Throughout the history of the sport, designers have always looked for the epiphany that would give their team an edge over the competition.
Innovations such as the sequential gearbox, active suspension and blown diffuser have become part of F1 folklore, as teams such as Williams and Red Bull have used these devices to annihilate their rivals. Some of these creations have made the transition from the track to the road, making the driving experience much easier for regular road users.
However, some innovations on paper seem revolutionary, but once put into practice not only have they had poor results, but in the eyes of those who observe them with horror they also appear diabolical.
So what were the five worst technological innovations in F1?
The arrows go up, but fail
Photo: Andrew Basterfield/Wikimedia Commons
By 2001, F1 had become more restrictive about what teams could do with their cars. Engine choice was limited to V10s despite newcomer Toyota spending millions on a V12 that would never see a Grand Prix track.
Arrows could not afford this luxury, as the team switched to the old Peugeot engines, rebranded as “Asiatech” in 2001. The engines had a bad reputation, as they almost single-handedly sowed the seeds of Prost's bankruptcy in 2002, being unreliable and underpowered.
Despite the new branding, poor reliability of the Asiatech engine has limited Arrows' pre-season testing with its A22 challenger, leaving the team in a bind ahead of the season-opening Australian GP.
Arrows' lead driver Jos Verstappen, however, gave his all in the A22, running well inside the top six in wet conditions in Malaysia before finishing seventh. But the Dutchman was involved in a controversial incident with race leader Juan Pablo Montoya in Brazil, hitting the rear of the Colombian, which cost him his first F1 win.
For the Monaco GP, Arrows sought to improve front downforce by adding an extra wing to the front of the car. Dubbed the “top wing”, the team used it in testing, but it almost immediately became a safety issue as it limited the driver's view of the principality's twisting roads.
The FIA immediately recognized this potential problem and banned the upper wing and a similar concept to the Jordan.
X-Wings without the X-Factor
Photo: @F1Memories/X
After the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino GP at Imola, F1 introduced several safety regulations that radically changed the look of single-seaters.
The cockpit area was radically changed, with higher sides, which reduced the level of exposure for the drivers in the event of a crash. The front and rear spoilers were also modified, limiting the downforce available to the driver.
Teams had to get creative to recover some of the lost downforce. In 1997, Tyrrell found a solution, creating the “X-Wing” for the most downforce-dependent circuits, such as Monaco, giving more grip back to the driver.
Mika Salo earned the X-Wings their first points with a spectacular fifth-place victory in a soaking-wet Monaco GP, a feat made even more impressive by the damage to the Finn's front wing.
Ferrari and Jordan soon brought their own version of the “X-Wing” to circuits with more downforce. Nicknamed “Tower Wings”, the mini wings were hideously ugly and even blocked the fuel door, as Prost found out to their cost.
The wings also limited the drivers' vision and became a safety hazard. Jean Alesi lost one of his wings after an airliner hit it during a routine pit stop at the Argentine GP.
Safety was one of the main reasons the FIA stepped in and, after the San Marino GP, the X-wings were banned.
Mirror, mirror of wonders: who is the Eifelland depicted on the wall?
Photo: 'Nordschleife 00'/Wikimedia Commons
Günther Hennerici was not born or had a background in the automotive industry. Born in Germany in the Eifel mountains, where the iconic Nurburgring is located, he owned a caravan manufacturing company, which made him a fortune.
But Hennerici wanted to move from the slow lane of touring to the fast lane of F1 and founded his own team, initially competing in Formula 3 in 1971.
Eiffelland moved into F1 in 1972 and commissioned designer Luigi Colani to design a car for sports car ace Rolf Stommolen.
Colani's creation, the E21, was a rudimentary early 1970s F1 car based on the March 721, which Ronnie Peterson used to finish second to Jackie Stewart in 1971. The car had an air intake in front of the driver designed to guide air from the cockpit to the engine, but its most notable feature was the single rear-view mirror.
Stommolen managed to get the E21 into the top 10 in Monaco and Britain, but that was the best he could do as a lack of downforce and overheating problems hampered the car’s performance.
Eventually, Hennerici withdrew Eiffelland from F1 at the end of the year and decided to focus exclusively on F3 before selling the team and its operations to retire in 1974. The new owners were not interested in racing and the project failed.
Ferrari's Horrible Snowplow
Photo: Rahil Rupawala/Wikimedia Commons
Ferrari was a disaster in the early 1970s. The team struggled to keep up with Lotus, Tyrrell and McLaren and engaged in internal corporate politics off the track, which meant their results suffered.
The 312 was not a bad car, but in 1971 it suffered from handling problems caused by a new rear suspension and new Firestone tyres. In 1972, results continued to decline despite Ferrari having one of the strongest driver lineups in F1, which included Jacky Ickx, Clay Regazzoni and 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti.
In 1972, designer Mauro Forgheri tried a more conventional suspension package, but this did not prevent the decline, as the team achieved only one victory thanks to Ickx at the Nürburgring.
Inspired by the front wing section of the Tyrrell 003, Forgheri created a new front bodywork for 1973, but it never entered a race. The Italian instead created a new car, the “B3”, featuring a wider body and an intriguing nose section.
The front section made the car an eyesore and the Italian press nicknamed it “Spazzaneve” [snow plough in English]certainly not a great recognition for the new car, which has demonstrated a certain speed in initial tests.
The Snowplough never raced, while Ferrari suffered a horrible season. The 312 B3, now equipped with a more conventional front wing, was painfully slow, relegating Ickx and new teammate Arturo Merzario to the midfield. Enzo Ferrari was so fed up with the results that he didn't even send the team's cars to the Dutch and German GPs.
Lack of performance forced Ferrari owners FIAT to act, bringing Forgheri back in 1974. New signing Niki Lauda changed the team's culture; as a result, the illustrious Italian team became successful again, with the Austrian securing the title in 1975.
Fresh March Tea
Photo: Lothar Spurzem/Wikimedia Commons
Becoming the next Lotus was the dream of many young up-and-coming drivers in the early 1970s, when the growing popularity and professionalism of the sport made it an attractive activity to get into.
Four Englishmen, Robin Herd, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker and Max Mosley, were eager to get their share of the pie. In 1969, they used the acronym of their initials to found March Engineering. The company produced robust and reliable F1 and F3 cars that were sold to customers for a profit.
One of March's first high-profile customers was Ken Tyrrell, who delivered two 701s for Jackie Stewart and Francois Cevert for the 1970 season. However, despite Stewart winning in only March's second race, the Spanish GP partnership was uncompetitive and, at the end of the season, Tyrrell introduced his own car, the 001.
March also entered a works team for 1970, with Chris Amon and Jo Siffert driving. Amon scored three podiums that season, helping March finish third in the constructors' championship.
In 1971, March introduced the 711 for the works team and Frank Williams, which fielded Henri Pescarolo, ex-Matra. Peterson became the team's lead driver after Siffert and Amon left for Matra and BRM over the winter.
The 711's most striking feature was its “tea tray” style front fender, which sat atop the car's rounded front section. Despite its odd design, the “tea tray” was effective in clear air, but like other cars, its handling tended to be unpredictable.
Nonetheless, Peterson, who won the European Formula 2 Championship the same year, was the picture of consistency in 1971, finishing second four times and securing second place in the drivers' standings.
March introduced the 721 in 1972, but it had a much more conventional design, with the nose of the car lowered for that season, and was never seen in F1 again.