It could have provided spectacular images at night races. But Formula 1’s plans for LED-illuminated hubcaps are being shelved for the time being. That was decided at the recent meeting of the Formula 1 Commission.
McLaren tried out the technology for the first time in a test in Abu Dhabi at the end of 2021. The LED lights should not only have provided chic effects, they could also have provided additional information for the viewers.
“There was the idea of installing some LEDs in the hubcaps in order to use these covers for marketing purposes. That means you can display any kind of message,” explained Pirelli’s Formula 1 boss Mario Isola the background at the time.
For example, it would have been possible to display the position of the respective car or the current lap time. The use of LED hubcaps was even provided for in the technical regulations for 2024. The relevant paragraph has now been deleted again.
Article 8.18 previously read as follows: “Depending on the availability of the necessary technology, and in order to provide visual information to the spectators, the FIA may request each of the four wheel covers described in Article 3.13.7 to be fitted with a rotating LED display panel.”
In the most recent edition of the regulations, which was published on Tuesday, this article was deleted without replacement. One reason for the decision not to use the LED hubcaps is the additional weight they would entail.
Formula 1 cars are already struggling with “overweight”, which is why many teams, for example, do without paint on some parts of the car. Even more weight through heavier hubcaps is therefore currently not an option.
The change from 13 to 18-inch tires in 2022 had already ensured that a Formula 1 front tire was 2.5 kilograms heavier and a rear tire even three kilograms. Makes a total of eleven kilograms of additional weight, just from the four tires.