Caterham F1 debuts 2014 challenger with bizarre front end

The new Caterham CT05 made its debut earlier today during pre-season Formula One testing in Jerez, and It is arguably the weirdest of the new F1 designs we've seen in this very young preseason.

That thin, oddly shaped extension from the main body of the car to the front wing is our main point of contention with what looks to be a very clean, unfussy design. For some reason, the smaller rear wing seems more noticeable on the Caterham. "At the front of the car, the area that will obviously inspire most debate, we have focused a lot of effort on optimising flow structures around the nose, the front of the chassis and the reduced-width front wing area, all in response to the 2014 regulation changes," said Caterham's technical director, Mark Smith.

Caterham's drivers, Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi, will face a steep battle in moving the team beyond its position as a perennial backmarker. With this new car, the team seems optimistic it will be able to challenge the traditional crew of mid-pack teams. We'll see, when the 2014 F1 season kicks off in Australia in just over six weeks.