The FIA tested out some new rear lights that were mounted to the endplates of the rear wing on the Mercedes during the testing in Barcelona. The new system is expected to increase visibility in the rainy conditions and could improve visibility with the new Halo system.
The rear lights look exactly like the rear lights currently being used on the rear wings of the cars in the World Endurance Championship. The idea is also remarkably similar to a system pitched to the FIA by design consultant Chris Beatty. He system included multi-color lights to represent the race conditions, such as yellow for caution and blue for the blue flag. The system used on the Mercedes in testing was not multi-colored.
The increased number of lights would improve driver visibility in the wet conditions. The current light near the exhaust of the car blinks red under the wet conditions to help pursuing drivers see the car ahead, which can be hard because of the spray kicked up by the car ahead.
The new system could also improve visibility lost from the Halo device. The current single-light system is vulnerable because the center bar in the Halo can block the drivers’ view of the single light. Having multiple lights on the car guarantees that the driver will always see at least one light.
The design could be implemented into the 2019 regulations by way of a unanimous vote. However, since the lights could be considered to be safety related, the FIA can bypass the vote altogether and simply put them into the regulations.
