Designing An F1 Car

It had already been announced that Formula One cars would be undergoing some fairly major changes in terms of engines, but it has now been confirmed that some major aesthetic changes will also be made from the 2013 season.

Williams designer Patrick Head, and his Ferrari equivalent Rory Byrne have been charged with the task of designing the new cars.

They were set the task of reducing drag, which can only really be achieved by either reducing the size of the tyres or the wings.

The large tyres assist with cornering at speed, and therefore it is the wings which must be reduced.

As the wings are the main source of downforce, an alternative was required. It was decided that a concave floor was capable of creating the required downforce level, similar to the design of the cars in the early 1980's. The design is unlikely to be as extreme as these earlier cars, but this is still likely to be one of the most dramatic changes in car design for decades!

For more information, visit www.bbc.co.uk/sport