Why Do F1 Cars Have A Flashing Red Light At The Back?

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Usually seen blinking distant during a bedewed title aliases erstwhile a Formula 1 car is crawling done nan pit lane is simply a tiny, pulsing reddish LED seems for illustration it's sewage thing urgent to say. It's easy to place if you're locked onto a high-speed duel down nan main straight, but that ray isn't location for aesthetics. It's pulling double work arsenic 1 of nan sport's smallest but astir important information features.

Mandated by nan Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) — because nary item is excessively mini for nan Formula 1 norm overlords — this flashing reddish ray is each astir visibility. When nan rainfall turns nan way into a rooster-tail-filled wall of mist, nan agleam LED ray cuts done nan chaos to thief trailing drivers spot nan car ahead. 

However, it's not conscionable a bad-weather buddy. In today's hybrid-era machines, it besides kicks successful erstwhile nan car is harvesting power done nan Energy Recovery System (ERS). That intends little punch nether acceleration aliases during area exits, truthful nan car down gets a informing earlier diving successful excessively hot. In short, that agleam blinking flash of ray is simply a trailing driver's early informing strategy for what nan car up is astir to do — aliases not do — next.

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What that blinking reddish LED decidedly is not is simply a brake light, arsenic F1 doesn't usage those astatine all. This small reddish ray first appeared decades agone arsenic a rainy-day information feature, but ever since 2014 it has served a double work functionality that is arguably conscionable arsenic important. 

When an F1 car is harvesting power pinch its ERS — peculiarly done nan Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K) — it originates pulling kinetic power from nan brakes and converting it to electrical power to complaint nan battery. When this process starts, the reddish ray flashes to pass anyone down that things mightiness slow down unexpectedly. In a world wherever grip is everything and guidance times are measured successful milliseconds, that flash mightiness prevention someone's chemoreceptor cone and forestall a DNF.

Think of this ray arsenic an parameter that nan car flashing it is slower than usual. As such, you'll astir often spot it progressive during qualifying, practice, statement aliases cool-down laps, successful nan pit lane, and during information car periods. In very uncommon cases, you'll spot it move from reddish to green. That signals that a rookie is down nan wheel, specifically personification without a afloat FIA Super License conscionable yet. Think of it arsenic a learner's badge — isolated from it's mounted connected a multimillion-dollar carbon-fiber rocket that's tin of pulling 5 Gs done a corner.

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FIA rules don't messiness astir erstwhile it comes to that blinking reddish light. Every F1 car has to person one, and it can't conscionable beryllium slapped connected wherever a squad feels like. It needs to beryllium mounted precisely 300 millimeters supra nan reference plane, springiness aliases return 5 millimeters, and aimed consecutive backmost astatine 90 degrees. This usually positions it conscionable supra nan diffuser and nether nan rear wing.

Today, F1 cars besides person other flashing lights connected nan helping endplates too, each of which are synced up pinch nan main one. Why? In a wall of tyre spray aliases erstwhile a car's successful power harvest mode, moreover a mini flash of nan reddish ray tin thief facilitate a cleanable pass, keeping everyone retired of each other's c fibre bits. The FIA is perpetually fine-tuning these regulations to support things safe without slowing anyone down. It mightiness beryllium small, but that reddish flicker's pulling immoderate superior weight.

So nan adjacent clip you spot that strobing reddish dot astatine nan backmost of an F1 car, you'll cognize it's not conscionable for show. Sure, it whitethorn not beryllium arsenic blase arsenic the $100,000 steering instrumentality of an F1 car, but it's arsenic overmuch of a captious portion of race-day tech doing a full batch of activity successful a mini package.