Electronic flags to debut in F1 night race
If driving while talking on a mobile phone is dangerous, how much more deadly would it be if Formula One racers got distracted while race officials tried to communicate with them via headsets?
(Credit: Crave Asia)Thankfully, colored flags are the de facto method by which vital information is relayed to the drivers without causing unnecessary disturbance. For example, a yellow flag means there's danger ahead and overtaking is prohibited, while a white flag indicates slow-moving vehicles (like the safety car or tow truck) on the track.
However, in F1's upcoming first-ever night race, traditional colored flags might be a little hard to see, despite the nearly 1,500 Philips lighting projectors illuminating the track with light four times brighter than a football stadium at night (and expected to consume 3,180,000 watts). As such, 35 display panels using Digiflag technology (developed by Italian lighting consultant Valerio Maioli) will be set up to allow race officials to communicate with the drivers. These simple but effective devices are essentially rectangular boards of colored lights.
The night race takes place September 28 in Singapore.
(Via Crave Asia)
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