Red Flags and Race Suspensions - the rules

Red Flags bring F1 races to a stop, but come with lots of strange caveats...
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[@joemannari4545]

I love the 2003 Brazilian gp podium because there were 4 places and no one was standing where they should have been

[@corbinselanne7990]

Yeah, Raikkonen and Fisichella were standing where the other should've been, Alonso was nowhere to be seen because of the crash that ended the race, and the team rep was for Raikkonen's team and not Fisi's

[@menhirmike]

5:52 That information was correct at the time of the video, but since the 2021 season, the hard limit has been reduced from 4 to 3 hours. Just commenting in case some people from the future look up this video.

[@TheEvapiiShow]

And it was thrown out of the window already for the Belgian GP

[@HyperionHarry]

Appreciate this after the 2022 Monaco

[@squidcaps4308]

I for one am looking forward for "Lando rates beans" episode 5.

[@anonymoususer8591]

SquidCaps I’m excited for the lawnmower race

[@justabruh2345]

Anonymous User must be the ferrari driver academy

[@cheesekay7314]

Im looking forward to ‘remembering brawn 2009 this time while drunk’

[@XxMidnightToker420xX]

Fuck that, remembering brawn (while drunk) is the show to watch the opening theme song alone is worth turning it on. Plus you have a good chance of the host puking his brains out you won't get that with baby Lando

[@dados1759]

“Lando rates beans” Haven’t laughed that much in a while 😂

[@gwyess]

lol same

[@tantegreta]

when will we see that?! Petition

[@Carole_Baskin]

Yeah, Chain Bear seems to have a healthy disregard for Sky Sports coverage.

[@jsma9999]

I've have to stop it and Re-read the it and Brawn 2009 was next show after that Thanks Chain Bear

[@SomeoneTookAK]

Another lawnmower race

[@AllAboutDarence]

Who's here after the 2-lapper 2021 Belgian Grand Prix?

[@namenamename390]

I expect this video to get a small spike in views after what happened in Spa today

[@Jame5man]

Red Flag in F1: you can fix the car and change parts Red Flag in NASCAR: If you so much as touch the car so help me God

[@chainbear]

No one saw a typo, I don't know what you're talking about

[@MrXaniss]

Hehe.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Didn't it use to be that any car out of the race either through the incident which caused the red flag or another, between the last recorded complete lap and the moment the red flag is thrown, did not score points? I'm absolutely certain that I've seen races (whether F1 or not) where this is, or was, the case. The car(s) causing the stoppage were deemed to be at fault and so weren't to get anything in return for it. To prevent someone deliberately causing the red flag if someone had overtaken them on the penultimate or last lap (IIRC).

[@1MyNickname1]

Another important thing, there are only points given if at least 25% of the race are done.

[@yoshidasaki17703]

We must've hallucinating.... Take us to infirmary

[@matgee8892]

Just more crazy KZbin conspiracies.

[@MrXaniss]

I was here when the title had a typo! ("Reg flags")

[@fiftylaren]

didnt even notice xddd

[@06dpa]

me too

[@Xx-yk6cu]

He does typo errors frequently

[@skellington2335]

he even says "reg-flagged" at 7:54 lol

[@marcusburger1523]

I will participate in this gathering of people who saw the video with a typo.

[@aumpauskar4653]

Chain Bear videos never fail to teach me something new

[@rival2028]

Even something old he explains it in so much detail and depth its facinating 🤤

[@f1motorsports985]

Learning the rules about reg flags is interesting

[@killakanzgaming]

@8:22 "Which is why the records show some drivers with half point totals" The most famous example probably being the 1984 F1 season where Niki Lauda won the championship with 72 points against Prost's 71.5 points...

[@Victor-cu5uj]

2:04, "Formula 1 Swedish Grand Prix"... I wish we still had a GP here :(

[@axelhas100]

And it's back- to- back as well

[@valentin.zhybchyn]

That would have been amazing. I believe the Swedish politicians would cause outrage if we were to have an F1 GP 🤔😭

[@sandenson]

@@valentin.zhybchyn But why?

[@erikwb9711]

Valentin Zhybchyn I think there's definitely a possibility of a formula E race here soon. Hopefully..

[@saint-cetacean]

2:37 definitely heard "idiot driver" and not "injured driver" and was momentarily SHOCKED

[@FriedrichHerschel]

Personally, I think teams should be allowed to "fiddle" with cars to keep the race save. That includes repairing damage, changing tyres or adjusting the drivers seat. Adjusting the front wing or changes to the radiator ducts however seem to me, as a layman, as messing with the race setup of the car, and for this, a team should be required to make an ordinary stop at the box, not use a "free" one.

[@CRL_One]

Regarding wings and ducts, those too can be damaged. And since teams can't change them under red flag, cleaning, fixing and readjusting them seems to be in line with "fixing damage". Also, who's gonna determine what is damage and what's not, and how will it be controlled so teams wont use "hurr durr damaj" as an excuse to change setup? Also, setting up to weather conditions as mentioned above.

[@FriedrichHerschel]

@@CRL_One In this video, it was said that under this rule the damage had to be "genuine". I assume the race officials will act properly to uphold the "spirit" of that rule.

[@rkettridge]

How about you can change tires but only to the same compound you are currently running, unless you are changing to wets / intermediates? I'm also think damage can be fixed but not anything adjusted (apart from wing settings if changing to wets / intermediates)

[@bingbingwow]

@@lostalone9320 If their car is insecure due to weather changes, they could just start outside the pit lane, doing their stops at the restart. That would cost them time for not running the ideal setup (which allows you to run under dry and wet conditions) but allow them to stay in the race safely. It would benefit the teams with a more balanced setup though. It might also make races more interesting since teams could take a gamble. By the way, I think tyre changes should be done the same way. If you want to change tyres during a red flag, wait for the restart, stop immediately during the restart (actually you would just stay in the box) and restart from the pit lane after your stop. I think red flags are too boring at the moment, because every team that has fresher tyres available will opt for a tyre change and therefore all teams will do a free change and there's no element of competition. If we had some teams staying out while others started with a pit stop to the pit lane start, we could get a competition for the fastest pit stop and a battle to the pit exit. Also, teams who'd just pitted before the red flag wouldn't be at such a big disadvantage.

[@FriedrichHerschel]

@@lostalone9320 Haven't thought of that one. It's a good point, in this situation it should be allowed (but not if the red flag is due to a crash). Obviously my intent was that this red flag time can/should be used to make the cars safer if necessary while not allowing other modifications (specifically aimed at giving an advantage or improving the performance or making up for miscalculations) that would otherwise require an ordinary pit stop. Just my take on what I think would be the best "spirit of the rule" without being able to handle all the details that might arise. And yes, there may be some overlap between making the car safer and increasing performance. There certainly will be some grey areas. But I guess you got the impression where I want to go here.

[@Numfuddle]

I’d hazard a guess that it’s also a liability concern why extensive changes to the cars are allowed. Imagine for a moment that working on the car was not allowed during a red flag unless the Stewards reviewed the damage and gave their OK. What if the Stewards verdict says you can’t replace something because they underestimated the damage or didn’t manage to find that crucial defect. Then you’ll potentially have drivers rejoin the race in unsafe cars. What if anyone crashes and gets seriously injured or even killed because the Stewards deemed the car safe to drive and disallowed maintenance during red flags? The liability risk would be huge for an event that has only happens every other year at the most.

[@vaska00762]

In Formula E, I've even seen one team replace a whole powertrain during a Red Flag. I couldn't imagine an F1 team replacing a gearbox or engine in a Red Flag period. That said, it is certainly interesting to consider whether or not putting a decision down a steward instead of an engineer with all the data would be sensible. I think Red Flag periods are just so rare, that changing the rules just doesn't make much sense. Plus, the effects it could have on other motorsports by way of setting a precedent could be wider than we imagine.

[@maxgoesracing]

In Indycar and other series no work is allowed during red flag periods. If you have damage you must wait for the race to resume (under cation/SC) to begin work on the car. If you have minor damage (i.e. a puncture or broken front/rear wing) the expecation is that you come in on the next lap to have the damage repaired and if you can't drive a lap with the damage then you're expected to go to the garage/paddock area and wait for the race to resume to begin repairs.

[@jamesdougherty5990]

Seems to work out just fine in pretty much every other racing series. Race stopped should equal work on vehicles stopped as well, if you need to repair anything, should be done while the race is happening. Ability to correct what would normally be terminal issues without penalty undermines the integrity of the results

[@RaiderRich2001]

​@@maxgoesracing a lot of that's because pit strategy is absolutely crucial in Indy, especially on ovals where you're almost guaranteed to lose a lap if you pit under green (whereas F1 there's a chance you might be able to make it out of the pits before the guy behind you crosses the line), and IndyCar wants to preserve that aspect of it.

[@gmaergabe7313]

@@jamesdougherty5990 I see what you mean by "integrity of the results." But it doesn't really effect the results assuming everyone is going adjust their cars under the red flag.

[@DyslexicMitochondria]

Red flags in Monza and Mugello were the metaphorical equivalent of 'F' to pay respect to ferrari

[@epicstuff7522]

lmao

[@deploy_leroy]

It was all plan of the great *Ferrari™ MasterPlan®*

[@deploy_leroy]

@Lord Mahaveer Maldonado forgot the 🅱️, thanks

[@sethhu20]

F

[@LuminalSpoon]

@@sethhu20 🅱️

[@oriolsoto]

I propose a change to the rule, make the tyre change available but only for the same compound, or wet/dry if the weather changes.

[@gabor6259]

Or make the tyre change available but add 20 seconds (or some kind of average time loss) to the driver's time and move him back in the pitlane accordingly.

[@fourtwelve412]

What if the driver is on their last set for that compound?

[@McPlayer8t]

No, that’s even less fair, it’s better for one car, Lance Stroll in the case of Monza, to gain an advantage, than for his race to be completely destroyed. I have thought about this for a long time, trying to think about every possible scenario, and while there is no completely fair solution, I think the current tyre rules are as fair as they can get. The only other option is to remove the compound change requirement in a red flagged race, but even that has its issues.

[@julesnatural]

I'd say, they can change all they want, but it will not count as the mandatory pit stop/tire change.

[@poisonpotato1]

@@julesnatural what if you were already changing tires when it happened?

[@y__h]

2:04 Remembering Brawn 2009 (This time while drunk) 😂

[@SomeoneTookAK]

Lando rates *B E A N S*, and there's another lawnmower race

[@quinnanoldham6052]

I want to watch Lando rates beans!

[@zademoabi2039]

I’m a simple person. I see a chain bear video, I click.

[@vikingmess1478]

I love how your old videos come up on my home page after something relevant has happened in F1. This time it was The 2024 Monaco GP red flag.

[@free_playstation_2]

I genuinely thought this was short for "Regulation flags"

[@hdr_diamondz]

How does red lengthen to REGulation? Unless you misheard and thought it was reg flag.

[@TheEvapiiShow]

@@hdr_diamondz the title had a typo when the video was released

[@sebastiankovac1265]

Here's a theory: Last race of the season, Abu Dhabi GP 2021, 55 laps. Championship standings: Max Verstsppen 330 Lewis Hamilton 326 There has been a red flag already, the race is running for 3+ hours, lap 54 currently. Hamilton is leading on old hard tyres, Max is 2 sec/lap quicker on new softs. Max is a second behind, looking for an easy overtake on the long straight to win the championship. Hamilton can do absolutely nothing, crashing into Max DQ's him, Max overtakes him, championship done.. but what if Lewis crashes 300 km/h into a barrier, causing a red flag, and so much repair is required that they can't finish in 4 h overall time. Therefore, the race results count from lap 52, Lewis wins and becomes the champion again.

[@nsikanedung3277]

It'll be pretty clear that Lewis crashed deliberately. The FIA will review the telemetry and evidence to boot. Lewis will be DQed and it'll go down similar to Piquet at Singapore as one of the most unsporting incidents in F1 history. Some way to ruin his legacy.

[@j0ee07]

mate you almost actually predicted abu dhabi 2021, well done

[@jeremylaynerogers]

The countback rule was invoked in the 1992 Bathurst 1000 and ended up awarding the race to Jim Richards (Mark Skaife co-driving). Richards crashed in the rain on the aborted last lap, but was counted the winner on countback to the last full lap. This race is Bathurst legend because fans, upset that a crashed Nissan had won, booed Richards on the podium. Richards had just found out his friend Denny Hulme (yes, the F1 world champion) had had a heart attack and died in the car earlier in the race. Richards called the crowd "a pack of arseholes," which became Bathurst lore.

[@elhugo13]

I don't mind that teams can change tyres on red flags, since it doesn't happen very often. Were a driver gains advantage.

[@joshsmith7521]

Random fact. The last time half points were awarded in F1 was Malaysia 2009

[@carpetpunter158]

A very famous Australian race the Bathurst 1000 has many legendary tales however one of the best involves slick tyres, shocking weather, red flag 🚩 and lots of confusion amongst fans. Fantastic viewing

[@Ty4ons]

I like to look at Stroll’s situation the other way. Imagine if Stroll couldn’t change tires, he now has a penalty almost as big as Hamilton’s for no fault of his own and would finish very far back and it could’ve been worse had the red flag been later. In addition it’s just easier keeping the rules simple and allowing tire changes for everybody so we don’t have a Kimi 2005 with broken tires. Fairer too in many ways since we don’t need the FIA to decide who gets to put on new tires.

[@dianadi704]

I would say, they can do whatever they want at the red flag situation, as long as they don't break the regulation. But it shouldn't be counted as mandatory pit stop/tyres change. Just add one sentence: mandatory tyre change must be done when the race in on. This would close the loophole.

[@johaneevsheelam6642]

"Aitken and Ghiotto both got a handful of points, even though they were in bits and pieces on the side of the track." Say that again, but slowly.

[@topiasr628]

Love the getting back to basics of your videos! This is why I subscribed years ago!

[@ahaanoza8257]

Last time I was this early spa 98 was the last red flag

[@camers505]

3:16 ah yes, as a wise man once said: 'it's a bit of a pooey rule'

[@thegaz-man]

Fun red flag facts about the Bathurst 1000 - In 1992, the lead cae crashed out during a rainstorm which took out half the field, red flagging the race. Due to backdating, it won. - In 2013, the race was red flagged as the track was literally breaking up.

[@mcwombo]

Fantastic video as always Stuart. Keep ‘em coming!

[@DarrylHuntley]

As always Chain Bear. You've explained all aspects and areas of this topic. Thank you for your thoroughness and dedication. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@coreyward]

I think the simplest approach is to make a new rule that says tire changes under a red flag do not satisfy the two-compound requirement, even if they're different compounds. The rules already account for wet conditions, so we don't need anything new there. The effect, then, is that if you do a tire change under a red flag in dry conditions and the race remains dry, you need to make another pit stop while the race is running. As for all of the other tuning and tweaking of setup, I think it should all be allowed and encouraged. No team is unfairly disadvantaged in this, and it makes for a more compelling, competitive race for fans.

[@keisuketakahasi4584]

can you do a video about pitlane starts? i still dont get when why etc. :)

[@Thumbsupurbum]

If a car has to break parc ferme then they have to start from the pit lane. There may be other reasons, but that's usually the reason why.

[@PeRRXX]

It’s just when a car breaks parc ferme

[@keisuketakahasi4584]

parc ferme sucks

[@benhubbard7793]

Was wondering this and trying to figure this out - your video was super helpful!

[@FightingTorque411]

inb4 title is corrected from "Reg Flags" EDIT: other thoughts - ~ I like how you use Canada '98 as an example of drivers being allowed to restart in a T-car, when Alesi, Trulli and R. Schumacher were involved in both the first *and* second first-corner incidents ~ What do we need to do to get The Lando Bean Show commissioned? ~ Stroll played by the rules (as did Vettel at Monaco 2011), but I'd be happy for there to be a parc fermé restriction on cars being altered during a stoppage, excepting provable accident damage that's a risk to go back out on track with, and changing tyres if and only if one of the current set is delaminated/punctured.

[@McPlayer8t]

If they had Parc Ferme rules, Stroll’s race would have been completely destroyed, he would have been sent to last place with not much of a chance to get back through the field. In my opinion, it is fairer to make one person’s race than to ruin it.

[@mboothy]

0:24 In the UK, the rule is "Only cars which are proceeding under their own power at the time of the red flag are classified." - which basically means the cars that caused the stoppage are not counted in the results. Didn't realise it was different at FIA level.

[@jamesdougherty5990]

I've always found it suspect that F1 Red Flags revert back to any point prior to the incident. Should always be time red was thrown. And since all have to complete the lap of the incident to get back to the grid for restart, the lap should be credited and continuation, if possible, should be start of the next scheduled lap.

[@acepilot87]

The 1992 Bathurst 1000 was a famous example of this... Dick Johnson - and the crowd - had a bit of a moan about the fact that the Johnson/Bowe #17 Ford was awarded 2nd place to the Skaife/Richards #1 Nissan, despite the fact that the Skaife/Richards car crashed out of the race in the truly appalling conditions. They ended up as part of a red-flag triggering pile-up, and while Bowe was able to keep the #17 on track, the result was wound back to the last completed lap and Johnson/Bowe finished 2nd. Johnson complained mightily at the podium interview, and fired the crowd up who booed Skaife and Richards (the latter calling the crowd a pack of arseholes). Funnily enough, Dick was not so worried when, as team owner, he watched his son's #17 Johnson/Radisich entry crash out of the Queensland 500 some years later but be awarded the race win over the #11 Perkins/Ingall Commodore. One might have expected him to concede the race to Perkins and Ingall, as he clearly would have felt the win was unjust.

[@dontmindmeghosts8946]

I have so addicted to your videos. I can’t stop

[@leonardantal6333]

One quick note on the rule that if less that 75% of the race distance is complete you get half points: if the lap they get their results from is less than lap 2, then the race is canceled. That's why for instance no one got points in the Spa F2 feature race when Hubert died.

[@franciscostubner5483]

Thank you Chain Bear! Greetings from Bavaria in Germany👋🏼🇩🇪

[@NovemberOrWhatever]

"red flags are pretty rare" Imola 2021 FP1, FP2, Q1, and race: are we a joke to you?

[@Wintergram]

Glad to see you again.

[@Wolfenkuni]

One problem. When you don't allow tire changes, then you can't change a flat tire. But when you can only change a flat one, having a flat becomes an advantage. The one thing one could do is to only allow to change to the same type of tire.

[@SuperDeadzombeh]

Oops that was my only set of softs now what?

[@amansaini3258]

Great information , looking forward for more videos

[@K0ALA.]

Such good videos as always

[@gingerbreadgirrl]

when I started watching F1 they could still repair cars during red flags, like 2011 in Monaco when they replaced a rear wing on a McLaren

[@dionstuartbaker7361]

Keep up the good work, mate

[@fafmotorsport]

I live for that end music 🎶

[@Dave_Allison]

It seems that one solution to the Lance Stroll issue would be to say that compound changes during a red flag do not count towards the two compound rule. The existing rule regarding wet compounds would still hold and supersede this rule in the event that the red flag was due to rain.

[@Maus881]

Great work!

[@waldo4891]

so many rules i wasn't aware of, thanks

[@Jafmasterflash]

As always a fantastic vid 👏🏻

[@LeonardoDiCapri-Sun]

May I present to you: Spa 2021

[@user-pz9xo7tn3x]

Thx foe explaining the 2021 Belgian GP before it happened

[@recon4786]

Still a relatively new F1 fan coming from the world of NASCAR. Very informative. When I watched Monza this year, seeing Racing Point be able to pull that off with Stroll would be completely unheard of here because you can’t even TOUCH the cars under red flag condition in NASCAR.

[@willjmars]

great video, as always :)

[@TheRomanRuler]

Absolutely let teams change what they want during a red flag. Its about luck wheter you benefit or loose, can't change that. So just get everyone into as good shape as possible so they can fight it out on the track.

[@Tiger31193]

Australia 2002 was a principle, because Charlie Whiting said, you don't simply throw a red flag for a start accident

[@armaniac661]

Man, that "Lando rates beans" episode got me hyped for the finale, can't wait!

[@jakubpiotrowski1028]

Gasly's situation with his pit stop in Monza was very interesting. Even though he pitted just before the red flag, he didn't fall back down the order because the pit lane was closed and drivers pitted after they were bunched up.

[@lemongoose1210]

Great technical explanations👍

[@Septimus_ii]

Allowing the teams to change tyres would also be unfair - if you have to pit soon after a restart it would be far more punishing than if the red flag hadn't happened (see Hamilton's drive through penalty that normally would still leave him with an easy podium)

[@onnayoung7699]

One thing that I never see mentioned in the debate about red flag tier changes is that you need relatively fresh tiers to standing start safely and if you are still on the tiers you did q2 on that means they have been heat cycled twice. Heat cycling them changes the structure of the very sensitive rubber. This is why in Magello you saw Kimi so upset that the team was not getting that blankets on fast enough.

[@KrisRogos]

It should be a granular thing change to the same compound or between wet and dry > stay in place (so in a dry race you'd still need to pit under green for a 2nd compound) change to a different dry compound or fix accident damage > move back 5 places set-up changes or extensive fixes > move to the back of the grid Would stop people getting a free pitstop but also doesn't penalise them too harshly for missing the pits just before a red flag (as most drivers when pitting do lose 3-7 positions on track but as everyone does it in most cases it sorts itself out for drivers on the same strategy). It also follows in line with what happens if you make changes between the end of qualifying and start of the race with small changes giving a 5 place drop and big changes moving them to the back of the grid. In effect, the pre-red flag period would be treated as a qualifying race and the post-red flag period would be a 'sprint' race with parc-ferme conditions in-between.

[@hargrimza1310]

Allow changing tyres under red flag, but change the 'two compound' rule to also say teams must come in to the pits to perform a tyre change pit stop during active racing at least once

[@truckerallikatuk]

Changing tyres during a red flags is fine, but in my opinion, it shouldn't count as the mandated stop.

[@larsjj2794]

Thanks for the video! :D

[@heaffey]

I love you videos bro.

[@CannedBeaver1]

Chain! You should do a video about “marbles” and grip on the track and why some overtakes work early on and not later in the race! Just wondering what marbles mean and how they really effect the race. Obv they’re tire bits but what is the history with them, we’re they always a thing in racing? I’ve got questions that need to be answered!!!

[@king_br0k]

I think the solution for tyre changes during the red flag is that you should be required to use 2 compounds and make a live pit stop

[@WicherBos]

Very clear! Thx for explaining:)

[@Olivyay]

"Lance Stroll gained 24 seconds by doing zero racing pitstops" and then promptly ruined it by going off at the second chicane on the restart, when he was in a position to eventually win the race. 🙄

[@mclew1234]

They should adopt the american IndyCar/NASCAR rules, under a red flag you aren't allowed to touch the car at all (that includes no cooling fans etc, and maybe even tire blankets as we move away from them), park all cars on the grid, when the red flag is over the safety car leads them around the track & will pull in at the end of the lap, anyone needing to pit for damage repair and can do so at that point under racing conditions/safety car if more than 1 safety car lap is required. Only exception would be if the race director decides that weather may require a change of tire types such as from slicks to wets or vice versa, in which case mechanics pass jacks & a set of tires over the pit wall & they are changed on the grid in the minute or so before they pull off behind the safety car

[@Cryolemon]

I'm now imagining a situation where it's possible to get a quarter of a point by combining the

[@TheEvapiiShow]

Imagine a dead heat occuring in a race. We time those cars to 1/1000 of a second. Honestly, if two cars managed to end tge race in a dead heat nowdays, they should be rewarded with double points 😂

[@Cryolemon]

@@TheEvapiiShow it's never happened in any form of motor racing I don't think (it has in qualifying, iirc, where the rule is that the earlier lap gets the higher ranked place). Although NASCAR has had gaps of about 0.004, I believe. Even in athletics they time them to 1/1000, but the times are only official to 1/100, so they can give someone the win but give 1st and second the same time. Swimming they can only time to 1/100, so dead heats are more common there.

[@TheEvapiiShow]

@@Cryolemon it happened in the 1997 season finale in qualy. 3 drivers (Schumacher, Villeneuve and Frentzen all set the same time) and you are right, in qualy, the position goes to whoever got the time first as it is widely accepted that the track improves the further into the session you go

[@Catcrumbs]

Fiddle all you want, I say, but if you switch between dry tyre compounds it shouldn't be considered as satisfying the requirement to run more than one compound. Simply add a requirement to the two-compound rule that the switch has to take place either in the box or under green- or yellow-flag conditions.

[@Narmatonia]

I think the best solution to the tyre issue is that you have to change to the same compound, so you can’t use it as your mandatory pitstop, while still eliminating the risk of punctures

[@Infigo96]

I think in this era. Only tire changes allowed are to and from the different wet tires. So if cars were on slicks and the race is stopped due to a crash and it then starts raining (light or heavy) teams are allowed to change to wet or intermediate. Or the opposite but never between dry racing compounds to give tactical advantage.

[@jsquared1013]

This was by far the most clear explanation of the reason for the "penultimate lap before the red flag lap" part of the regulations. To be honest I never fully understood the reasoning behind it until now. Thanks! 👍 Also, regarding the red flag tire change issue in this mandatory compound-change era, why not just add a time penalty for anyone who changes tires during the red flag and subsequently finishes the race on a "zero stop", and base the time penalty on the known lap delta for a drive-thru?

[@lewiswood6117]

I frequently remember Brawn GP while drunk...

[@stephenbritton9297]

In the US, it typical that NOTHING can be done during a red flag, but there is a mad dash for the pits after. Often, the cars are stopped in a pack on track. Infamously, a NASCAR driver got in trouble for hopping out of his car and fixing a fender that was rubbing on his front tire... He had been in the lead, and took a penalty to the back. There of course, in typical American drunken fashion, was also an incident where a fan jumped the fence and went up to a driver to get his autograph during a red flag...

[@thelonesculler]

On the point of avoiding racing pitstops, Mercedes managed to do the whole of Brazil 2016 without a single racing pitstop on either car because of the multiple red flags

[@robbiesmith7386]

In the case of Lance Stroll, surely a better and fairer way of amending the current rules would be to mandate at least one pit stop during active running, rather than having to use 2 different compounds. That way, teams could still work on the cars during a stoppage, either for safety or strategy, but they won't gain unfairly by not having stopped during the race. You could of course still insist on a driver using 2 compounds of tyre, but it might add some more options in terms of strategy if a team were allowed to run medium and medium during a race, for instance. The mandated stop would also prevent a driver from trying to make it home on a single set of hard tyres, which might be a skill in itself, but as we've seen recently, isn't exactly safe...

[@Blabarsjocke]

They should be able to change parts on safety grounds, always. But as this would cause a hectic period for the marshals. A solution to this could be that the team notify the race marshals of items they intend to change and every part or wheel changed during the red flag would be collected, held by the marshals and their claim assessed for legitimacy, after a restart or the race. Penalties for faulty claims would then be assessed based on the perceived benefit the team gained by changing these parts. However always with the drivers safety in mind, erring on the side of caution. Changing parts covertly without notifying the marshals could result in disqualification from the race and a possible ban for the next race

[@Racer19E]

To me the easiest solution to the Stroll-at-Monza-Situation would be to only allow the Teams to change to the same compound in a red flag scenario, e.g. from a medium to a medium. That eliminates the possibility of a zero stop race while still giving the team the chance to chance tyres to avoid debris caused punctures.

[@brennanchapman2384]

Honestly I think the teams should be allowed to change tyres and do a “no stop” because let’s be honest, no one is ever going to gamble on a red flag unless it’s raining

[@quackingpanda8466]

IMO and just IMO you can change tyres but you can't change the compound ie change hard to hards only exception is rain tyres

[@brennanchapman2384]

Quacking panda that’s probably the best thing to do, good idea

[@coreyward]

Quacking panda That assumes the driver has a set of drivable tires of the same compound available.

[@Deftonesdsm]

@@coreyward well then its the teams fault for not allocating enough tires. Dont have same compound too bad pit on restart and change compounds. I.m.o. gaining an unfair advantage by changing tires during red flag is b.s. because the guy who pits b4 accident looses out when the guy who changes during red gains 20-30seconds on his race time. So i.m.o. fixing cars is fine but changing tires gives unfair advantage

[@quackingpanda8466]

@@coreyward None available then you can't change (just because you can doesn't mean you have to)

[@Bstingnl]

So, in theory, you could get in first position during a race, like not take a pit stop when everyone else does, hold onto it for a few rounds, then cause an accident so bad the race would have to be suspended indefinately and you'd be crowned the winner? Sounds like a plan.

[@bilalrasool2318]

Spa 2021 flashbacks

[@Olivyay]

They should find a way to close that loophole of a driver scoring points even though they crashed and cause the red flag themselves like the two examples you gave. I mean, in a Safety Car situation they freeze the positions on track as they are at the moment the SC is announced, so they don't really need a timing line to decide the racing order. Just take the racing order like you would do for a Safety Car while excluding the cars that crashed whose driver have gotten out (to have official gaps, take the dummy gaps when they enter the pitlane under the red flag).

[@MajorLeagueBassboost]

I could just leave a comment with some semi-funny pun about the typo, but you know what? Accidents happen, not a big deal tbh.

[@Jtngetabettername]

This is very late, but for red flags, why can't we add an additional 'Mandatory Pitstop' clause? If we remove the red flag period when the car is in the fast lane, then everyone has to make at least one racing pitstop; and if it is not served until the last, say, 3-5 laps or maybe 90% race distance, the cars just get a 4-5 second stop-and-go penalty, effectively a slow pitstop? Edit: Some issues for this: 1) What about races that were wet at some time? 2) What about the cars that could not finish but were classified? 3) Subsequently, what about the races that were suspended or reached the 4hr limit before full distance? 4) What about races with multiple stops being the norm, e.g. where a racing pitstop has been taken and the second pitstop was relaxed via Red Flag procedures? 5) How to govern the 'Mandatory' pitstops to be not effectively Stop-and-go penalties? 6) What if the penalty isn't taken at all? What alternative penalty should be enforced? 7) Does this penalty add penalty points to the superlicense?

[@ThePulmentinum]

so if a race is red flagged when the leader is doing lap 30 (has completed 29 laps) and it cannot be resumed then the final order would be the one at the end of lap 28, but if the race can be resumed, the restarting order will be the current one, with the leader completing 30 and half laps and every car behind him. For the purpose of race lenght the lap the leader is in at the moment of red red flag count as completed or not? Also: the lap before the previous rule in the brazil race told at the end of the video meant that initially Fisichella was considered 2ndto Raikkonen, but after timing check it was noted that Fisichella completed another lap slightly before the red flag thus the final order became that of one lap later and Fisichella was declared winner.

[@norbertkocsis5945]

I will have a really horrible day at school tomorrow. This video will cheer me up before it.

[@bigb333]

I think you'll have a great day :)

[@doghat1619]

I think teams should be allowed to fiddle with cars during the red flags. The sport is about the team as a constructor, so this just allows the teams to influence the race more, and importantly gives some extra support to the teams who might be lower down the field and give them an opportunity to improve after the stoppage ends.

[@liamrobbins4470]

Red flag, the easiest way to tell the marshals that lunch is cancelled