F1 eyes new rear lights for Canada safety push

Formula 1 and the FIA are considering a new multi-color rear-light system that could be introduced as soon as the Canadian Grand Prix to warn drivers when the car ahead is no longer deploying full electrical power and may slow sharply.

SoyMotor reports the proposal would add purple, blue and yellow signals to a rear light that is currently used mainly in red. The new colors would appear only when the electric part of the power unit is not delivering its maximum output, with each color tied to a different deployment state, from a lower energy level than on the previous lap at the same point to an extreme superclipping condition.

The change is aimed at one of the more awkward risks created by the current hybrid systems. When a car runs out of electrical energy at the end of a straight, its speed can drop suddenly enough to catch out the driver behind. A clearer warning from the car ahead would give chasing drivers real-time information that the normal closing speed may change.

That has become a more urgent issue after recent incidents and near-misses, with the Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto accident in Japan cited in the reports as evidence that the current system does not give enough detail when a car ahead is much slower than expected.

The plan has not yet been officially approved, but SoyMotor says “everything points to” the different rear-light colors appearing from the Canadian Grand Prix, which is scheduled in 10 days.

At present, F1 rear lights are generally limited to red warnings for wet conditions, the pit lane or car problems. There is at least one recent precedent for a different approach: Aston Martin used a blue rear light during pre-season testing in Barcelona to indicate the car was running with a limited engine. What is now being discussed is a wider, standardized version aimed directly at reducing the risk of clipping-related accidents on track.