The FIA has confirmed a rule for the 2026 season just before the turn of the year. The governing body hopes to clarify any ambiguity surrounding red flag situations in qualifications. This was prompted, in part, by the controversy that arose after the recent qualification in Emilia-Romagna, when Oliver Bearman lost his fast lap time due to a late red flag.
When a red flag is waved during a free practice, qualification, or race, the rules for drivers are clear. They all must immediately reduce speed and return to the pit lane. Overtaking is then prohibited, as Yuki Tsunoda experienced last season. The Japanese driver received a penalty for his overtaking maneuver during a red flag situation in FP3 of the Grand Prix weekend in Canada.
A red flag situation can, of course, also occur during a qualification. It may happen that a driver who is on a fast lap does not have enough time to slow down before crossing the start-finish line. The fast lap is thus completed under a red flag situation. The question then arises: does this lap time count for the driver or not? This happened to Oliver Bearman in Emilia-Romagna: the rookie had set a lap time that was good enough for Q2, but then lost it because the time was driven during a red flag situation. A heated debate followed, and the further qualification was delayed by 25 minutes.
Rule Change for 2026
To prevent repetition, the FIA is implementing another rule change for 2026. It now states that any lap time set after the red flag has been waved will no longer count. This applies regardless of whether the driver could not brake in time or only saw the red flag later. The FIA’s full statement reads as follows:
“When a car crosses the finish line to complete a lap after the red flag has been shown: (a) that lap time is not considered valid; (b) the moment of the first display is determined by the official timing system or, if this is not available or not synchronized, as jointly confirmed by the race director or the race secretary and the chief timekeeper; (c) if a lap time is recorded after the red flag has been shown for the first time, the stewards will delete that lap time. This provision applies to all practice sessions, qualifying sessions, and races,” adds the governing body.
