New nose-designed F1 cars pose safety risk, warns top designer

The nose designs of new Formula 1 cars could be a safety risk, a leading designer has said.

Red Bull's Adrian Newey said the lower noses could go under a car if one was hit from behind and could lead to a severe accident, causing a rear crash structure on the driver's face.

He said this was 'much worse' than a car taking off, which is one scenario the rules were created to prevent, the BBC reports.

Other senior figures said the noses would be more likely to break in the event of an incident such as that described by Newey before lifting the car in front to any degree that might be a safety concern, the report said.

The nose designs have been criticised for the ungainly look they have created on many cars.