Although teams and series executives failed to reach agreement on a new points structure at the Geneva meeting on Thursday, they nonetheless approved plans to bring new rear-facing cameras to the table. from the Barcelona event in June.
The new camera will give fans a unique perspective on the chasing cars, as the camera will be placed above the rear crash structure that protrudes from the back of the car.
This is a big change from what F1 had until now, which was that the rear-facing camera was located right in the middle of the car, near the cockpit.
So while previously the rear view included the engine cover and rear wing, the new angle will provide a clear view behind – which should be extremely spectacular when the cars are driving nose to tail.
Speaking to Autosport earlier this year about these plans, F1 broadcast and media director Dean Locke said the new angle should be able to reflect some of the spectacular on-boards we get in other racing categories, particularly saloon and touring car racing.
“OUR [previous] The rear-facing camera from the roll bar is good, but it’s in the middle of the car,” he said.
“So you don’t get what we do in Porsche Supercup, where we put something in the taillight and you get these two cars that are really, really close.”
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
F1 worked with Aston Martin and the FIA on some experiments with the new rear-facing camera last year.
Although the view provided was spectacular, positioning a camera in such an extreme location was not without its challenges.
Locke added: “It was really amazing, and we really loved it, but it’s just very far from our processor. It’s four meters and on that kind of cable you can get a lot of interference and things like that. So we fixed some issues.
With the technical issues overcome, the final hurdle was getting approval from both teams and the FIA, as the camera location is in a critical area for the safety of the car.
But with everyone convinced there was no downside to using the camera, the plan has now been approved to have the cameras working properly at the Spanish GP events.
