.

Never been a fan of the extreme high nose as it does not show a lot of the sponsors or more importantly the cars number.

So how many races do we expect before the FIA say you all (except McLaren) need to do something about your front ends. I know its not all about beauty (in fact that the last thing on designers minds probably) but its like entering a bearded lady into the Miss Universe contest.

[bud]

I don't see them doing anything during the season, its a big rework to design the car. Basically the whole aero concept of the cars revolve around having a high nose. Swapping to a low nose like McLaren would require a total redesign.

[LRW]

...........I know its not all about beauty (in fact that the last thing on designers minds probably) ........

I would disagree. The look of things definetily plays a role in a designers mind. Look at what AN said on Tuesday.....

Chief technical officer Adrian Newey said on Tuesday that it was 'simply driver cooling' and 'as much as anything to break up the aesthetics of the ramp'.

I would say its the engineers who wouldnt give a damn abour aesthetics....

[bigpat]

I believe that there is already talk of amending the rules, as the looks havd a negative effect on attracting new audiences to the sport.

I believe the new nose rule was created to prevent the noses riding up and over tyres of other cars. In my mind, the rule should have simply mandated nose tip height below the wheel centreline height. Indycars have had a similar rule in force for decades.....

Too often the F1 rulemakers outsmart them selves by setting all these 'legality boxes' as rules, rather than plain wording...

[bud]

The actual reasoning was the noses were getting too high and to a point where if a car was T-boned and the drivers cell was hit by the nose it could have penetrated and caused serious injury to the driver.

[darwin dali]

Alain Prost has a better looking nose.

[vlad]

[LewEngBridewell]

Alain Prost has a better looking nose.

Well observed!

[andrew]

Back to the topic rather than Alain Prost's nose .....

The engine reg's are due to change for 2014. It was the powers that be's intention to revamp the aero reg's at the same time but I think the plans for this have been scaled back.

As for the aesthetics, this is irrelevant. An F1 car is designed to comply with the regulations and to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible. I think by the end of the season/start of next season we'll either se most if not all cars with noses similar to the McLaren or they will all be like the Red Bull once the secret of the vent has been revealed.

The FIA will not step in as they do not need to step in. Firstly, the aero of the car is not down to one component but the entire car as a whole. Change one thing like the nose and everything else is going to suffer. Secondly, the stepped noses are a relatively low cost solution to the latest FIA safety reg's. The McLaren doesn't have a stepped nose as its' nose was very nearly low enough already.

[Fluffy]

They should just ban raised nose cones, problem is then solved. Also it will slow the cars down a bit as they will get less front downforce from the wing.

[scotty]

I think they'll have it fixed for next year rather than have fans continue to complain. Personally i think some stepped noses look ok (ie Lotus) but some look pretty bad (ie Ferrari) depending on their solution... but meh, if the cars look good it's just a bonus rather than being crucial to my enjoyment. The reason it worked out like this for 2012 is because teams already started work on their cars when the rule was announced, and wanted to avoid extra expense of modifying the tub/chassis, something which can in theory be avoided for next season. It wouldn't be such a massive rule change on it's own.

[What's Burning?]

Regulations change yearly.

[darwin dali]

Regulations change yearly.

Sometimes semi-annually