A split-second decision to activate the yellow flag for Esteban Ocon’s damaged Alpine was the reason for McLaren driver Lando Norris’ retirement in Q1 qualifying for Formula 1 in Baku 2024.
The incident saw Norris, a 2024 title contender, retire and qualify only 17th in Baku on Saturday, potentially severely damaging his hopes of overtaking Max Verstappen in the points standings this season.
After qualifying, there was also considerable speculation as to whether Norris actually flew a yellow flag or whether he braked too early when he saw the yellow flag. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella stated immediately after the session that “a yellow flag was shown, which ultimately was not necessary.”
The FIA has now confirmed to Motorsport.com that during the brief incident, Norris was indeed shown a yellow flag on the digital activation system that lights up the car’s marker boards and cockpit lights.
A marshal deemed this necessary as Ocon’s slow-moving Alpine was approaching a critical section of the Baku circuit – the car had been damaged when the Frenchman had recently clipped the wall at the exit of Turn 4 (where Franco Colapinto crashed in Q1).
Ocon was making his way back to the pits, protected by white flags designed to warn other drivers of a slow-moving car ahead of him. However, given the section of track where Norris encountered him – just before the high-speed sections to the left and right of Turns 18 and 19 – it is understandable that the aforementioned marshal decided to issue the yellow flag caution for this particular mini-section.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
This was quickly switched off after Norris and Ocon had continued. FIA officials were satisfied with the marshals’ actions – according to information gathered by Motorsport.com in Baku.
Norris had immediately withdrawn due to the yellow flag and then returned to the pits when engineer Will Joseph informed him that he would not be able to complete another lap in Q1 after the Briton had reported the activation of the yellow flag.
Joseph then said regarding the yellow flag: “Mate, I’m sorry, they shouldn’t have done that.”
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 about the incident immediately after qualifying, Stella said: “The team didn’t say (that there was a yellow card) because it was shown at the last minute.”
“We just checked it with our tools,” he added. “And it is indeed shown as a yellow. So we are talking to the FIA about why that happened because a yellow flag is not necessary if a car is just slow and offline.”
“I am sure everyone is doing their best, but this time there was a situation that ideally should not have happened.
“We have paid the price. We are not giving up and as I said, everyone is trying their best. We recognise that, we keep going and we will do our best tomorrow to get some good points.”
Stella later said: “I think Lando was just in the wrong place at the wrong time where a yellow flag would be shown, which ultimately wasn’t necessary.”
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
For McLaren, the question is how far away Ocon was when Norris overtook him – the Alpine was wide on the exit of Turn 17 – and also because neither car had reached the confusing approach to Turns 18 and 19.
Here, Norris had to abort a flying lap in FP2 after he encountered Pierre Gasly in the other Alpine in this section.
Motorsport.com has learned that McLaren is still waiting for clarification from the FIA on this matter, while the F1 field was specifically warned in the drivers’ meeting after the second free practice session to pay close attention to the yellow phases at this time.
As for the assumption that Norris would have actually responded to a white flag warning, the presence of a green flag immediately behind where he overtook Ocon confirms that the yellow flag was shown.
In the FIA’s digital system, white flags are not followed by green flags. The white flags are simply removed as a car passes each section of the track.
It is also said that the drivers had asked the FIA if it would be possible to open these blind high-speed corners for future Baku races, given the risks involved and previous near-misses.
The FIA is reportedly open to changing the placement of barriers in this part of the Baku circuit – which was also the case after the first race in Jeddah in 2021 – provided the city authorities agree.
