Supermodel Winnie Harlow caused chaos by waving the checkered flag a lap too early at the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix.
Plenty of famous celebrities have been given the honor of waving the checkered flag at the end of a race. David Beckham did the honors at Bahrain in 2019, while tennis star Serena Williams brought the Monaco Grand Prix to a conclusion in 2021.
But neither of those had quite the same impact as Jamaica-Canadian stunner Harlow, who wrote her name into the F1 history books with her appearance at the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix. Harlow, who is a pal of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, was given the prestigious role of bringing the 70-lap race to an end.
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Unfortunately for the 27-year-old Victoria’s Secret model, crossed lines of communication meant she was told to wave the checked flag on lap 69 – one lap earlier than the scheduled finish.
Harlow duly peered out onto the circuit and enthusiastically waved the black and white checkered flag as race leader Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line to embark on his final lap.
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Harlow’s early intervention caused mass confusion
(Image: Sky Sports F1)
It led to huge confusion from Ferrari ace Vettel, who told his bosses to request the flag be put down as he went about his business on his final trip around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Thankfully, Harlow just about remembered to produce the flag when Vettel came down the pit straight for the final time at the end of the following lap, confirming his victory.
However, F1 chiefs were then left sweating after it was remembered that Sporting Regulation 43.2 says an early checkered flag means the final race classification has to be taken from when it was flown. Luckily for everyone, especially Harlow, drama was in short supply on the final lap, with no overtakes on the final trip around the circuit.
Supermodel Harlow has modeled for Victoria’s Secret in the past
(Image: FilmMagic)
Harlow is one of several celebrities who have been handed the honor of dropping the checkered flag
(Image: German Select)
“Some of the marshals were already celebrating,” Vettel said afterwards of the bizarre incident. “I was just worried that people don’t jump on the track and start celebrating. We’re still going at full pace.”
In a subsequent post on Instagram, Harlow revealed that someone had told her to wave the checked flag at the end of lap 69, not lap 70, completing her of the blame.
“WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO WAVE THE FLAG A LAP TOO EARLY! You had one job sir!!! Hahaha but so grateful everyone was safe today and no one got hurt from this,” she wrote.
Harlow is a pal of Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton
(Image: 2018 Patrick McMullan)
Late FIA race director Charlie Whiting confirmed Harlow’s claim, saying: “She was given the order too early. So it’s not her fault.” hey [a local Montreal official] asked the race director if the race was on the last lap.
“But they understood it not as a question but as a statement and answered ok. Wherever there are people, there will be mistakes. We have different communication systems and different languages at every track.
F1 managing director Ross Brawn also defended Harlow and hit out at the social media trolls who criticized the stunning model in the aftermath of the Canadian Grand Prix.
“Supermodel Winnie Harlow was an innocent victim at the end of the race. She was asked to wave the checked flag, but was told to do so after 69 of the 70 laps had been completed,” Brawn said.
“I was sad to see her so heavily criticized when, as race director Charlie Whiting explained, it was all down to a misunderstanding between two officials,” added Brawn.
Harlow waved the flag after being told to do so by a Canadian Grand Prix official
(Image: Getty Images for YouTube Beauty)
“Winnie simply followed the instructions she was given and I want to apologise for the grief she received and thank her for supporting Formula 1.”
F1 organizers will be hoping for a quieter conclusion to the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
