'F1 cars all look the same'

Former Formula 1 car designer Gordon Murray thinks that all current F1 vehicles 'look the same', and that a lack of diversity among the models stems from other designers not being given enough artistic license to make a car stand out from the rest.

The legendary designer was involved in the construction of cars in the 70s and 80s at a time when manufacturers actively attempted to create unique, aesthetically pleasing looks. He believes the similarity between the cars at the moment makes them hard to tell apart.

"There's not a lot to say about the current cars from an aesthetics point of view - I think it's a shame, " the 71-year-old told Motorsport.

"I don't mind the fact that they are totally dominated by aerodynamics as much as I mind that the regulations force them all to look pretty much the same.

"It's the old business of 'put them all in a room and paint them all white and give someone 30 seconds to identify them'. I don't think I could. That's the bit I really don't like."

Murray put himself on the map with his McLaren-Honda MP4/4 concept which won an incredible 15 out of 16 races in 1988, but his belief is that tighter rules and regulations make it difficult for current designers to shine.

"I was in Formula 1 in the ‘70s, ‘80s and those were the two decades where you had the most freedom, mainly with where you put the major masses in the car," he said.

"Once the regulations told you where the driver had to be, the fuel had to be and the powertrain had to be, you're stuck.

"In the early days, you could shift the driver backwards and forwards, fuel [and] engine."

The designer recently went into business for himself and created a new brand, Gordon Murray Automobiles.