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Why F1 cars now possess new safety feature seen after Isack Hadjar crash
It is hard to believe that 40 years after hazard warning lights
became a legal requirement in the United Kingdom, and were common
on road cars in the United States in the 1960s, F1 has adopted this
particular safety feature. The FIA announced in its Technical
Regulations last year, under Article 14.3.3, that 'two further
lights' would be required on the side of an F1 car, in addition to
the single light mounted on the rear. In wet conditions, the
flashing red light on the rear has been invaluable to any driver
who has been forced to navigate their way through the volumes of
spray being emitted by the car they are following. The FIA,
however, has felt the need to go one step further this season, with
the addition of the sidelights that mirror the effect of hazard
warning lights, or blinkers, on standard road cars. FIA
single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has explained why the
introduction of "added lights on the side of the car" has been
made. He said: "It is to counter a situation in the wet when
there’s poor visibility. If a car is spinning and is in a lateral
position onto ongoing traffic, these lights will help the ongoing
car see the spinning car, and therefore, obviously, hopefully avoid
it." The new measure is in addition to the roll hoop being made
"quite a lot stronger", according to Tombazis, whilst the side
impact structure is "tougher". Furthermore, he stated that, "the
front nose is designed to withstand lateral impacts without falling
off, and all the impact structures have become tougher and more
strict. "These structures and safety measures are one more sign
that safety is always a priority for the FIA." You can see the new
hazard warning lights working on Isack Hadjar's Red Bull following
his crash in testing on Tuesday in an X post below.
2016183912741900646 🚨 HADJAR CONTRA EL MURO!! @Nachez98 #f1
pic.twitter.com/Kx3DhqNd99 — FormulaNacho (@FormulaNacho) January
27, 2026
