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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
McLaren has questioned whether the yellow flag that ruined Lando Norris‘ qualifying performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix needed to be shown.
Norris was on his second run in the opening session of qualifying and on target to advance to Q2 when he had to abort his lap due to a yellow flag being displayed for Esteban Ocon‘s slow-moving Alpine in the high-speed Turns 18 and 19.
A yellow flag is waved to warn drivers of an incident ahead and requires them to slow down significantly and be prepared to change direction. White flags are more commonly used to warn drivers of slow-moving cars and do not require a driver to lift off the throttle.
On seeing the yellow flag, Norris aborted his lap, meaning he had to rely on his first attempt in Q1 that was only good enough for 17th on the grid.
The result could be critical for Norris’ title hopes as he attempts to close a 62-point gap to championship leader Max Verstappen over the remaining eight races.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he discussed the yellow flag with the FIA, even though there is no way of changing the outcome of the session retrospectively.
“We will do our best to get back into the points, minimise the impact, but obviously that was a very unfortunate moment for Lando today,” Stella told Sky Sports.
“We were discussing now with the FIA as to why a yellow flag was displayed at that moment in time, which was extremely costly.
“The team didn’t say it because it was displayed last minute and we checked right now in our tools and it is actually displayed as a yellow, so we were in conversations with the FIA as to why that happened because the yellow flag isn’t necessary when there’s a car is just a slow car, it is not on a flying lap.
“Everyone tried their best I’m sure, this time there was a situation that ideally, and I think by the regulations, shouldn’t have happened. We paid the price but we don’t give up.
“We move on, we will do our best tomorrow to get some good points.”
Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri qualified second for McLaren, underlining the performance the car had.
Stella said points would be the target for Norris on Sunday, but was doubtful the McLaren driver would outscore title rival Verstappen, who will start the race from sixth on the grid.
“With Lando if we get within the radar of a Red Bull it means the race has gone very well, I would above all think of trying to score some points,” Stella told Sirius XM.
“And then, here in Azerbaijan you have red flags, you have safety cars, and definitely you need to enter the race with the mindset that all is possible and we want to take the opportunities that come to us.”