Why Aren’t Green Lights Part of the F1 Race Start Procedure?

The logic of ‘Red means stop’ and ‘Green means go’ has been etched in our brains over the years and quite naturally, we apply this particular practice in our day-to-day life while on the road. But, jump onto any racing track during an F1 event and the rules are almost utter chaos.

All of the 20 drivers slot their cars onto the grid, the five red lights show up in succession on the board, and as the five lights disappear altogether, the classic David Croft commentary arrives – “It’s lights out and away we go!”

So, what happened to the green lights? Why aren’t green lights a part of the race start procedure? We’re sure a lot of fans have pondered upon this question. Well, here it is!

Was green light ever a part of F1?

As a matter of fact, green lights did make their way into the F1 race start procedure in the early 90s. However, the gamble ended up backfiring horribly as it led to an unusually high number of jump-starts. Here’s what caused the flop.

Formula One F1- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – December 4, 2021 General view as the cars exit the pit lane during qualifying Pool via REUTERS/Giuseppe Cacace

Most part of the procedure that we see today were present back in the 90s as well but with a minor change. Instead of going racing right after the five red lights disappear, the drivers had to wait for the green lights to show up.

But, unfortunately, there was a time lag of a few tenths of a second between the disappearance of red lights and the appearance of green lights. Hence, most of the drivers never waited for the green lights to show up, causing false starts.

And so, more often than not, the stewards had to restart the race. The FIA then reviewed it and decided against the usage of green lights at the start of a race.

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Green lights for the formation lap

Although F1 decided to scrap off green lights from the start procedure, it does play a pivotal role during the formation lap. With five minutes to go for the formation lap, one of the red lights disappears.

Formula One F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – June 6, 2021 General view of the cars on the grid as the race is restarted REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

And each of the remaining red lights disappears at the 3-minute mark, 1-minute mark, and 15-second mark. As the countdown ends, the final red light disappears and subsequently, all five green lights will be flashed. 30 seconds into the formation lap, the green lights will be extinguished.

Meanwhile, at the pit lane exit, green lights will show up the moment cars cross the pit lane exit point at the start of the race. This mostly is meant for the cars starting the race from the pit lane.

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