IndyCar wreck shows why Formula 1 needs blue flags

Felix Rosenqvist hitting the wall during the late stages of IndyCar’s season opener shows Formula 1 why the blue flags are still needed.

The phrase “blue flags” is very common in Formula 1, though it is used by some more than others. When a blue flag is shown to a driver, it indicates that a faster car is approaching and is trying to overtake. It is normally shown to lapped cars. It is a pretty simple yet effective rule that every racing driver knows. The leaders love it and the backmarkers loathe it.

The blue flag allows racing to continue for the lapped cars when the cars doing the lapping are past, which obviously enables the racing to continue for the faster cars as well.

Being held up is what a driver fears. It not only ruins his race, but it also ruins it for the spectators who are hoping to see some real, intense racing. It becomes almost unfair to the faster drivers, who have worked their way to be a full lap ahead of the slower ones, for that to get thrown in the bin.

And thrown in the bin is what happened to Felix Rosenqvist. Or should I say, “thrown in the wall”. Both of them work.

An impressive outing for Rosenqvist during the 2020 IndyCar season-opening Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway ended abruptly for him toward the end of the race.

Rosenqvist, who was running in second place and attempting to catch race leader and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, got caught up in a backmarker battle after cutting Dixon’s lead from more than 10 seconds to less than 0.3 seconds.

The backmarker battle in which he got involved was one that not many cared about. To avoid being passed around the outside by another backmarker after Marco Andretti had just passed him, Rosenqvist took a huge gamble by going in the slick outside lane to pass James Hinchcliffe, whom Andretti had just blown by.

This spiraled into him losing all grip and spinning into the wall, ruining his race. That sort of incident does not sit right, especially for those who were hoping for a close ending to the race. Scuppered.

However, those who watched the race will know that the non-existent blue flag halted Dixon’s progress also. A troubled race for Will Power saw him toward the rear end of the field with the leader approaching to lap him.

Power stayed in his position, as he could, and Dixon couldn’t pass him. Reading that, some might think that it is “just racing”, but that is wrong. As noted, Dixon’s lead of more than 10 seconds at the time dropped dramatically, giving Rosenqvist the smell of blood, blood that the 28-year-old Swede was undoubtedly spitting after the race.

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Let’s throw ourselves back into the Formula 1 world again. Of course, an incident like this one has happened in Formula 1 a number of times. From the top of the dome, an example of this drops us into 2018 at Interlagos. Max Verstappen was in the midst of making a statement to the paddock.

After starting in the fifth position on the grid, Verstappen had worked his way up to the lead, passing both Ferraris and both Mercedes in the process. This was until lap 44. Backmarker Esteban Ocon believed he was quicker then the leader while on new tires and attempted an audacious move.

Had he tried this move on a driver fighting for position, it would have been fine. Great, in fact — carry on by all means. But when you find yourself behind a driver who just put you a lap down, you have to ensure that the move will work without fail, especially if you are doing it on the leader.

Long story short, they both ended up backwards with Verstappen ultimately finishing in second place behind Lewis Hamilton because of it.

Anyway, back on track. Since Hamilton was just mentioned, his name will be used again here. Let’s paint this picture together. The “Scott Dixon” in this scenario will be Hamilton. An experienced, old boy out in front. And the “Felix Rosenqvist” will be Carlos Sainz Jr. — that is, when he is with Ferrari.

Like Rosenqvist, Sainz is hungry for his first win. We also need a track for this picture, so let’s use a track that is great for racing: the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

So, Hamilton is leading with Sainz closing in on him after Hamilton had lost some time to a slower car. Sainz gets within DRS range and uses it to pull himself closer up the hill to the infamous turn three and then on the straight into turn four.

At this point, Hamilton manages to get DRS from a backmarker in front of him. The backmarker happens to be Kevin Magnussen, a driver who is known for being stubborn. Due to the no blue flag rule, all three of them are racing. Two drivers are fighting for first and second place, with one strolling around in 14th. But the battle is still exciting for the fans: can Sainz get his first win?

Hamilton passes Magnussen on the straight, who is now slow on the inside of turn four, leaving Sainz with no choice but to try to pass him around the outside. Sainz’s left rear wheel dips into the gravel and he spins into the barrier.

Not only are Sainz’s and Ferrari’s hopes for a win dashed, but the hope for a close finish is dashed for every spectator.

Just like many things in Formula 1, ideas such as this one are always in the air to be heard. Scrapping blue flags is always volleyed at some point during the season. But it would not work. It is quite simple. For good, entertaining and fair racing, blue flags are a must.

Nobody can blame the leaders for wanting a slower car that is now a lap behind out of the way so they don’t ruin their race. The backmarkers then have a right to move out of the way, and the racing can continue. Without blue flags, all hell would break loose and some of the racing would be gripping, although a Williams/Red Bull wheel-to-wheel battle wouldn’t last long.

The organizers would open a can of worms with all of the complaints and threats from the lead teams, calling bias toward the lower cars which leads to unfair racing. That can of worms would quickly spill into an embarrassing mess.