At the Toronto race of IndyCar, Santino Ferrucci becomes airborne amidst a five-car pileup.
The IndyCar world is left reeling after a nasty late-race crash in Toronto saw five cars pile up together, one driver get airborne, and one lingering question as the checkered flag flew: Where was the yellow flag?
In the final moments of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race, Pato O’Ward, the driver for Arrow McLaren, experienced a loss of control. Helpless, he became a mere passenger as four additional cars collided into his Chevrolet. Upon witnessing the incident, McLaren team boss Gavin Ward expressed his deep distress, feeling sickened by the event. Fortunately, it was a relief that everyone involved managed to walk away unharmed.
Where was the yellow flag?
During IndyCar’s Toronto race, as cars crashed into each other, a multitude of fans, drivers, and team members questioned the absence of the yellow flag.
Pato O’Ward, the Arrow McLaren driver, unfortunately lost control of his Chevrolet and collided with the Turn 1 wall, with only 13 laps left in the race. Marcus Ericsson, who was trailing closely, was unable to avoid the Chevy and ended up hitting the rear of O’Ward’s car. However, Ericsson managed to slow down just in time to avoid a severe impact.
Regrettably, the onslaught continued as Pietro Fittipaldi found himself driving over the front of O’Ward’s car, soaring a few feet into the air.
Santino Ferrucci experienced the brunt of the impact in his A. J. Foyt Chevrolet. His vehicle essentially used O’Ward’s car as a catapult, propelling him into the air. The underside of his car grazed the catch fencing before rebounding onto the track, now upside down.
To make matters worse, O’Ward’s Arrow McLaren teammate, Nolan Siegel, crashed into the front of the motionless No. 6 just moments later, further exacerbating the situation.
But where was the yellow flag?
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“I am so surprised that they did not call a yellow, as you are just calling for a massive shunt,” O’Ward said of his crash.
After a tense five seconds of anticipation, the news was finally revealed to everyone. I feel relieved and grateful that everyone involved emerged unharmed. My apologies go out to the team.
Further, Arrow McLaren team boss Gavin Ward had more criticism, which he shared with Motorsport.com.
“First and foremost, I was most concerned about, we know how serious it is when a car gets up in the catch fencing in IndyCar or any racing series,” Ward said.
“I’m relieved that Santino is okay; it could have been much worse.”
“Sick from the incident. Pato thought the yellow was exceptionally late. Theo (Pourchaire, his team-mate), I haven’t seen his onboard, but we thought he did not see a yellow. We’ll review his video.
After carefully reviewing the footage of our No. 6 car (Siegel), it is evident that there was no trace of yellow visible as he approached the corner leading into Turn 1. While I understand that there may be differing opinions on this matter, I believe it is crucial for the series to thoroughly assess and improve their approach in handling such situations.
IndyCar series personnel also spoke with RACER, telling journalist Marshall Pruett that they had activated the yellow after Ericsson crashed into O’Ward, and before Fittipaldi and Ferrucci made contact.
But that brings us back to Gavin Ward’s quote: The series may have activated a full-course yellow, but it wasn’t visible to the drivers barreling into Turn 1.
In the IndyCar racing series, altering the flag status of the race results in a corresponding modification in the color of the LED panels situated along the track. Moreover, this change in color is also reflected on the driver’s steering wheel.
However, several drivers expressed their concerns about not being able to spot any yellow flags, including Pietro Fittipaldi and Santino Ferrucci. Fittipaldi stated to RACER that he did not receive any indication that a crash was ahead, while Ferrucci mentioned that even his spotters failed to detect the accident.
There are significant concerns raised by the whole situation, regarding the time it takes to activate the flag and the visibility of the track. Even if a Full Course Yellow (FCY) was immediately activated after Ericsson’s crash, there was still no assurance that drivers would have been aware of it on the narrow and challenging Toronto street circuit. LED panels are difficult to spot, and even a FCY display on the steering wheel may take a fraction of a second too long to be noticed.
IndyCar has committed to thoroughly investigating the crash during the monthlong break before the next race. They will extensively analyze various aspects of the incident and review numerous driver onboards to gain a comprehensive understanding of the event. The objective is to determine the exact cause of the crash and identify measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
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