
They are a stunning glimpse of what motor racing could look like in the future - and how it could be made safer.

Created by a Dutch designer to show off how Formula 1 cars would look with a closed cockpit, they show how all weather racing could be made safe.

The slightly smaller cars feature a canopy to protect the driver in accidents - and from the elements.

The smaller cars has less complex front wings to make overtaking easier, and a canopy to protect the driver in an accident - and from the elements.

'I made this McLaren-Honda concept to visualize what F1 cars could look like with a closed cockpit,' said Dutch designer Andries van Overbeeke.

He says he first considered design a car with a canopy in 2009, when, in the space of one week, F1 driver Felipe Massa suffered a concussion after being hit in the head by a loose spring, and 18-year-old Formula 2 driver Henry Surtees was hit in the head by a loose wheel and killed.

However, F1 bosses rallied against a canopy, and say the result would be 'shockingly ugly,' in the words of Red Bull boss Christian Horner - something van Overbeeke wanted to disprove.

'Ever since that week in 2009, with the accidents of Massa and Surtees, I've been wanting to visualize that canopies could look good,' he wrote.

'Of course the driving force behind this isn't looks but it's safety.

'Combined with the current state of F1 it's important to have something tangible to have a fruitful discussion about the future of F1.'

The front wings are less complex and delicate than those used on today's cars, a design which should make overtaking easier.

Car features wider rear tyres with an increased diameter and the car's width is increased

The design are also smaller and simpler than current cars.

The front wings are less complex and delicate than those used on today's cars, a design which should make overtaking easier.

'The sidepods are reminiscent of the McLaren that Jenson Button drove to that legendary win in the 2011 Canadian rain,' said van Overbeeke.

'The message of my images on the track is clear: we need to reverse the trend that F1 no longer races in the rain.'

Apart from the canopy, the car features wider rear tyres with an increased diameter and the car's width is increased.

Apart from the canopy, the car features wider rear tyres with an increased diameter and the car's width is increased.

The front wing is smaller and less complex to reduce the sensitivity to turbulent air.

The canopy encloses the same crash structure that's currently seen on F1 cars, and the traditional roll bar is no longer needed.