Force India are set to trial a new positioning system on their car during the opening day of the Abu Dhabi end-of-season test.
Dubbed the ‘Info Wing’, two LED screens are attached to the roll-hoop on either side to aid fans in the grandstands and those at home by displaying a cars position and other information such as tyre compound, number of stops and more.
The system’s inventor is none other than Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony, who is hopeful that fans will find it useful during a race.
“The test is to decide whether the unit is practical for F1 and single seaters. Also, whether the LED display can be seen from the grandstands, and whether it works for the TV audience.
“One of the major problems with watching race cars is knowing who is where and who is who without having to take your eyes off the action to find and locate the information on a hand-held device, or one of the circuit monitors.
‘By the time you have found the information the car has gone past and you’re no better off, and having missed the action as well.”
He admitted it might not work as expected, but at present it’s a prototype with MkIII under development which will also include a driver’s initials allowing fans to identify who’s who.
“It might not work. We might not be able to see the LEDs in the bright sunlight, but it is the concept I hope could be of interest.
“It might require further work on the intensity of the LEDs, but I believe this has the potential to make a huge impact on the viewing of races and tests, making it more informative and enjoyable.”
It will also be tested on Thursday with a similar systems attached to the safety car for initial observations.
