Concept cars are designed to get you all giddy with excitement and eager for the future to just hurry up and arrive already.
Similarly, F1 cars are arguably the pinnacle of automotive engineering that can’t help but wow and get you excited for which tech advancements will eventually filter down to production road cars.
When you combine the two then, like Renault has just done, you’re on for a healthy dollop of car porn.
Renault’s latest concept, dubbed the R.S. 2027 Vision, is a potential look at the exciting future of F1 cars.
Displayed at this week’s Auto Shanghai event, the F1 team’s concept shows off how F1 cars might look a decade from now, with the French firm having focussed its effort on a car that offers more power in a body that weighs less yet offers improved safety.
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As well as conceptual number bumps that claim F1 cars will move from a relatively portly 1,548lbs weight and underpowered 950 horsepower output, to lightweight 1,300lbs and supercharged 1,300 horsepower designs, Renault has hinted the inbuilt tech is set for a sizeable upgrade too.
According to the manufacturer, future F1 cars will offer all-wheel drive thanks to a front-mounted electric motors as well as innovative four-wheel steering.
Elsewhere, while the car’s kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) will be boosted from 50kW to 120kW of output, larger batteries will let the cars run solely on electric power for certain parts of a race.
With certain F1 teams already trialling 3D printing, it’s claimed that safety and aerodynamics could be enhanced by 3D printing entire cockpits around individual drivers, while drivers could be more visible thanks to transparent helmets.
Elsewhere, self-driving car technologies could be utilised during safety car periods while LED lighting affixed to the wheels would display information such as race position to the watching crowds.
While its all very speculative at the moment, given the rate at which F1 progresses and how regularly the sport’s rules change, there’s a chance these upgrades come come to fruition come the 2027 season.
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Would you watch F1 if the cars looked like this? Let us know in the comments section.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.