When Ferrari unveiled the F60, their Formula 1 contender for 2009 (which is their 60th year in the series, the model number commemorating such), I thought that no car in the series could be uglier. Well, darned if Renault didn’t prove me wrong. The R29, which was revealed earlier this week, quite simply is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen James Carville. It looks like Renault took a Zamboni and a doorstop, painted both with the standard British police livery, smashed them together, put them in a wind tunnel, and labeled the result as the R29.
The body of the car is horrifying in its simplicity. At least McLaren tried to make their car look aerodynamic. 
Renault apparently took the new aerodynamic regulations as far as possible, creating a box on wheels. Honestly, the R29 looks about as aerodynamic as a building.
Drivers Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr. both gave it a spin, and apparently were fairly pleased with its handling and speed. The paint scheme is laughable. I mean, the 2008 colors were bad enough; the 2009 scheme is downright comical.
On the same day that Renault was unveiling the ugliest car ever, Williams was showing off their FW31, their own 2009 contender. It was unveiled in the interim testing color scheme, which is a dark blue, almost black. I told Robert that it looked like the Darth Vader of F1 cars. I honestly hope they use that scheme, because it is rather impressive, especially given that Williams produced a very sleek car.
The FW31 follows the standard set by the new aero regs, conforming to the wider front wing and narrowed back wing. The dark paint scheme adds an intimidation factor that, if allowed to remain in place through the season, would return some of the intimidation Williams had for many seasons before falling behind Ferrari and McLaren.
The next day BMW Sauber got in on the action, showcasing the F1.09, not to be confused with Toyota TF109. The car retains the color scheme of the 2008 model, a darker blue and white. Along the nose is a little bit of paint deception, as Sauber tried to make a rather boxy car look sleek by painting an arrow-style design.
On the Formula 1 home page they had a picture of the 2009 model sitting beside the 2008 contender, and the difference is vast (picture below). The front wing on the F1.08 was double-foil with aerodynamic doo-dads all over it. On the F1.09 the front wing looks an awful lot like a snowplow, much like Ferrari’s F60.
The series returns to slick tyres this season, which is interesting for me, as I’ve only known the cars to run the grooved tyre.
We are still awaiting Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso to unveil their cars, along with Force
2. Williams FW31
3.
4. BMW Sauber F1.09
5. Scuderia Ferrari F60
6. Renault R29
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