FIA changes start lights set-up to account for Halo

The FIA has changed Formula 1's start lights set-up in order to alleviate drivers' fears that the halo could impair their visibility on the grid.

FIA race director Charlie Whiting says a second set of lights has been installed in Melbourne at a lower height and five meters beyond the main ramp.

The change has been made to help the visibility of drivers sitting towards the front of the starting grid. A mandatory height for the principal lights and the gantry structure has also been imposed for all tracks this year.

The FIA will also allow drivers to conduct practice starts at the end of FP1 and FP2 on Friday to validate the new set-up.

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"We haven’t normally allowed practice starts on the grid here because it’s quite a tight timetable and things like that," said Whiting.

"With the halo what we’ve asked every circuit to do is to make the lights at a standard height above the track. We’ve also put a repeat set of lights, in this case off to the left, over the verge.

"Those repeat lights were normally halfway up the grid, and they were fitted round about 2009, when the rear wings became higher on the cars.

"Some drivers complained about not being able to see the main start lights, so that’s when we introduced an extra set," Whiting added.

"But now the wings have been lowered, there’s no need for those halfway up the grid. So I’ve decided to utilise them somewhere else."

Whiting estimated that drivers sitting on the front row were those likely to have a vision problem, which justified placing the extra set of lights further up the track.

"Pole position seems to be the worst-case scenario with the halo there – maybe the driver can’t quite see the lights, or see only half of them, and he might have to move his head too much," he said.

"But then he’s got a repeat set of lights which are five metres further down [the track].

"What I thought would be a good idea was to give the driver sight of those lights rather than have them look at them for the first time on Sunday evening."

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