Formula 1 "revealed plans to improve the quality of racing with a new car design to be introduced" in '21, according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. F1 Managing Dir Ross Brawn said that the "main purpose" was "to produce cars that are more raceable." Brawn: "I'm pretty optimistic we are going to produce some great looking cars and they are going to be able to race more closely than in the past." He said that "changes to the aerodynamics would mean cars were able to follow each other much more closely than now." F1 has been working on a new car design for about a year, the 63-year-old said, collaborating with FIA and the teams on "alleviating the problem whereby a car behind another loses a significant amount of its performance." Brawn showed three different concept designs at the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday (BBC, 9/14). The London TELEGRAPH reported improving the aesthetics of the new cars "was also an aim," Brawn said. Brawn: "We want cars that look better than what you see in a video game, cars that kids want to have up on their walls. At each stage, as we have been evolving the car, we've had someone we are working with create a graphic representation artist to give us a feel of what the car could look like." All three concepts "share some similarities and are decidedly futuristic looking," rather than just a "small tweak" on the previous year's regulations. They even make the '16-17 "regulation change seem small" (TELEGRAPH, 9/14).
STAMP OF APPROVAL: REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton "liked what he saw," even if Ferrari was "less excited." Hamilton posted on Instagram, "I’m def (definitely) gonna be driving if cars look like this. Just please bring a V12 or V10 back.” Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene "offered more of a verbal shrug, however." He said, "I was looking at the car presented a couple of days ago by Ross. It's a good exercise. I was asking our engineers what they thought about this, they said it's a bit underwhelming in their opinion and it looks like an old ChampCar. But it's an exercise" (REUTERS, 9/14).
