Eindhoven-based lighting company Signify will be working with the Mercedes Formula 1 team until the end of 2026. Among other things, smart lighting will be installed in the car factory and Formula 1 pit boxes to keep staff more alert and reduce jet lag.
The logo of the former lighting division of Philips has already been seen on the cars and racing suits for the past three races. And Signify immediately took maximum advantage of that, according to Tom Lodge. “Two wins in three races, the timing couldn’t have been better”.
Collaboration
Signify will collaborate with the team of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in three areas. The lighting company will help Mercedes become more sustainable, install smart lighting that improves the performance of staff and drivers and create lighting that makes watching Formula 1 and playing racing games more fun and beautiful.
Reducing jet lag
The Formula 1 season now has 24 races all over the world and that means a lot of travelling and also the necessary jet lag. It is especially tough for the mechanics and engineers. “In a sport where details matter, the right lighting can help keep people alert and perform better”, Tom Lodge, of Signify, explains. “Reducing jet lag with special lighting that really mimics daylight is exactly what we can help with”.
Signify already has lamps that can do this. After the summer break, they will be hung in the Mercedes formula 1 pit boxes during the race weekends. “We will continue to develop this lighting. The technology that Formula 1 cars drive with, you will often find later in your own car”, Lodge explains.
From the pit box to the office
As far as he is concerned, this also applies to the smart lighting that will soon be used in Formula 1. “It is quite possible that these lamps will soon be used in offices or factories. Especially if they also work around the clock there”.
Signify lighting will also be hung everywhere in the Mercedes team factory in Brackley, England, Tom Lodge says. “It should ensure that people can concentrate better there, but also that it is more pleasant to work because, for example, the eyes get more rest”.
Most sustainable sports team
Signify claims to be a pioneer in the lighting industry when it comes to CO² reduction and sustainability. The Eindhoven company wants to be climate neutral by 2040. “We are going to share the knowledge we have gained and are still gaining with the Formula 1 team. Mercedes wants to become the most sustainable sports team in the world and we can help with that”.
The Eindhoven lighting company is not entirely new to Formula 1. The evening and night races in Singapore and Las Vegas are held under artificial lighting from Signify. “We have a total of ten projects running at Mercedes and hope that the team, companies and consumers will benefit. And yes, the intention is also that, in addition to Philips HUE, all our brands will become better known”.
Perfect timing
The Signify logos were first seen on Mercedes Formula 1 cars during the British Grand Prix weekend in early July. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton promptly won that race, after he had not won anything for more than two years and Mercedes had hardly competed for the podium. “We could not have wished for a better start to the collaboration”, Lodge reflects.
And the last race in the Belgian Ardennes was also won by Mercedes. Initially by George Russel, but second-placed Lewis Hamilton inherited that victory later because Russel’s car proved to be too light.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
