F1 2014 car launch - The era of the 'anteaters'

The 2014 Formula 1 season is underway as testing begins at the Jerez track in Spain, where a number of teams have rolled out their contenders for the year ahead for the very first time

The 2014 Mercedes W05sup (Twitter/@glen_dunbar)

The 2014 Formula 1 season is underway with cars taking to the Jerez track in Spain for the first pre-season testing session of the year. With a number of teams unveiling their latest model for the first time, rules and regulation changes have sent to sport into the unknown as designers attempt to push the new changes to the limits.

The naturally aspirated 2.4-litre V8 engines are now a thing of the past, with the new 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engines set to give drivers a whole new challenge to deal with. The new ‘hybrid’ energy recovery system sees the grid take a further step towards a greener future, although reliability is expected to be an immediate issue when the first race gets underway in Australia on March 16.

The main change visible on Tuesday though was the introduction of the rather ugly ‘anteater’ nosecone. While Red Bull and Mercedes have avoided such monstrosities, teams such as Toro Rosso and Force India have rather comical front-ends that don’t leave much to the imagination.

See the 2014 grid below as each team unveils its latest model: