FIA to experiment with red-flag exclusion in F2
A new red flag rule is to be tested by the FIA. First introduced in Formula 2 and Formula 3 for next season, it could be applied in Formula 1 if it proves interesting. The principle is to automatically exclude and erase the lap time of a driver who causes a red flag. This choice was announced on Sunday December 10 by the FIA.
The FIA recently announced, on December 10th, the implementation of an unprecedented rule regarding the use of the red flag starting from next season. Tested in Formula 2 and Formula 3, this provision includes the exclusion of a driver who is the cause of a red flag, while also canceling their time.
Article 33.5 of the 2024 F2 sporting regulations, updated after the FIA World Council in Baku, states: « The driver who, according to the stewards’ opinion, is solely responsible for the deployment of a red flag during the qualifying session, will not be allowed to continue participating in the session, and their fastest lap time during the session could be deleted. »
The rule stipulates that the timer will not be systematically eliminated. It will be the commissioners who will make the decision on a case-by-case basis.
Borrowed from Indycar, this new rule aims to bring more fairness in situations where a driver’s accident hinders the progress of a race, thus freezing the pole position, as was the case with Michael Schumacher during the Monaco Grand Prix in 2006.
When a driver disrupts the course of a session, such as during qualifying, it can lead to securing their pole position through a red flag. This situation has often caused frustration among competing teams and drivers. Now, the FIA regulations clearly state that sanctions can be imposed on the driver responsible for a red flag.
A rule soon to be applied in F1
Although this measure is currently being implemented in Formula 2 and Formula 3, its success could pave the way for its integration in Formula 1. An eventual extension of this rule to the flagship championship of motorsport could be considered by the 2025 season, depending on its impact in other categories.
Indeed, on several occasions, the drivers who caused the red flags have been found to benefit from the consequences of the red flag. Indeed, a red flag caused a few minutes before the end of a qualifying session prematurely ends the qualification. If the same driver is then at the top of the time sheet, the competing drivers have their laps stopped without the possibility of improving.
So it would be logical for the driver causing the red flag, in this context, to be disqualified from the session.
