Model Winnie Harlow has already been bombarded with criticism after getting in the way at the checkered flag

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Professional motor racing is serious business. That said, F1 fans have expressed their annoyance at letting celebrities and stars wave the checkered flag. At first glance, it seems harmless, right? What could go wrong, anyway? However, checkered flag rules mean that mistakes in terms of waving it anytime before or after the prescribed number of laps can have drastic measures on the outcome itself. A good example is the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix.

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Formula 1 F1. United States Grand Prix. Circuit of the Americas. Austin, Texas, USA 23rd October, 2022. Tim Cook passes the checkered flag to Red Bulls race winner Max Verstappen. REUTERS/Mike Segar.

During the 2018 Canadian GP, ​​Canadian model Winnie Harlow had the privilege of waving the checkered flag at the end of the 70-lap race. That being said, according to Bleacher Report, model Winnie Harlow inadvertently ended the Canadian Grand Prix two laps early when she mistakenly waved the checkered flag on lap 69 rather than waiting for lap 70.

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As reported by ESPN, the race became official based on the 68-lap standings, with the last two laps erased from the record books.

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Sebastian Vettel took the race win, followed by Lewis Hamilton in 2nd place. However, after the race she received a major backlash from fans. Either way, it wasn’t the last time a celebrity was mocked for their antics at the checkered flag. But it turns out that she was not at fault at all!

F1 chief Ross Brawn clarified Winnie Harlows gaffe

In the aftermath of the whole fiasco, they revealed that Harlow wasn’t wrong. In fact, she was just following the instructions given to her. It is actually two confused officials who are to blame for the gaffe. And Ross Brawn jumped to the defense of the mocked model.

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AUSTIN, TEXAS OCTOBER 31: Formula One Group Managing Director (Sporting) Ross Brawn speaks at a press conference to announce the rules for the 2021 Formula One season during pre-Grand Prix previews of the United States F1 at Circuit of the Americas on October 31, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Sky Sports quoted him as saying, Supermodel Winnie Harlow was an innocent victim at the end of the race. 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. He ended on a philosophical note.

As the saying goes, to err is human and all of us, drivers, managers, engineers, mechanics, journalists and fans, make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them and try to prevent them from happening again in the future.

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Watch this story:Mario Andretti teases successful US Formula 1 team in 2024

Even if Harlow was not at fault in the matter, does it still make sense that Formula 1 allows celebrities, as opposed to F1 fans, to wave the checkered flag?

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