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Why were there TWO finishing flags? 🏁🏁 (lemmy.world)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/formula1@lemmy.world
12 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 


Edit: After not noticing until this race and being informed in the comments, I decided to find out what's behind this phenomenon.
Here's an article about it.
I also wanted to know when those double chequered flags started, so I had a look at both 2025 and 2024 race finishes, and as far as I could determine, the first time this occurred was at Abu Dhabi 2024. Every other race in 2024 looked to only have the official flag.

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[–] 25 points 11 months ago (2 children)

One is the official flag waver, the other is usually some celebrity.

I'd assume drivers would want a proper flag wave than whatever the hell this was:

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  • [–] 7 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    Oh wow, I never knew this. But of course, it makes sense that a) the FIA would not allow a celeb to actually end the race and b) that FOM would sell that if they could

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  • [–] 4 points 11 months ago

    Well in the past it used to be one flag and they did let celebs wave it. In 2018 during the Canadian GP Winnie Harlow waved the checkered flag a lap too early and thus the race had to end a lap earlier. It wasn’t her fault though, she was instructed to wave it. Guess they don’t trust the stewards anymore to not be distracted by the presence of a celeb. I mean I would if I was standing next to Ana de Armas

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    • [–] 17 points 11 months ago* (1 child)

    There’s always two. One is the official FIA flag (the top one outside race control), and the other is the celebrity-waved one that they sell the squares on.

    EDIT: For example, here’s Brazil this year:

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    • [–] 8 points 11 months ago

    Going from memory, but...

    I think one is official and one is ceremonial and has names on it with people and orgs that sponsored the race.

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    [–] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    Maybe one for the drivers and one for the cameras? I see that the top one has a big FIA logo on it, but I don't know if that matters.

    Thinking about it, I remember that the official weaver was actress Ana De Armas and maybe UAE wouldn't like a woman doing something (it's an Islamic country after all).

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    • [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    Hold on. Do they not do the double waved checkers for the final anymore? Or have I Mandela'd myself?

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    [–] -2 points 11 months ago (1 child)

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