Are these the ugliest F1 cars of all time?

The basic appearance of an F1 car is always defined by one thing: aerodynamic efficiency. However, some (experimental) aerodynamic interventions can lead to an unusual design. RacingNews365 lists the ugliest Formula ducks for you.

Caterham C05

What were the engineers at Caterham thinking when they designed the C05? No idea. Martin Brandl described their nose as “a brick” and questioned its aerodynamic properties.

In any case, it didn’t provide a crazy amount of speed advantage as Caterham finished at the bottom of the 2014 championship.

Williams FW26

The famous one walrus nose made its debut in 2004 as Williams struggled to compete with the all-conquering Ferrari team of the early 2000s. In an effort to find some performance, the team introduced a special front wing.

The team was forced to abandon the concept when the peculiar design also failed to deliver the required performance improvements…

March 711

The March 711 largely looked like a normal F1 car with a distinctive red livery. However, in an attempt to find additional downforce, the team fitted what resembled an ironing board to the front of the car.

Like the aforementioned Williams, the 711 would fail in terms of results, and the odd component disappeared over time.

Midshipman N179

The car was actually a moving cheese grater. The design of the radiators didn’t even help much as the car constantly struggled with heating issues. What the Ensign was thinking is left to anyone’s imagination…

Ligier JS5

Ligier’s first F1 car was called the ‘kettle’ and led to the monster known as the JS5. Unlike many other cars on this list, the JS5 was a pretty solid car. In its debut season, the Ligier scored several podium finishes. The French racing stable eventually finished sixth among constructors.

Lotus E22

The Lotus E22 looks like a cross between a Caterham CT5 and a Williams FW26, combining the ugliest elements of two cars from two different eras.

The Lotus name is synonymous in F1 with design excellence and beauty. The E22 was neither fast nor beautiful, which is why it’s on our list of the ugliest cars in F1 history.