MotoGP is getting a head start on regulations, with the implementation of LED flag boards for the remainder of the season. The 22 panels, which will be made compulsory by the FIM and FIA from 2022, will be transported from track to track by the LED panel manufacturer EM Motorsport, and used on every race. The greater visibility of the signs compared to the traditional flag system will make it easier to warn drivers of any change in circuit status during track sessions (e.g. yellow or red flags).
The light panels have already been used on certain tracks for several years, such as on the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans, where MotoGP riders had their first glimpse of them. They were also installed on the Assen track, during upgrade work on the circuit at the end of the 2019 season.
A From 2022, it will be mandatory for circuits hosting MotoGP to permanently install T1 signs, in collaboration with the FIM and the FIA. The introduction of the panels at Portimão will allow MotoGP and its circuits to get used to the technology before new regulations come into force.
From this weekend in Portugal, we will see a combination of 22 T1 and T2 panels appear, supplied by the British company EM Motorsport, which differ in size and performance: T1s are used in runoff areas and fast straights, while T2s are installed on the rest of the circuit. The position of signs around each track will be determined by the FIM MotoGP Safety Manager, to ensure that they are positioned so as to be clearly visible to riders.
The new LED signs will be controlled by Race Direction who will be able to manage the signals throughout the track. Each panel also has a console managed by a track marshal for localized yellow flags. The new devices have been widely accepted by MotoGP riders for some time. “We often don’t see the yellow flags because they are very far from the track,” declared Valentino Rossi less than a year ago.
Indeed, drivers have been pushing for this to happen for some time, Aleix Espargaro explained in Portimão: “It was something the pilots asked of Dorna. At Le Mans, thanks to the 24 Hours, we have had LED panels for 2 or 3 years, and honestly, it helps in certain places. So after the Le Mans race two years ago, we asked Dorna to try to generalize this system to all circuits, they did an excellent job. »
Having LED signs to complement the flags will help, but the responsibility will always fall on the driver, Aleix Espargaro said. “There are pilots who say it will change their lives, and I disagree. If you don't want to see a yellow flag and want to keep pushing for your own sake and take a fast lap, you can put LED signs, you can put a yellow flag in the middle of the turn, you won't close the handle gases. But obviously in some places where you have a very quick turn, LED panels can help. »
