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[myownalias]

This is just plain dangerous. Look at Webber and Kovalainen's crash. 99% of the time you are getting lapped because you are way slower than the pace setters. 3-4 seconds a lap maybe or worse.

This is the reason I believe blue flags are needed, not specifically Webber's incident but in general, given how hard it is to overtake on many F1 circuits these days, I believe having backmarkers holding up the front running drivers is a recipe for disaster, I can see a queue of leading drivers being stuck behind a Lotus at Monaco and it ending in tears.

[Robert12010]

This is just plain dangerous. Look at Webber and Kovalainen's crash. 99% of the time you are getting lapped because you are way slower than the pace setters. 3-4 seconds a lap maybe or worse.

This is the reason I believe blue flags are needed, not specifically Webber's incident but in general, given how hard it is to overtake on many F1 circuits these days, I believe having backmarkers holding up the front running drivers is a recipe for disaster, I can see a queue of leading drivers being stuck behind a Lotus at Monaco and it ending in tears.

sorry but blue flags are needed in motorsport in general, you know, tony fernandes and RB are good guys at heart but for the front running teams...its a nightmare if you've got a virgin or HRT in your way for lap after lap, agreed with previous comments that the better driver should be good enough to overtake...but i also agree that modern f1 tracks can be difficult to overtake....

[f1ea]

When you have a driver full race on fighting for 0 pts vs a driver fighting for 25 pts, strange and weird things are going to happen.

I dont think they should get rid of blue flags. I think they should get rid of the backmarkers.
If they cant lap within a reasonable speed/time margin, they shouldnt be wasting grid space and creating hazards. End of.

So, they want add space at the expense of putting the real fast cars at risk... get a billboard!

[myownalias]

So, they want add space at the expense of putting the real fast cars at risk... get a billboard!

I never thought of it as a marketing exercise; but if Lotus; Virgin and HRT are holding up the leaders, inevitably, their cars will get more TV air time, pleasing their sponsors!

[vaptin]

Aren't blue flags in use for all forms of motorsport?

Teams race each other for track position, officially letting back markers interfere will just create more "artificial variables", in other words it'll be down to luck when there are reasonable measures to lesson that luck.

My point being is one driver will simply breeze past them on a straight, another will come up in a twisty section and have no where to go, yes this already happens, but not having blue flags will make it worse. Can see it considerably lessoning the options for pit lane strategy as well (and with no refuelling and silly tyre compound rules we don't need that happening), ultimately it'll be "we're coming up to back makers, pit this lap as he won't be able to leap frog you by going an extra lap". Again that can already happen (Alonso in Canada) but no blue flags will make it worse.

I can understand the self interest from the smaller teams, wanting more tv coverage like in Monaco where Alonso was taking some time to pass them, but just introduce a "no overtaking the driver in front if blue flags are being waved for him and you" rule to remove most of the unfairness to them.

In terms of generating excitement, its just looking in the wrong place to try and get more overtaking.

Though I don't really love blue flags that much, If they're scrapped I'll see what happens.

[scotty]

It's a tough one this - it's nigh on impossible to find the perfect balance. You can't have no blue flags at all as it lays out a scenario where certain teams may be favoured by others and get much more help with the backmarkers (which is farcical), but by the same token i do think the current rules are mega tight on anyone at the back. Yes, you can argue that it's their own fault for being at the back but that is quite an elitist mentality. If the backmarkers are getting shafted to the point of losing several seconds a lap by rules that are geared towards the front runners, then how can they ever conceivably run a clever race that might allow them to bridge a gap to the cars they are trying to catch? They cannot do anything at all in that situation.

Perhaps a rule whereby drivers have one lap to adhere to the blue flags would be reasonable, especially at mega tight places like Monaco where it is very hard to get a smooth lapping maneuver within three marshall posts. This way the more skilled lapping drivers can get a jump on the others by, well, being better at that aspect of driving and it's all about finding out who the best driver is right? Plus, very importantly, the potential for unpredictably and incident is increased, which means more interesting racing - and i sure as hell want that.

On a side note, to address posts slating the new teams: this season just proves how tough it is to get a completely new team off the ground when in currernt times the grid is so ridiculously competitive. They HAVE to be given time to learn and catch up (something which i am sure they can do next season) otherwise we will never see any new teams able to realistically enter F1. You really expected them to be able to completely maximise, say, the double diffuser in a matter of months when the existing teams were no doubt looking at ways of doing that since it was deemed legal a year and a half ago? If there were no brand new teams appearing, the sport would eventually die one way or another.

[What's Burning?]

I think the complaint is less about the blue flags and more about the fact that they are back markers and can't compete amongst themselves because of the concern of the blue flags.

What they should be asking for is more testing allowed ONLY for the new teams so they can close the gap quicker. There will always be back markers, even if only one second off the pace instead of three.

[vaptin]

I think the complaint is less about the blue flags and more about the fact that they are back markers and can't compete amongst themselves because of the concern of the blue flags.

What they should be asking for is more testing allowed ONLY for the new teams so they can close the gap quicker. There will always be back markers, even if only one second off the pace instead of three.

They're only getting blue flags constantly because their so far behind, I think the solution is for them to catch up rather than abolish blue flags.

But what I suspect they really want, is the T.V time.

[spankyham]

On a side note, to address posts slating the new teams: this season just proves how tough it is to get a completely new team off the ground when in currernt times the grid is so ridiculously competitive. They HAVE to be given time to learn and catch up (something which i am sure they can do next season) otherwise we will never see any new teams able to realistically enter F1. You really expected them to be able to completely maximise, say, the double diffuser in a matter of months when the existing teams were no doubt looking at ways of doing that since it was deemed legal a year and a half ago? If there were no brand new teams appearing, the sport would eventually die one way or another.

It's silly expecting a new team to waltz into the highest echelon of motor sport and be competitive. This season has proved that. There's nothing wrong with having new teams, but they should learn the basics, at other levels for starters. If they want to compete they need to have the personnel, the experience, the budget and possibly a bit of good luck.
There have always been new teams coming and some teams going throughout the history of F1. As long as F1 is kept as the pinnacle of motor sport there will always be wanna-be's. My fear is with all the cost cutting and going-green influences that F1 will loose the mantle it should struggle to keep.

What they should be asking for is more testing allowed ONLY for the new teams so they can close the gap quicker. There will always be back markers, even if only one second off the pace instead of three.

I don't agree with this at all. I think this would simply lower standards, and F1 should be doing the opposite i.e. raising the bar.

[billindenver]

No sane person could expect a new team to be competitive in F1 without testing. The new teams, far more than established ones, are strangled by the no testing rule. All teams with both cars finishing out of the points for three straight races should be given unlimited testing until they finish in the points three times or better than 5th once. How else are they going to catch up to the teams with years of experience and the best engineers money can buy? Engineers will not learn if they can't test their theories. If the engineers don't learn...nobody moves forward.

[spankyham]

No sane person could expect a new team to be competitive in F1 without testing. The new teams, far more than established ones, are strangled by the no testing rule. All teams with both cars finishing out of the points for three straight races should be given unlimited testing until they finish in the points three times or better than 5th once. How else are they going to catch up to the teams with years of experience and the best engineers money can buy? Engineers will not learn if they can't test their theories. If the engineers don't learn...nobody moves forward.

So lets severely punish any team for being creative and coming up with a good idea, by giving a massive advantage to the teams who have proven they can't make a fast enough car. I can just see Adrian Newey turning up to the powers that be with his next great idea and asking for the funding for it - I can hear the deafening silence already. Why spend a penny when whatever you come up with is going to advantage you for 3 races ROFL.
Basically, lets find out who the weakest team is and then drag everyone down to their standard - I've actually seen this theory in action - it was when I was in Pyong Yang.

I do however agree with this part of the post:-

No sane person could expect a new team to be competitive in F1

New teams should learn their skills and develop their team and engineers in a feeder competition, when you graduate you'll be not only welcome in F1 but you'll be able to contribute and compete.

[stonemonkey]

So instead of the backmarkers not being allowed to interfere with the frontrunners race, the frontrunners should not be allowed to interfere with the backmarkers race? They're not racing against each other and all the backmarkers that are racing against each other will be similarly inhibited over the course of the race by blue flags, perhaps a slight addition in that another backmarker may not pass a car being shown a blue flag for one corner after the frontrunner has passed to stop someone taking direct advantage.
I'm not overly keen on the blue flags but I think it would be wrong to allow backmarkers to try to race agaiinst cars lapping them.

[Jabberwocky]

get rid of the blue flags, if the top guys are that much faster then they should be able to sale past.

However I feel the weardy beardy Branston Pickle is doing it so his cars/brand get more TV time whilst the leaders are lapping

[f1ea]

When you have a car that has nothing to lose, vs a car that's running for the full 25pts of the race... weird things are going to happen. In other words... if a car has nothing to lose, their possibilities are endless to avoid a race leader getting by, just to get more exposure time.

After all, the virgins got more airplay during the Lewis-Webber incident (and the seconds that lead to it) than they'd have gotten had they been haging at the back. That was very good marketing. Terrible racing.

[What's Burning?]

Let's just have 5 teams with four cars each, this way more air time for everyone and no back markers. It would be so exciting watching qualifying on Saturdays when it's a RedBull 1,2,3,4. Monaco would be a blast to watch.