The future of Formula One?

Simpler, cheaper, safer for drivers and more entertaining for the fans - it's hard to argue with designer Andries van Overbeeke's vision for the future of Formula One.

The Dutchman, an avid F1 fan, has re-designed the cars at the pinnacle of motorsport to make the sport more competitive and not so weighted in the favour of cashed-up teams.

Key alterations to three hypothetical cars created for leading teams McLaren-Honda, Red Bull and Williams include closed cockpits to protect drivers and changes to make passing more competitive.

 'There are all these ideas floating around in the Formula One community,' van Overbeeke tells Wired.com. 'I think as an artist, it's your duty to grab to those floating ideas and create something tangible.'

The sleek new looks appear to take their lead from the Batmobile at times, but each element has a purpose and has been hailed by some in the sport as being entirely plausible if not likely to be adopted. 

 While Red Bull principal Christian Horner has said closed cockpits would be 'shockingly ugly', Van Overbeeke's designs are quite the contrary. 

The expensive processes that lead to the extras that bring optimal aerodynamics to current F1 cars would be stripped back in van Overbeeke's Grands Prix. 

 His designs entitled 'Echoes of a Nearby Future' would have a wider, less complicated wing that may not bring the same downforce as the current crop but it would change the nature of passing all together.

As it stands when cars get close to each other it effects their performance but Van Overbeeke's designs encourage drivers to push each other, get in tight and make passing a more frequent option. 

For this same reason the car itself and the wheels would gain better grip from simply being wider.

'You have all these geniuses working for Formula One teams, and they are so restricted,' van Overbeeke says. 'I would just like to see simpler rules.'