F1 teams already shifting focus towards 2017

Formula 1 teams will now begin to turn their focus towards designing a car for the all-new technical regulations of 2017.

While April 30 is the actual deadline for the new rules, it is now essentially clear that F1 will speed up substantially next year with a blueprint for wider cars and tyres.

"Before too long he [Adrian Newey] will be starting to look at 2017," confirmed Red Bull's Christian Horner, "now that those regulations look pretty fixed."

Haas team owner Gene Haas added: "We're moving on to the 2017 car because it is a pretty radical change."

And Williams deputy Claire Williams told Christian Sylt in the Independent: "It will be a challenge because we'll be designing those (2017) race cars alongside this year's.

"But that's a good thing and I think it demonstrates that the drive is there to try and do something to help drive people back to their TV sets to watch the sport."