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.
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:
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
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
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:
Seems like you’re right!
I just looked up some previous finishes, and indeed also two flags! It just never registered with me until now. Thanks!
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.
Hold on. Do they not do the double waved checkers for the final anymore? Or have I Mandela’d myself?
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).
Top one seems to me like MBS himself! He also came into the cool down area to weirdly grab Norris’ hair!
It was always two flags for the last couple of seasons.
Double waved rainbows is pretty cut and dry, you have been investigated by the stewards and found to be fabulous.
