A split-second call to activate the yellow flags for Esteban Ocon’s damaged Alpine saw McLaren driver Lando Norris pull out of qualifying for the 2024 Formula 1 Baku Q1.

The incident knocked out Norris, the 2024 title contender, and saw him qualify 17th in Baku on Saturday, a move that could prove a major blow to his hopes of overtaking Max Verstappen in this season’s standings.

There was also much speculation after qualifying as to whether Norris actually passed a yellow flag or whether he braked too early when he saw the yellow flag, with McLaren team boss Andrea Stella saying immediately after the session that “a yellow flag was shown that ultimately wasn’t necessary”.

The FIA ​​has now confirmed to Motorsport.com that Norris was indeed shown a yellow flag on the digital activation system that illuminates the car’s marker boards and cockpit lights during the brief incident.

A marshal deemed this necessary due to the presence of Ocon’s slow-moving Alpine approaching a crucial part of the Baku circuit. The car was damaged when the Frenchman hit the wall shortly before on the exit of Turn 4 (where Franco Colapinto crashed in Q1).

Ocon was on his way back to the pits and had already been harassed by white flags warning other drivers of a slow-moving car ahead of him. However, given the section of the circuit where Norris encountered him – just before the high-speed left and right of turns 18 and 19 – the aforementioned marshal decided to activate the yellow flag warning for this particular mini-section.

Esteban Ocon, Alps A524

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

That was quickly turned off as Norris and Ocon continued on their way, with FIA officials pleased with the marshal’s performance – according to information gathered by Motorsport.com in Baku.

Norris immediately backed off the throttle due to the yellow flag and returned to the pits when engineer Will Joseph told him he was unable to complete another lap in Q1 after the Briton reported the yellow flag had been activated.

Joseph then said, “Man, I’m sorry, they shouldn’t have done that,” regarding the yellow flag.

Stella told Sky Sports F1 about the incident immediately after qualifying: “The team didn’t say there was a yellow flag because it was only shown at the last moment.”

“We’ve checked it now with our tools,” he added. “And it actually shows as a yellow flag, so we’re in discussions with the FIA ​​as to why that happened, because a yellow flag is not necessary if there’s a car that’s just a slow car (that’s) offline.

“I’m sure everyone is doing their best, but this time there was a situation that ideally should not have happened.

“We paid the price. We don’t give up and as I said, everyone is doing their best. We acknowledge that, we move on and we will do our best tomorrow to get some good points.”

Stella later said: “I think Lando was just in a place at the wrong time where there was a yellow flag that ultimately wasn’t needed.”

Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

The question McLaren is asking revolves around how far off the track Ocon was when Norris passed him – given that the Alpine was well on the outside exiting Turn 17 – and furthermore neither car had reached the blind approach to Turns 18 and 19.

Here Norris had to abort a flying lap in FP2 after meeting Pierre Gasly in the other Alpine in this section.

Motorsport.com has learned that McLaren is still awaiting clarification from the FIA, while the Formula 1 group was specifically warned during the drivers’ meeting after FP2 to urgently adhere to the yellow rules on this point.

As for the suggestion that Norris actually responded to a white flag warning, the green flag sign immediately behind the area where he passed Ocon confirms that the yellow flag was raised.

In the FIA ​​digital system, white flags are not followed by green flags. The white flags are simply removed when a car passes a marshalling sector.

The drivers are also said to have asked the FIA ​​whether it would be possible to open up these fast, blind corners for future races in Baku, given the risks involved and previous precarious situations.

The FIA ​​would be open to changing the placement of barriers on this part of the Baku layout – something it also did after the first race in Jeddah in 2021 – if city authorities agreed.