The New Face of F1

Just two weeks after the close of the 2008 season, the teams were back in action at Barcelona for the first round of Winter testing. With new aerodynamic rules in place and slick tires replacing grooved ones next season, the cars will have a very different look and construction. Most teams began work on next year's car around June, but still it was not surprising to see most cars running 2008 bodywork in a low downforce setting to simulate the new rules.

BMW, though, chose to run their interim F1.08B already, with bodywork that provides a glimpse of what we'll see next year from all the teams. The difference is remarkable:

This is one of the ugliest open-wheel race cars in recent memory. Getting rid of the winglets, flip-ups, and flow modifiers was supposed to create a simple and more beautiful machine, but BMW's own test driver Christian Klein put it best: "...it's the worst Formula One car I have ever seen. It just doesn't fit together..." Still, it's early on and there will be many changes before Melbourne. Let us reserve final judgement until we see the McLaren and the scarlet machine from Maranello.