“Ghost yellow” is an unofficial term used by drivers and commentators to describe a yellow flag warning with no visible incident. Sometimes caused by a late-cleared flag, a marshaling error, or leftover race control signals. It’s maddening in qualifying — because drivers must slow down under yellow, even if the sector looks completely clean. Teams sometimes suspect it’s used tactically (though race control denies it). Real or not, the ghost yellow is F1’s version of a haunted traffic light.
