Was IndyCar’s Use of the Red Flag at Belle Isle Appropriate?

To avoid having the second Belle Isle race end under caution, IndyCar threw a red flag. Was this action appropriate?

In a caution-free race up to lap 66 of 70, James Hinchcliffe’s Honda engine let go to bring out a caution flag with five laps to go. The caution flag came out, but during the cleanup, Spencer Pigot experienced a turbo failure in his Chevrolet (yes, Chevrolet) car.

In all likelihood, there may not have been enough time to clean things up from both incidents and have a green flag finish to the race. So IndyCar threw the red flag with three laps remaining, and all of the cars stopped in the pits as the cleanup continued. Given the history of the use of red flags in IndyCar, was this an appropriate action?

Obviously, fans want to see a green flag finish. But that goes for all races. As far as throwing the red flag goes, I do not have a problem with it on the surface level of the action. However, what the series has lacked over the years is consistency. And that is why I along with many others was shocked to see the red flag fly late in the second Belle Isle race.

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Why was there no red flag at the end of the 2013 Indy 500? Why was there a red flag at the end of the 2014 Indy 500? Why was there a red flag at the end of the Fontana race in 2015, especially since the race ended under caution anyway? Why was there no red flag at the end of the Pocono race in 2015, or after Sage Karam’s crash that killed Justin Wilson?

Why was there no red flag at the end of the Phoenix race last season? Why was there no red flag at the end of the Toronto race last season? Why was there no red flag after the late five-car wreck at the Indy 500 this season? I could go on and on and on.

The inconsistency is what gets me, as you can see from above. Sometimes they throw the red flag, and sometimes they don’t. This time, on a road course, not an oval, they threw the red flag. With a lot of passing as unlikely as it is at Belle Isle in a span of two laps, the series saw the red flag as a way to try to make things more exciting via a two-lap sprint to the checkered flag.

Here is another thing to consider in regard to consistency. Had Josef Newgarden not been closing in on Graham Rahal as fast as he was late in the race under green flag conditions, do you think the series would have thrown the red flag or simply let the race end under caution? Do drivers’ on-track positions matter when it comes to throwing the red flag or not?

IndyCar needs a set-in-stone policy on red flags and race extension rules. Maybe they need an overtime setup like NASCAR, or maybe they need a guaranteed red flag if a caution flag comes out with under a certain percentage of the race remaining. They need something. They can’t keep up this inconsistency, because if it hasn’t already, it will certainly affect the results of a big race, and thus maybe impact the championship, especially if some of these decisions are based on on-track driver positioning.

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Do you think IndyCar needs to ensure that the red flag procedure has a bit more consistency to it? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.