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Old 22 Nov 2010, 16:22 (Ref:2794316)   #17
Purist
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Join Date: Dec 2003
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Wichita, Kansas, USA
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I think the bigger problem with your assertion is simply this. "What is beautiful?" That is to say, we all have at least slightly different versions of what that particular word means to us in terms of what something beautiful actually looks like.

I think many of us would consider the shape of something like the Maserati 250F to be beautiful. However, for myself at least, when the cars get away from having those more curvy shapes, and/or from having those larger, solid panels of bodywork, I have a much harder time using that particular word to describe them.

In the last few generations of F1 cars, I'd say that I liked the looks of things such as the Arrows A 21 or the McLaren MP4/15. The raised noses on the whole though, just haven't been my thing, so I definitely prefer the general look of F1 cars from before 1995 as compared to the general look since then.

I think the cars from 1987 and '88 have a very clean, simple look that's rather appealing to me. Now, for the ultimate look of aggression and purpose in an F1 car, go back to 1982 and cars like the Renault RE30B or the Lotus 91. I like the shape of the engine cowl on those cars. I like their wide, forward-crouching stance, and those big, skirted sidepods give them wide shoulders to go with that posture. And those cars have fairly simple wings front and rear to provide the finishing touches to that overall wedge shape they have in profile. Heck, the Renault RE30B even has fins on the rear bodywork to extend the lines up to those wing endplates.

I would still contend that the tracks play at least as large a role as the cars. How the aero is produced now is certainly an issue, but it doesn't help when the favored types of corners on new tracks are one-line turns anyway. The tracks are designed with one particular type of overtaking manuever in mind, and that's it. They have a fairly similar make-up in terms of the emphasis on power versus aero downforce. This lends them to all calling for a very similar setup from all the cars, as well as very similar top-end speeds, which actually then hinders the execution of the intended type of overtaking maneuver; admittedly, taking off the rev limiters would help in that department too. In short, the tracks are becoming more homogeneous, and to adapt, the cars are becoming more that way as well.
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