McLaren questions Azerbaijan yellow flag after Lando Norris’ Q1 elimination

McLaren are questioning whether the yellow flag that ruined Lando Norris’ qualifying performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix should have been shown at all.

Norris was on his second run in the opening session of qualifying and was on track to progress to Q2 when he was forced to abandon his lap due to a yellow flag for the slow-moving Alpine of Esteban Ocon at the high-speed turns 18 and 19.

A yellow flag is waved to warn drivers of an incident ahead and requires them to slow down significantly and be prepared to change direction. White flags are more commonly used to warn drivers of slow-moving cars and do not require a driver to release the accelerator.

When Norris saw the yellow flag he aborted his lap, having to rely on his first attempt in Q1, which was only good enough for 17th on the grid.

The result could be decisive for Norris’ title chances as he bids to close a 62-point gap to championship leader Max Verstappen in the remaining eight races.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he has discussed the yellow flag with the FIA, even though there is no possibility of changing the outcome of the session afterwards.

“We will do our best to get back into the points and minimise the impact, but obviously it was a very unfortunate moment for Lando today,” Stella told Sky Sports.

“We are now in discussions with the FIA ​​about the reason why a yellow flag was raised at that time, which cost a huge amount of money.

“The team didn’t say that because it was displayed at the last minute. We’ve checked it in our tools now and it does show as yellow. We’re in talks with the FIA ​​to find out why that happened. The yellow flag is not needed if the car is going slowly and not on a fast lap.

“Everyone did their best, I’m sure, but this time there was a situation that ideally, and I think according to the rules, should not have happened. We paid the price, but we don’t give up.

“We’ll move on, we’ll do our best tomorrow to score some good points.”

Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri qualified second for McLaren, underlining the car’s performance.

Stella said Norris wanted to score points on Sunday but he doubted the McLaren driver would outpace title rival Verstappen, who starts the race from sixth on the grid.

“If we get close to a Red Bull with Lando, that means the race went really well. I would just try to score points,” Stella told Sirius XM.

“And then here in Azerbaijan you have to deal with red flags and safety cars. You absolutely have to go into the race with the thought that everything is possible and that we want to seize the opportunities that we get.”