FIA looking into start light visibility problems

The FIA is working on improving the visibility of the starting lights after problems were reported by Pierre Gasly and Robert Kubica at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

Both drivers stated that the higher rear wings for the 2019 season blocked their view of the lights, and they had to rely on the actions of the other drivers to get off the line.

"With the new bigger rear wings, I couldn’t see the lights on the grid so I had to react with the cars around me and I lost a couple of places," Gasly said.

Kubica added: "When I stopped [on the grid] I couldn't see the lights," said Kubica. "The rear wing of the McLaren was hiding it, so I could see the first block [of lights] and not the rest. So I had to move to the left - and it was a bit of a panic moment."

The FIA conducted an investigation after the race to look into why the problem occurred.

It was determined that rather than a one-off mishap, the blocking was a direct result of the higher rear wings that have been built for this year. 

The rear wings were made bigger for the 2019 season in order to increase the DRS effect and increase the number of overtakes that take place during the race. It is believed that the FIA is discussing solutions with the F1 Group to eliminate the issues for Bahrain.