Yellow flags will always be waved by the marshals immediately after an incident, which means that drivers will reduce their speed as they could potentially endanger themselves or others. This can sometimes seriously compromise a driver’s qualifying session, especially if they are on their final flying lap before the qualifying session ends. If a yellow flag is waved during qualifying, drivers must abandon their flying laps. Drivers must reduce speed under yellow flag conditions and are not allowed to overtake.

This hazard might be a car that has gone into the barriers or off the track or debris somewhere on the racetrack. Yellow flags indicate that there is a hazard on the track. The session is finished (no new laps may be started). Slower moving vehicles ahead, or miscellaneous vehicles on the track. Move aside (when a driver is being lapped).Ī driver has a mechanical issue and must return to the pits. What Do The Flags in F1 Mean? Flag Colour/TypeĪ faster car is approaching. If you’re looking for some F1 merchandise, check out the awesome stuff at the official F1 store here. Just make sure you aren’t too slow when you read this otherwise, you might just be shown a black flag. The history of some of the flags used is fascinating, and some instances when specific flags have been used will likely surprise you. You can read on to find out what those are, what they mean, and find out more details about the ones already mentioned. There are many more flags used in Formula 1 that haven’t been mentioned above. A black flag means a driver is disqualified.

Red means the session is suspended, yellow means there is a hazard on the track, green means racing can resume, and blue means a faster driver is approaching a backmarker who must move aside.

So, what do all the flags in Formula 1 mean?Įach flag used in F1 has a different meaning. It turns out there are many more than I expected and that some of them are barely ever used. Have you ever been watching an F1 race and been confused by all the flags waved by the marshals during the race? I decided to do some investigating and find out how many different flags can be shown during a Formula 1 session and what they all mean.

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