F1: ‘radical’ 2021 concept leaks ahead of Singapore GP

An image showcasing a concept car for Formula 1’s 2021 season has been leaked in the run-up to this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.

The picture was taken by an attendee at a motorsport technology meeting headed by Ross Brawn, Formula 1 Group’s managing director and former team owner.

The seminar was “behind closed doors”, but images of the concept “quickly circulated on social media”, reports Motorsport.com.

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Autosport says the concept is part of F1 management’s push to “finalise an overhaul of car rules for 2021 in a bid to make grand prix racing more exciting and more attractive to fans”.

Appearing in Ferrari’s 2018 livery, the car appears to be a “radical” departure from the machine’s competing in this year’s championship, adds The Sun.

The aerodynamic winglets on today’s cars have been scaled down significantly for the concept, while the front wing is significantly narrower and more simple in design.

The concept also features notably larger wheels, bodywork covers over the rear tyres, and a significantly thinner version of the halo - a head protection device that was mandated at the start of the 2018 season.

Although the F1 prototype image is the first of its kind to emerge from the sport’s management, it seems the group may be working on other designs - the picture is captioned “concept 2”, suggesting that more are in the pipeline.

The design hasn’t been well received by many F1 fans on social media, however.

F1 analyst Matthew Somerfield was “totally underwhelmed” by the concept, while another user said the 2000 to 2008 era of cars were more futuristic.