flashing rear lights

[Steven]

I'm sorry to have to say it, but I really don't know why and how comes that the rear lights of multiple cars in Australia kept on flashing the whole race through, while at other teams, the lights were not flashing.

I can imagine it is extremely annoying driver behind a 'flashing car', so I'd really like to know why that was.
I thought it was to signal the pit lane speeder, but that can't be true anymore... at least not the complete truth. Would annyone know this?

[Guest]

the flashing light now operates when a car is running wet weather tyres, or a wet set up

[Steven]

seems like a stupid regulation change to me!
What was wrong with the ever burning red light then?

[UglyEugen]

Rear light flashing if a driver enables traction control (and in wet weather conditions too)
otherwise, it doesn't flashing

[Steven]

And that is obliged by the new FIA regulation changes I guess?

[Monstrobolaxa]

not too sure...but I'll check put I think the regulations state that if the car is using: traction control, pit speed limiter or racing in the wet (or using wet tires) the light has to flash....but tomorrrow I'll tell what article of the regulations mentions that.

[Monstrobolaxa]

Well, I checked out in the technical and Sporting regulations....and.....article 104 of the sporting regulations only says that the rear light only has to come on when the race is declared a wet race by the race director. And the technical regulations says that the light has to be working properly during the whole weekend.

So....why does it flash during a pit stop?

The rule saying that the rear light had to flash while the car had the pit lane speed limiter on only apeared in 2000, because some drivers where using the speed limiter as a kind of traction control mecanism. Since drivers aids became legal at the 2001 Barcelona GP there is no sense in using the speed limiter as traction control! So probably it isn't necessary any more to have the light flashing while in the pit lane...because the rule was only implemented to find out if anyone was using it as traction control....but now everyone has it!!! So probably some teams still have the system operating...

Welll...in terms of wet weather tires....it was quite late and I didn't look at the sporting regulations on tires....but i think that in 2002 the FIA came out with a rule that proibits the use of wet weather tires while the track is dry....so there's no point in having the rear light on....cause nobody does any lap with wet weather tires anymore.....

[ced ampo]

Well the thing about that can be seen in http://www.fia.com or in http://www.formula1.com in the rules and regulations part

[Spencifer_Murphy]

What's with the ressurrection of dead threads?!

[alelanza]

What's with the ressurrection of dead threads?!

Now that you put it in those words i'm starting to think it's all easter related, yeah that's it.

[pitlaneimmigrant]

This guy is on a mission, that's the third 6 year old thread he has posted on.
Guess he just can't let go of the Ferrari glory days...

[Henning]

It's probably something to do with the "Similar topics" section at the bottom of the thread view page. Not everybody takes notice of the dates (obviously!).