Racing number legibility

[RZS10]

I don't know why they abandoned the solution which was introduced in 2007 or 2008 with yellow/red t-cams, it was black/red prior to that iirc and at some point (beginning of hybrid era?) they went to black/yellow with a smaller portion of the t-cam painted - at least they went back to a mostly yellow one in 2018 or so... the black t-cam kinda just disappears in most shots, as can be seen above.
Merc had a neat solution in 2020 with the halo fairing in purple/petronas - bringing back red t-cams and adding some coloured distinctions for views that don't show it would help more than any improvement to the legibility of the numbers themselves.
The 63 looking like an 8 is rather a failure of the design (which tries to make it look like a GR) than anything else.

[1158]

I know the cars have to have the same livery (basically) but there is nothing to stop the teams from putting different colored stripes on the wheel covers, right? Similar to what Merc did with the blue/purple on the halo. That would be a very simple way of being able to tell which car is which. from the side It would also make it less likely the mechanics swap wheels.

[JordanMugen]

Bumpity bump...



This McLaren effort is dismal! Not only does it barely look like the Hindu-Arabic numeral 4, it is also in a chrome-effect colour with very poor contrast to the orange background.

[continuum16]

Bumpity bump...

https://speedcafe.com/wp-content/upload ... 1_12x8.jpg

This McLaren effort is dismal! Not only does it barely look like the Hindu-Arabic numeral 4, it is also in a chrome-effect colour with very poor contrast to the orange background.

My guess is they will change the numbers to black for more contrast (and also they can save 0.00006s/lap ) because yeah I noticed that. Kind of like 2022 how they launched the car with blue numbers on orange and it was impossible to see so they changed it.

[continuum16]

On a general note, I don't know why F1 doesn't mandate/allow different mirror colors (suggested previously) like they do in WEC/IMSA etc. because to me it would seem so easy. There are plenty of options for differentiation; wing endplates, halo markings, etc. are all there and could easily have slight differences without the livery looking completely different between two cars.

The numbers are nice for when you are at the track in person because you can see the side of the car coming past and read the number. But on television you almost exclusively see front angle shots, and when teams put the numbers on the top of the chassis instead of the nose cone you can't see anything. I get it's so that the team doesn't have to designate noses/wings per driver but come on it can't be that hard to put a number sticker on it and take it off.

[Rodak]

I think teams should be required to put the driver's name or number on the halo so we can tell which car it is with in-car camera shots. I find myself viewing and waiting for the commentator to identify the car. Several of the teams do this, Haas does I believe, but it should be required. As many comments say some of these 'numbers' are just invisible when the car is in motion.

Even better, allow different paint schemes for each car.

[continuum16]

I think teams should be required to put the driver's name or number on the halo so we can tell which car it is with in-car camera shots. I find myself viewing and waiting for the commentator to identify the car. Several of the teams do this, Haas does I believe, but it should be required. As many comments say some of these 'numbers' are just invisible when the car is in motion.

Even better, allow different paint schemes for each car.

I'd join you in what is presumably a minority in supporting this idea. IMO the McLaren Indycar liveries for 2024 are the perfect way to do it. Same basic design and same base color but different accent color (black, blue, white) between the three cars. You can look at the screen for 3s and be able to clearly tell a) each is a McLaren and b) which is which. For most cars I think it is fairly easy to come up with a difference.

[koolway]

In a time where picture surimposition is omnipresent on tv, does the number really make sense anymore?

On wide shots with multiple cars or even track side : you cannot see the numbers anyway….

The last time I could identify a driver in a glimpse was when they assigned yellow/red to the camera mount above the air intake.

Now, even helmets are hidden behind the halo. The one time it’s noticeable is when it’s a very bright color.

Anyway, you would still need to know who has that number and/or helmet…

If you follow f1 regularly and specifically within a race, you know who is who based on what car is within that group of car.
Eg: Lando is fighting with Leclerc and Hamilton 2 sec behind… when you see a McLaren and a Ferrari… and a Mercedes in the background you know who is displayed.

Just add a label with the 3 letters of a driver next/on top of the car displayed, way more useful and clear imho…

[JordanMugen]

This is a very poor effort:

Anyway, you would still need to know who has that number and/or helmet…

The numbers are allocated to the driver, so they are easy to remember now.

Just add a label with the 3 letters of a driver next/on top of the car displayed, way more useful and clear imho…

Trackside spectators exist...

This solution is just better for everybody:


77 = Bottas, easy, simple, it's a no-brainer.

When one Mercedes has a giant #44 on the side and the other Mercedes has a giant #77 on the side, it is trivial for trackside spectators to tell them apart -- just as it should be. That's the whole point of racing numbers!

A casual fan might need a spotters guide to know which driver is which, but in any case it is trivial for spectators to tell the difference between the #2 Mercedes and the #6 Mercedes.


These numbers are perhaps not quite as large, but they are still large and clear enough that is easy for trackside spectators to identify #1 Verstappen and #11 Perez:

Others seem to prefer the small yellow stripes on the T-cam, but those seem much smaller and more difficult to spot IMO.

[koolway]

The question I was raising was : Is it needed for TV broadcast ? No, i don't think so.

I understand the trackside argument, but lets break it down, for the sake of it

You're telling me that, when trackside... :
Let's average "trackside" to being ~50m away from the actual cars...
You may be closer, but you'll often be at the end of the gravel trap,
Not close to the barrier, mid-stand
Not in a big breaking zone,...

In that case can you can "easily" identify the number on a car? And you have what? A split second, where the car is sideway to your POV and you could see the number ?
It's easy on still photo... I totally agree...
But

--> Can you tell me which numbers were on the cars? (And they are much closer than 50m...)

When I go to a races, when you have little context awareness as they're coming on for the first time, or during qualy, or practice,...
All I can hear around me is : "Was it xxx? Oh no, here he comes... you sure? No...Wait... ... yeah, it was probably him..we'll see next lap..."
It's getting better now thanks to the F1 App live map, but you know who is coming, in which order, and you don't even need the numbers on the car..

I've been following F1 for as long as I can remember.. and I can't really care less about numbers and remembering them all. Of course you know a few over time. But would I be able to commit to answer the last question of who wants to be a millionaire : "What are the # of Ocon and Gasly?"... I would happily skip and stick to 500k...

Let's take the Mexico GP figures to guess-timate :
- ~150k people attendance on race day.
- People who can actually see the numbers : 26k people - 17% (ie : number seats in the stadium, a high estimate...).
- TV broadcast : 70M people.

Numbers are useful for ~0.03706% of people... you can discuss each assumptions, but you'll never get above 0.1%...
But leave it for the sake of tradition, and for those who think it's usefull... but it may not be as a strategic solution as it looks for a broad audience

[JordanMugen]

Those are 250 kph corners!

The numbers are by far the easiest way to identify Leclerc (#16) or Sainz (#55), trackside at Fiorano:

"What are the # of Ocon and Gasly?"

Ocon #31, Gasly #10. Surely all F1 fans know that?

Tsunoda #22, Albon #23 and Zhou #24 are a little trickier to remember.

These numbers are more than useful to identify drivers at the Imola tyre test, indeed Zhou's large and legible #24 can even be seen from the main straight grandstand!

[PapayaFan481]

I liked what Mercedes did in 2022 where George had blue digits and also blue accents on the front wheel aero fairing and Lewis had yellow. You didn't need to read the number, just see what colour it was or see the colour of the accents on the car.

Similar to the mirror solution above.

[codetower]

I go straight to the T-Cam. Seems easier to remember than numbers especially with newer drivers.

Even the drivers have a hard time remembering numbers. Remember this grill the grid?

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/art ... 1J958.html