F1 drivers face new yellow flag rules

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The introduction of a new marshalling system for 2014 means that the FIA is better able to examine how fast drivers are in individual segments of the track.

Rather than the circuit being split up in to its previous three timing sectors, the governing body has been able to divide each track up in to 20 individual sectors for this season.

AUTOSPORT has learned that as the result of this new system, drivers have been told that they will be expected to slow down by a specific amount for yellow warning flags from now on.

They have been told by F1 race director Charlie Whiting that they must now slow down by 0.2 seconds compared to their best sector time for single yellow flags, and 0.5s for double waved yellows.

These times will be compared to the drivers' previous best sector time between one of the 20 individual light panels.

Previously drivers simply had to prove that they had slowed down for yellow flag incidents based on data that would be examined by stewards if they set a best sector time under yellows.

NEW SYSTEM MORE ACCURATE

Whiting praised the new marshalling system that has been introduced for this year when he spoke about it at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

"It will give us much better accuracy when looking at car positions and track sectors," he said.

"We can now split the track into 20 sectors rather than the traditional three.

"It will allow us, for example, to check accurately that a driver has slowed appropriately for yellow flags where looking at the larger sector would not always be representative.

"It's another tool that's been added to the stewards' armoury."

[Kiwi Nick]

This is great, I was afraid the FIA rule book was too small.

[Hornet]

I think this is a good change. If there's something going on at a corner, then drivers only need to slow down at that corner and not the next few hundred meters.

[Rob]

Good change, and really about time aswell.

[wisepie]

This sounds sensible from a safety and accuracy point of view but isn't it yet another means of penalising drivers more easily too? As if they didn't have enough brain strain operating the new F1 cars, especially in the wet when they can't see anything anyway!

[Nero Horse]

Good change, and really about time aswell.

Agreed. After a while this is actually something good and useful coming from the FIA.