Silverstone qualifying...(yellow flags at the end of first session)

[Erki]

How come quite a few drivers improved their laps when yellow flags were out because of Ant's off at the end of first quali session? I thought they had to slow down if they didn't want to get penalised...

[wedge]

That's because the marshals put their yellow flags away just in time!

[Dave B]

So long as that sector wasn't their fastest the lap time stands. Improving the other two sector times could give a faster lap, only if they improved in the sector where the flags were out would there have been a problem.

[ioan]

There were a few drivers that improved their times last year in Monaco under yellow flags too. If it was possible then and there why not in Silverstone???

[Valve Bounce]

There were a few drivers that improved their times last year in Monaco under yellow flags too. If it was possible then and there why not in Silverstone???


Maybe they aren't supposed to overtake.

[wedge]

Monaco relies more on mechanical grip so the driver can a big difference.

Silverstone is regarded as an aero track. 1st sector is virtually full throttle which meant you've must made banzai sector times to make up the difference for the last sector!

I'm sure Button was looking to progress into Q2 but he had to lift and was knocked out. IIRC, he was told there was yellow flags waving but they disappeared and Button was expecting yellow flags???

[Valve Bounce]

Maybe he pressed the wrong button. :p :

[Mikeall]

Monaco relies more on mechanical grip so the driver can a big difference.

Silverstone is regarded as an aero track. 1st sector is virtually full throttle which meant you've must made banzai sector times to make up the difference for the last sector!

I'm sure Button was looking to progress into Q2 but he had to lift and was knocked out. IIRC, he was told there was yellow flags waving but they disappeared and Button was expecting yellow flags???

On the interview Button actually said that the thing that annoyed him was that he was told on the radio that there would be yellow flags as he was negotiating a difficult corner but it probably didn't make any difference to his lap time. On ITV James Allen then decided to tell everyone before the race that he'd been held up by yellow flags which is why he didn't make it into Q2...

[truefan72]

yellow flags are out to caution the drivers and to enforce a no overtaking rule in the localized area of the incident,

1. I doubt any of the drivers were trying to or in the process of overtaking each other

2. if it was a yellow on a relative slow corner or slower section of the course, then the lap times really won't be that affected.

So like some others have rightly pointed out, it really shouldn't and didn't play an effect on Button's lap. The only issue would be the poor judgement of the team management not to recognize the localized yellow and relay the appropriate information to their driver.