Shark fin on F1 cars making them a handful in the wind

Bottas testing the shark fin. When a gust of wind from the side hits that hideous sail it will cause the car to snap sideways. Why do the cars have an airscoop and fin at all behind the drivers head? They are turbocharged now, hence not needed

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas believes the 2017 cars will become even more challenging to drive if conditions are gusty out on track.

The Finn enjoyed a solid start to life with his new team in the first winter test, but he did suffer one spin on day two after being caught out by the wind.

"They are quite snappy if you have oversteer, it's very sudden.

"I think, as we had on day two, very windy conditions, the cars in general felt quite snappy then.

"I think the wind does make a bigger effect now because the overall downforce, aero-wise, produced is bigger. And, if you get a gust of wind, you lose a bigger amount of downforce than you would normally. So that makes it a bit more tricky."

Add to that the sailboat effect the shark fin has on the car and any strong side gust as the car is rotating into a corner will cause the car to snap sideways and possibly send the driver into the barriers.