Written by Lujan Garcia, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
This weekend's São Paulo Grand Prix was draining for all, while some found it ecstatic, and others a struggle. The problem started on Saturday qualifying, which had to be suspended due to excessive rain.
The race was quite disastrous, as several drivers crashed out in the wet conditions, but this was not the case for Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, who was forced to retire after being black-flagged.
The black flag is used to automatically disqualify a driver from a race. This means the driver must head into the pit lane and abandon the race. This flag is rarely used in Formula One.
In the German racer’s case, he lost control of his car on lap 27 at turn one and was beached on a ridge off the track with no damage to the car.
He received the black flag as the marshalls of the Interlagos circuit pushed Nico's car to help him get back on track and continue with the race. This is forbidden in the regulations, so he got a black flag and was instantly disqualified.
This left Haas with only one car on track, with stand-in Oliver Bearman finishing 12th in the race.
The last time a driver received a black flag was during the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, when Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella were black-flagged on lap 51, having failed to slow down at the red light on pit exit during the race.
Earlier instances have seen Michael Schumacher lose a podium in the 1994 British Grand Prix, having overtaken pole-sitter Damon Hill during the formation lap, and failing to serve the stop-go penalty in time. Although the German returned to his starting position, he was still penalised.
The stewards repeatedly showed him the black flag, but he ignored them. Two weeks later, the FIA disqualified the German from the race and penalised him with a two-race ban, in addition to a $500,000 fine.
In a weekend characterised by chaos, the Brazilian GP served as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of Formula 1. From torrential rain disrupting qualifying to Nico's rare black flag disqualification, it was a race that tested the limits of both drivers and teams.
As Haas faced the challenge of running with just one car, the incident reignited discussions about the importance of adhering to regulations, reminding us how every decision counts in a sport with such high stakes as motor racing.
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