F1's first night race to use electronic flags

Posted Thu Apr 17 2008 10:00 AM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

The hype surrounding F1's first ever night race is growing but the top priority for organizers of the Singapore Grand Prix remains ensuring safety for the drivers and crowds especially in regards to poor visibility. This means that drivers will be getting a little help in the form of electronic flag displays throughout the race in addition to traditional flag-waving from the officials and marshals.

The electronic flags supplement the traditional cloth flags which have proven hard to see at night and there will be 35 units all up situated around the track. The electronic units will be used in conjunction with a new lighting system to light up the track, making the race less dangerous and easier for drivers to adapt to the new environment. The system will be controlled by officials at each marshal's post, while the race director will be able to see what all the flags are displaying from a central control room.

The flag system is the result of more than ten years of testing and development meaning that it is certainly more complicated than it appears. Apparently it took this long because of harsh requirements established by the FIA. Developed by Italian firm Valerio Maioli, the system will be the first of its kind and should add to the surreal experience of watching a night-race for the first time.

Reader Comments

Fri Apr 18 2008 1:35 AM
Ayax says

This is something that I wasnt hoping for, I thought this was a given... I mean its a night race, its not going to be the first ever night race in motorsports.. Traffic light looking lights have been placed around circuits for ages now to help in nighttime racing... why is FIA making such a fuss about this?

MotorAuthority