Mercedes-Luminar: laser technology to identify debris on the track

News on the Safety Car

While waiting for the first presentations of the Formula 1 single-seaters, something new has in the meantime been communicated by Mercedes, even if it doesn't specifically concern its cars. For the 2024 world championship, the German company has in fact reached an agreement with Luminara company specializing in automotive technology, for the development of a laser system that will be mounted on the Safety Car roof (Mercedes AMG GT Black Series) and which will be able to contribute to an increase in safety during race weekends.

Laser technology

In recent years, in fact, many pilots have complained about the presence of debris scattered on the track, and how these are not recovered or removed by the marshals during the entry of the Safety Car itself or in the event of interruption of practice. In order to solve this problem, Luminar presented the new laser technology LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which will allow you to detect in real time the presence of any debris.

How does it work

The system, which can be introduced permanently in the next championship only if it is promoted by the FIA, uses laser technology which creates a 3D map detail of the environment around the car, thus allowing detect the presence of objects of various sizes present on the track even in bad weather conditions. According to the data provided by Luminar, the equipment is capable of detecting debris up to 250 meters away, and up to 500 meters for larger items.

Wolff's enthusiasm

“I am delighted to have started this new collaboration with Luminar – declared the Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff – I have been very impressed with their journey so far, their technology and the work they have done. It's a truly exciting and innovative sector that will have far-reaching implications for the automotive industry and mobility in general. Our collaboration will use the initial development work between Luminar and Mercedes-Benz as a foundation, and I'm excited to see how we can build on it.”