Pilots will be warned in advance of blue flags

Subject to regular criticism from drivers during races, the presentation of blue flags will now be preceded by warnings sent to late drivers when a competitor catches up with them. The FIA ​​confirmed this addition to the regulations in a note sent to the teams in Austin.

“Article 27.9 of the Sporting Regulations instructs drivers who are overtaken by a car that is one lap ahead to let the fastest driver pass at the first opportunity.

System F1 Marshalling was developed to ensure that the timing of when blue flags are displayed for a driver remains constant, rather than trusting the marshals' ability to recognize situations that require blue flags. While this has generally been a success, the way teams and drivers use the system appears to have become inconsistent.

Now the system will be ready to issue a pre-warning when the fastest car has returned to within 3″ of the car about to be lapped. This should be used by the slower car's team to warn their driver that they will soon be lapped and that letting the faster car pass should be considered a priority.

When the fastest car has returned within the same second of the car ready to take a turn, blue flags will be displayed for the slowest car (this in addition to the blue lights in the cockpit and the message on the screens timing), and the driver must let the next driver overtake at the first opportunity.

The objective of the F1 Marshalling system is to ensure constant application of the rules; other instructions may also be sent by the race direction if necessary. »