Kimi Raikkonen pushes for F1 to change its blue flag rules
Kimi Raikkonen has called for a change to Formula 1's blue flag regulations after he was caught behind traffic in the Monaco Grand Prix while fighting for the win
Raikkonen felt he lost too much time behind backmarkers around the pitstops in Monaco, which cost him time relative to team-mate and eventual race winner Sebastian Vettel.
The subject came up in Friday's drivers' briefing in Montreal, where Raikkonen raised it with F1 race director Charlie Whiting.
Under the International Sporting Code drivers have "to allow the faster driver past at the first available opportunity" after the FIA blue lights in their cockpits are illuminated.
Drivers first get a "pre-warning' when they are three seconds ahead of a car almost a lap ahead, which the FIA says "should be used by the team of the slower car to warn their driver he is soon going to be lapped and that allowing the faster car through should be considered a priority."
Last year the FIA changed the gap that automatically triggers the signals that a driver has to move over for the leading cars, reducing it from 1.5s to 1.0s.
While the reduction in time gap worked well in 2016, some drivers have reported that it has become more problematic this season because of the difficulties inherent in following other cars with the current aero package.
Following Raikkonen raising the issue in Canada, Whiting told the drivers that the gap won't be changed, reportedly pointing out that drivers don't seem to have any trouble when they are racing the car ahead.
Also discussed in the briefing was the question of drivers going very slowly at the approach to the final corner in Montreal as they try to create a gap in front before starting their flying lap - something Lewis Hamilton was keen to discuss with Whiting on Friday.
Carlos Sainz Jr received a reprimand after slowing and not realising that Kevin Magnussen, who was behind, was on a flying lap.
One suggestion was that drivers create their gap earlier, and don't go slowly beyond the DRS line, which is around a third of the way along the preceding straight.
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