Comparing the 2015 F1 noses

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Of the few changes in the technical regulations for the 2015 F1 season, the nose of the car is by far the most obvious.

New nose regulations were introduced to prevent a repeat of the ugly designs seen in 2014, with the cars taking to the track at the first test at Jerez falling in to three main categories.

First there is the Mercedes and Lotus approach, with a short nose which tapers as it reaches the front wing. It marks a radical change for Lotus, with the team having opted for an innovative twin tusk design in 2014.

Then there is the Williams and Red Bull, which is the shortest of the noses but features a small appendage at the front. Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds says this is the best solution aerodynamically but also the hardest to get to pass the FIA crash tests.

Finally, there is the long nose employed by the other four teams. While McLaren, Ferrari and Toro Rosso have fairly similar designs, Sauber still includes a wide protrusion at the end.

Toro Rosso technical director James Key says his team’s nose is likely to change ahead of Melbourne - and many other teams may follow suit - but the best design is yet to be determined.

Click here for the full final day gallery from the Jerez test

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.