It’s lights, halos and action
FORMULA ONE has changed the positioning of race start lights to ensure drivers can see clearly around the new halo head protection system that debuts in Australia this weekend.
The halo, a titanium structure fixed at three points with a central upright in front of the driver’s vision and an overhead loop, has been introduced to protect against the risk of bouncing wheels and other debris.
Some drivers have expressed concern about seeing the start lights, depending on where they line up on the grid.
“With the halo, what we’ve asked every circuit to do is to make the lights at a standard height above the track,” the governing FIA’s race director Charlie Whiting said yesterday.
“We’ve also put a repeat set of lights, in this case off to the left, over the verge.”
The repeat set were introduced around 2009 when higher rear wings made it harder to see the lights, but aerodynamic changes have now fixed that problem.
“Now the wings have been lowered, there’s no need for those (lights) halfway up the grid, so I’ve decided to utilise them somewhere else,” said Whiting.
“Pole position seems to be the worst case scenario with the halo there. Maybe the driver can’t quite see the lights, or see only half of them, and he might have to move his head too much.”
The new arrangements will be tested today after the two practice sessions at Albert Park, with drivers allowed to rehearse starts on the grid.
Whiting also played down fears that the halo would make it harder for fans to see drivers’ helmets as a means of identifying who was at the wheel.
Haas’s Danish driver Kevin Magnussen has said he feared fans were “not going to have a clue who is who”.
Whiting said driver numbers had already become much more prominent on cars last season.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has dismissed criticism from former Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg as the product of someone seeking “headlines”.
Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 world title before retiring, told Sky Sports this week that the Briton was “almost unbeatable” when on song but his “weakness” was a “bit of inconsistency”.
Hamilton, whose long-standing relationship with Rosberg grew strained during their four years together at the Silver Arrows, viewed the German’s remarks dimly three days before Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“I think I’ve proved that that’s not the case last year,” champion Hamilton said at the pre-race news conference yesterday, referring to his nine wins on the way to the 2017 title.
“I think there’s a lot of people who need to get headlines and that’s one way of doing it.
“The goal this year is to be even more consistent than last year. I think consistency is the main reason I won the world championship last year.”
Hamilton conceded the early running in the 2017 title race to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel before the German’s challenge fell away in the second half of the season.
The Briton is favourite to win a fifth title and draw level with Juan Manuel Fangio, who is second on the all-time list behind Michael Schumacher’s seven championships.
Although 33 and having admitted to thinking about life after racing during the last campaign, Hamilton felt he had yet to reach the peak of his powers.
“I hope not,” said Hamilton, who made his F1 debut for McLaren at Albert Park in 2007 and won at the lakeside circuit in 2008 and 2015.
“I’m sure there is a peak for a driver when their fitness level gets harder to reach the fitness level that we do today,” he added.
“When your interest starts to decline and your drive starts to decline, I guess that’s when you’re over your peak, but I definitely feel I’m not at that (stage). I’m definitely in a good range right now and that’s where I need to continue to try to extract the most I can.” - Reuters