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@Bob if that is the case, then I am not sure what all the fuss is about? There is no yellow light between the marshal post displaying green and the green flashing light?
The lights can either be controlled locally, or by race control. I suspect in this case it was race control. Race control should also direct a flagging station what to flag via radio. It is possible there was a miscommunication – it happens, even with the highly professional marshals that work these events.
(PS Apparently I they are marshals not marshalls – apologies for my spelling errors)
For anyone that cares the regulations are here:
http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/1653003624__Appendix_H_a.pdf
Light signals
Lights may be used to supplement or replace waved red, yellow,
green, blue and white flags. When lights are to be used at an
event they should be described in the Supplementary Regulations and the following requirements should be respected.As I read it, lights can either supplement OR replace flags. So they are either equal to or less than flags. Without access to the Supplementary Regulations for the event, they could be either.
Considering both cases:
– If the yellow flashing light following the green flag was a supplementary light, the flag has precedence, therefore racing could begin and continue at the waved green flag (light supplement incorrect).
– If the yellow flashing light replaced a flag, then it is an independent flagging position. Racing may occur between the waved green flag, and the yellow flashing light.That is my 2p. I will pipe down now. Let’s see if this protest happens, and how it plays out. Never a dull moment in F1 :-).
In addition, the drivers know where all the flag positions are. This is why the marshalls display flags at the start of every session, so the drivers have a chance to spot the flag positions. Their lives can depend on it, so they are looking for these, among the other things going on in the cockpit.
The BBC has written, without citation, that the on track signals take precedence over the cockpit lights, so lets assume they have a source, and that is correct.
In that case, it matters not a jot whether the lights or flags have precedence. If you pass a ‘green indicator’ you are free to race until such time as you pass a ‘yellow indicator’ flag or light. Thus Vettel passed between a green and yellow, and cannot be penalized.
If the on track lights take precedence, then they should just get rid of the flags to remove any ambiguity.
And yes you can wave a flag that fast when there is adrenaline flowing…
@f1rollout – if the flags don’t have any meaning when the lights are showing – get rid of the flags. I’ve been unable to track down the correct section of the regs that define this, but if you pass:
1) Flashing yellow light 1
2) Waving green flag
3) Flashing yellow light 2
4) Flashing green lightYou are, by application of equal status of the light and flags, free to race between 2 & 3, and from 4 on.
If the flag at point 2 was shown in error, that is no fault of the drivers. And yes, I do think the drivers look for the flags – they are there for their safety and assistance.
If Charlie controls the lights, and the marshalls control the flags, and the two are doing different things, that is the FIA and race control’s problem, not the drivers.
Even if the marshall is displaying the wrong flag, flags take precedence over flashy lights in the rules as far as I know (and they should).
Mistakes happen at 200mph, but on this occasion I don’t see Vettel did anything wrong.
I don’t have a horse in this race, but Ferrari won’t win any of my respect by launching an appeal on this. I don’t think Vettel passed under a known yellow condition due to contradictory signals from the track staff and race control, and I doubt he gained a material advantage in any case, the TR was going to let him by pretty easily at the next corner anyway.
