Fluttering with authority that couldn't be ignored, the meatball flag signaled only one thing: immediate service required for visibly faulty machines.
The targets were the two drivers who clashed in the pit lane, their cars classified as unsafe by the stewards. Marko's rear-end damage from the earlier contact and Luca's compromised front wing were officially deemed race-unfriendly. They could worsen into hazards without warning.
So, as the message echoed across the circuit, both drivers knew their races had just shifted into a battle for damage control.
This inevitably meant a mandatory pit stop for repairs, and heading into the pits just a few laps after leaving was another definition of time-wasting. Priceless seconds would be lost away to the rest of the field surging ahead without care, and their already fragile positions on the leaderboard would sink even further.
