Lights on F1 Cars
 

Considering the late finishes we've seen with drivers complaining, not to mention the excesses of Singapore, why does the FIA not do the decent thing and let teams put LED lights or similar on their cars so that they can race? I don't want to see rally-style light pods on the F1 cars (though I think they look great on rally cars), but surely a high-tech sport can come up with something that works.

If night racing in the dark works for Le Mans...

No

I wished Charlie Whiting had the balls to red flag the race and make Bernie look an utter fool for the stupid start times the locals have to put up with.

No daft idea. Start races at a sensible time in the first place.

This. We keep being told it's a global championship yet Bernie wants to tinker with start times so that us Europeans are happy. He can't have it both ways. Malaysia 2009 should have taught him that, but he doesn't appear to have learned.

Yea and maybe we can get twin antennas and mudflaps as well

Or just start the races! At full race speed the racing line would have been fine within a few laps - even at the original start time.

As for lights? F1 is a sprint and as such should be able to be completed within daylight hours except in the most extreme conditions.

McLaren have a lighting system ready for night racing.. rally style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOl_p3gyrD0

http://www.motorsportforums.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

I honestly can't see why the front wing can't carry a light setup in the vertical endplates. You wouldn't need many LEDs with today's technology surely?

So we have one race where it gets dark because of a stupid start time and we now want to add lights.
We will just put them in the new fenders and add doors too. Oh we have that. It is called LMS and ALMS.
Tiny LED are really going to work a 200 mph.

I have heard some dumb ideas before but this one really ranks up there.

exactly

http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/...21242903200135

Sony Computer Entertainment today announced a unique partnership between Gran Turismo® and Red Bull Racing to create a virtual car which will push the boundaries of motorsports. The Gran Turismo development team at Polyphony Digital posed the simple question, ‘If you built the fastest racing car on land, one that throws aside all rules and regulations, what would that car look like, how would it perform and how would it feel to drive?” With the assistance of Red Bull Racing’s technology and the knowledge of their Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey , Polyphony Digital were able to produce the answer in the form of the “X1 Prototype” which will be playable in Gran Turismo 5.

Yeah . Good idea .
But Formula 1 car race really close .
It easily to break the front wing and if the LED is to put in anypart of the front wing.It'll smash to pieces .
Formula 1 car are not design to have a light infront of their car .
There's nowhere to put it .

why not in the mirrors as well
http://i51.tinypic.com/1426lon.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/2eej8t0.jpg

Anymore stupid ideas?

Lol....
Looks like a hybrid airplane and formula1 car to me... http://www.motorsportforums.com/imag...ies/tongue.gif

If races are going to be held late afternoon/early evening, surely lights round the track a-la singapore would be better if such a situation like in korea was to arise again? This would be ideal for places like Korea and Malaysia where races are held at times set to be ideal for us europeans, and rain is often likely.

I don't think "night racing in the dark" is a good idea. All night racing should be done during the day http://www.motorsportforums.com/imag...lies/smile.gif

Slightly off topic but a question I've often wondered is why F1 and single seater race cars dont have brake lights?
I've just done some research and found out that it was tested and considered by the FIA back around 2001 ? they decided that the drivers are so highly skilled ?!? that they didn't see the need for them but just maybe Mark would not have run into the back of the Lotus earlier in the season if he had that extra fraction of a second warning.

Oh, I dunno. How about making the rear light flash as well? http://www.motorsportforums.com/imag...ies/tongue.gif