What are black flags in F1? The drivers disqualified from grands prix

While this was the first F1 in-race disqualification since 2007, there were some incidents in the intervening period when the black flag could have been used by grand prix stewards.

Kevin Magnussen was a multiple rule breaker throughout 2024. The Dane was accused of dangerous driving in Miami, where in an attempt to keep the trailing field behind him, he seemingly cut corners on purpose in order to retain his position. Instead of being black-flagged, Magnussen was given multiple time penalties.

Similarly, Max Verstappen was accused of dangerous driving in Mexico City — forcing title rival Lando Norris off the road twice in an effort to keep him behind. Again, instead of being disqualified, the Dutchman was handed two separate ten-second time penalties.

F1 drivers who have been shown the black flag

Under the current regulations, there are multiple reasons a driver can be shown the black flag. Below are some examples of drivers who have been black-flagged and disqualified from races, as well as the reason why. Click on each one for more information.

Nico Hülkenberg 

2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix 

After spinning at Turn 1 during treacherous wet weather conditions at the Sao Paulo GP, Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas stopped while perched on a kerb with all four wheels off the tarmac.

A virtual safety car was deployed, during which stewards pushed Hülkenberg back onto the circuit. But in doing so, the German received physical assistance from outside the pitlane, infringing the sporting regulations. As a result he was promptly disqualified.

“I was beached, which was very unfortunate, after a low-speed spin, which was my mistake,” said Hülkenberg. “But then it’s quite unlucky to be beached like that. Normally you spin and you continue. So a small mistake with a huge consequence.”

Giancarlo Fisichella/Felipe Massa

2007 Canadian Grand Prix

Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa were stung with the same severe penalty at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, as both cars exited the pitlane during a safety car period while the red light at the exit was still on.

At the time, the pitlane was closed each lap when the safety car and the train of cars behind passed the exit, to reduce the chances of collision. Both drivers failed to notice the red light and drove through it.

Massa accused the steward in charge of changing the pitlane lights of being “slow” and later deemed his disqualification “unfair”.

“I think for sure, my opinion is that the rules are the rules,” said the Brazilian. “It was a mistake from the driver because I didn’t watch the light. It was a mistake from the team because they didn’t tell me to watch the light – and for sure it will never happen again because we have put it on our checklist.

“But I think it was maybe also something wrong with the procedure. The rules say you need to wait until the last car passes the line, but I go out of the box and I am the last car. And the light was red. That is why for me also maybe the guy who works the light was not quick enough.”

Juan Pablo Montoya

2005 Canadian GP & 2004 United States Grand Prix

At the 2005 Canadian Grand Prix, a black flag cost Juan Pablo Montoya an almost certain victory, in much the same way that Fisichella and Massa would be disqualified two years later.

Montoya had originally qualified fifth but gradually climbed his way through the field to lead, ahead of his McLaren team-mate Kimi Räikkönen. But after a safety car was deployed on lap 46 and Montoya was ordered to pit — the team aiming to put him on faster and fresher tyres for one final blast to the finish — he left the pitlane while the red light was showing at the exit. The Columbian was black-flagged and disqualified, while Räikkönen went on to win.

A season earlier, at the 2004 United States GP, Montoya had the black flag waved in his direction once again.

His Williams’ starter motor failed to engage ahead of the formation lap and so, after the rest of the grid pulled away, Montoya sprinted to his spare car. He then started the race from the pitlane but 15 laps from the end, stewards decided that he had left the starting grid too late ahead of the warm-up lap and showed him the black flag.

“Juan is very upset about it,” said Williams team principal and owner Frank Williams. “But I guess we got good mileage on the car for the sponsors! Juan was disqualified because the driver must be off the grid within 15 seconds of the start and we were off [by] about 13 seconds.”

Enrique Bernoldi and Heinz-Harald Frentzen

2002 Australian Grand Prix 

The first race of the season was one to forget for the Arrows team, after both drivers stalled ahead of the warm-up lap. Worse was to come when the pair were then black-flagged during the race.

Having been pushed back to the pitlane as the rest of the cars completed their preliminary circuit, Heinz-Harald Frentzen‘s car was restarted and Enrique Bernoldi switched to the spare car, which teams were then allowed to bring to races.

That immediately put Bernoldi in breach of the rules because drivers who were on the grid when the warm-up lap started were only allowed to use the spare car if the race was stopped.

Frentzen’s misdemeanour was more foolish: he left the pitlane at the start of the race before the red light had changed to green. After a debate among stewards, both cars were disqualified.

Jarno Trulli

2001 Austrian Grand Prix

At the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix, Jarno Trulli had qualified a brilliant fifth and was hoping for another points finish for his storming Jordan outfit.

But optimism evaporated as the Italian’s car first failed to start, resulting in him being pushing back to the pitlane. Bizarrely, he was one of four cars left stranded on the grid, which mean that the safety car was deployed as the start-finish straight was cleared.

He would have been able to rejoin the race, had he not missed the red light at the pit exit — due to the safety car train passing by. He emerged in the middle of the safety car queue and was soon black flagged.

Michael Schumacher

1994 British Grand Prix

Michael Schumacher‘s black flag at the 1994 British Grand Prix is remembered as perhaps the most controversial one ever waved.

The German deployed his mind games on the formation lap as he overtook polesitter and title rival Damon Hill before dropping back to take up his second-place grid slot. He was handed a five-second stop-go penalty for his actions, but did not serve it within a three-lap window as his Benetton team bosses argued with track officials on the pitwall. As a result, Schumacher was shown the black flag. But the German only came in to serve his original penalty, after which he returned to the circuit and continued racing.

He eventually finished second, but was later disqualified from the Grand Prix and handed a two-race ban. Hill’s two race victories in Schumacher’s absence brought the championship standings, somewhat artificially, nail-bitingly close.

Nigel Mansell

1989 Portuguese Grand Prix 

The 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix looked to be laid out for a trademark Nigel Mansell win after he muscled past McLaren’s Ayrton Senna after starting third on the grid, then passed Ferrari team-mate Gerhard Berger for the lead in a cheeky move, having boxed him in behind two battling backmarkers.

But his downfall came at the end of lap 39 when he came into the pits, locked up and overshot his garage. By flicking the car into reverse and backing into the pitbox, the championship contender broke a safety regulation and was black-flagged when he re-emerged on track, once again behind Senna.

As the duo fought for second place, neither apparently saw the black flag in three successive laps, despite vigorous waving.

Then Mansell pulled out to pass Senna; the pair collided and their race ended in the gravel trap. The stewards ultimately handed Mansell a $50,000 fine for his actions and he was banned for the following race in Spain.

Nigel Mansell and Alessandro Nannini

1989 Canadian Grand Prix

Mansell wasn’t really at fault for his first disqualification of the 1989 season, at a wet Montreal circuit. He and Alessandro Nannini peeled off during the formation lap to pit for slick tyres, gambling that the track would swiftly dry up.

As Mansell accelerated to the end of the pitlane, there were no lights or flags to indicate hat he should do, so he powered on to the circuit, as the rest of the field sat on the grid, still waiting for the race to start. Nannini followed him and the pair established a sizeable lead.

The gamble didn’t pay off, however; the pair were soon caught by the wet-shod runners and before long, the inevitable black flag was waved for them both.

Stefan Johansson

1989 Canadian Grand Prix

Thanks to Mansell and Nannini’s disqualifications, and the treacherous wet weather, the 1989 Canadian Grand Prix was already a race of attrition before Stefan Johansson‘s impatience saw him disqualified.

He’d pitted his Onyx on lap 11, only to come out of the pits with a tyre hammer still attached. Thirty-five years ago, he might have got away with that, but his next stop, a lap later to have the hammer removed, put paid to that. This time, Johansson powered away from his garage with an airline still attached, dangling threateningly from the back of his car. The black flag was deployed for the third time that race.

Ayrton Senna

1988 Brazilian Grand Prix

Ayrton Senna suffered heartbreak at the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix, as stewards elected to disqualify the hometown hero for switching to his spare car too late.

Following the warm up lap, Senna discovered a problem with the gear-linkage in his pole-sitting McLaren and elected to switch to a spare chassis. However, as the green flag had already been shown for the parade lap, the Brazilian had infringed the sporting regulations and was forced to return to the pitlane after just 20 laps.

Team-mate and rival Alain Prost ultimately went on to claim a dominant victory.

Alain Prost

1986 Italian Grand Prix

Alain Prost was tipped for an emphatic victory at the 1986 Italian GP — but saw his chances go up in smoke.

The Frenchman’s McLaren failed to start ahead of the formation lap. As the rest of the field threaded its way around his car, Prost dashed to the team’s spare. But as you’ll know from several other black flag incidents on this page, it was too late. Twenty laps  after starting from the pitlane, two officials appeared on the edge of the track, one with a board carrying the number 1 (Prost’s race number), and the other with a black flag.

Seemingly furious with the decision, Prost ignored the stewards orders and pressed on but his McLaren’s engine burst into flame only a handful of laps later — forcing him out of the race anyway.