When will Formula 1 cars be beautiful again? According to 3D artist Nathan Dearsley, we'll probably have to wait until 2056. But it's going to be worth it: this is how he imagines a futuristic McLaren to look like and it's a sleek, stunning mix of forward-looking elements and winks to the past.
The design is reminiscent of the legendary McLaren MP4/4 driven by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost during the 1988 season, plus a wealth of other influences: "There's elements of Tron in there along with Syd Mead for example," Dearsley told CNN, "although for sure the cars of the future would probably be air tight in body design I wanted a nod to the past designs of the 60s, where the rear end of the car was essentially chassis and mechanics all out on show. I love that: when looking at the older cars you could almost see how they worked mechanically, their soul out in the open for all to see. Beautiful."
Dearsley first published the renders on his blog, imagining these cars to be driven in 2056 by cybernetic drivers called "Navigators". He also imagines the MP6/P as having been "tested by human drivers" as far back as the 1990s, although it was then "deemed too radical for track design at that time, boasting a hybrid-electric four wheeled system mixed with full on combustion drive at the rear."
These futuristic McLarens would sport an all-wheel drive electric hybrid system, much like the cars of today in some respects, "But with the power being pushed through all four wheels in low speed turns for controlled power output," Dearsley adds, "and therefore great traction out of bends, with power delivered through the rear via a good sounding V8, like old times: if it isn't broke, don't try and fix it."
About the body design, the artist explains that it's "purposefully primitive, to punch a non turbulent flow of air out the rear and boost overtaking opportunities. In return, it would have unpredictable results within heavy breaking and overtaking maneuvers, to the delight of onlookers."
The McLaren MP4/4 that these designs pay homage to is one of the most dominant F1 cars of all time, thanks to its supreme technical qualities and the endless talent of team drivers Senna and Prost. In the 1988 season, the car claimed victories and pole positions at all races except one, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Dearsley is not too fond of current F1 car designs: "With the current set of regulations too much of the car and its design are dictating the pace of a race. Drivers don't seem like they are laying down their heart and soul each weekend anymore, they seem fearful of overtaking or remaining close to the car in front due to tire wear and so on. It isn't an exciting thing to watch, which is a shame as we have some real legends out on the track right now, unable to show their race craft fully."
About his creative process, Dearsley explains: "I had a rough idea in my head of what I wanted to achieve, I got these ideas down in 3D space as fast and rough as possible, using mood boards put together from several MP4/4 images. Once the design was fully fleshed out in basic shape and form, believe it or not, I scrapped all my references and just let the design grow by itself."
Having a background in video game design on such franchises as Star Wars, Crysis and Alien Isolation, the futuristic look of these cars came as standard for the artist: "I knew these would have a sci-fi feel to it, I've done nothing but sci-fi work for several years now and wanted an injection of this into final output."
Dearsley reckons there is still some pleasing aesthetic to be found in this year's roster of F1 cars: "The best looking car this season is hands down the Williams: that Martini livery is so retro it's stunning, and it's good to see them climbing their way to the top again!"
And what about the best looking F1 car ever? "Without a doubt I would pick the Lotus 56B turbine in gold and black. I can only imagine what it must have been like to see that back in the day: a turbine powered F1 beast, incredible proportions, beautifully sculpted body, little to no down force, the kind of thing only a toy maker like Matchbox would have made, that ended up on the track."
And what about the best looking F1 car ever? "Without a doubt I would pick the Lotus 56B turbine in gold and black. I can only imagine what it must have been like to see that back in the day: a turbine powered F1 beast, incredible proportions, beautifully sculpted body, little to no down force, the kind of thing only a toy maker like Matchbox would have made, that ended up on the track."
