In the wake of concerns raised by drivers about the limited visibility caused by the Halo, a head protection system for drivers, a second set of lights has been installed on the main straight of Melbourne Park ahead of the start of the season, this Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix.
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There was some worry among the drivers in the pit lanes before the start of the race due to the limited visibility caused by the implementation of the Halo. This concern reached the ears of Charlie Whiting, the race director of the category, who made the decision to install a second set of lights, positioned at a lower height and five meters to the left of the main lights.
The drivers will have the opportunity to practice their start during the final minutes of the first and second Friday training sessions in order to adapt to the new configuration.
Previously, the second set of lights was positioned in the middle of the main straight to give drivers further back on the grid a better chance of seeing the lights, but the International Automobile Federation believes that it will now be more effective in the front. There is also a standard height for the main lights, so circuits will have to put up a sign at that height.
"Normally, we don't allow practice starts on the grid here because we have a fairly tight schedule and so on. With the Halo, what we have asked each circuit to do is put the lights at an upper height above the asphalt. We have also installed a second set of lights, in this case on the left side, above the fencing," explained Whiting initially.
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He added, "These repeated lights were previously positioned in the middle of the grid and were installed around 2009 when the rear wings increased in size. Some drivers complained that they couldn't see the main lights, so that's why we introduced them."
And finally, he argued, "But now the rear wings have decreased in height. There is no need for them to be in the middle of the grid, so I decided to use them elsewhere. The pole position seems to be the worst spot with the Halo, maybe the driver couldn't see the lights or only partially and would have to move their head too much. But now they have another set of lights which are five meters lower. What I thought was a good idea was to give them the option to test them instead of having to see them for the first time on Sunday."
The Formula 1 activity in Australia will begin on Thursday at 10:00 PM with the first practice session. Then at 2:00 AM, the second practice will begin.