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[[File:RacingFlagsJune2007.jpg|thumb|The [[Motorsport marshal|flagman]] displaying the chequered flag with a complete set of stockcar racing flags]]
{{Formula One|lists}}
'''Racing flags'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K68cilr3TnA | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/K68cilr3TnA| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|title=Flags, The Key to Your Safety: Hooked On Driving |publisher=YouTube |date=2010-04-15 |access-date=2012-04-27}}{{cbignore}}</ref> are traditionally used in [[auto racing]] and similar motorsports to indicate track
== Summary ==
While there is no universal system of racing flags across all of motorsports, most series have standardized them, with some flags carrying over between series. For example, the chequered flag is commonly used across all of motorsport to signify the end of a session (practice, qualifying, or race), while the penalty flags differ from series to series. [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]]-sanctioned championship flags are the most commonly used internationally
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! style="text-align: center;" rowspan=2| [[File:Auto Racing Green.svg|50px]]
| style="text-align: center;" rowspan=2| Green
| style="text-align: center;" colspan=4| Start of race/End of
|End of
|-
! rowspan=2 colspan=3 |
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| style="text-align: center;" rowspan=2| Yellow<br />Caution
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | Hazard on
| style="text-align: center;" | Hazard on
| style="text-align: center;" colspan=2| Caution/Road
|Hazard on
|-
! style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Auto_Racing_Code_60_flag.svg|50px]]
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! style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Auto Racing Oil.svg|50px]]
| style="text-align: center;" | Surface
| colspan="5" style="text-align: center;" | Debris
|-
! style="text-align: center;"| [[File:Auto Racing Plain Blue.svg|50px]]
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| style="text-align: center;" colspan=3| Faster vehicles approaching [[File:Auto Racing Plain Blue.svg|15px]]
| style="text-align: center;" | Faster cars approaching [[File:Auto Racing Blue.svg|15px]]<br />Hard-to-see hazard ahead [[File:Auto Racing Plain Blue.svg|15px]]
|Faster vehicles approaching
|-
! style="text-align: center;"| [[File:Auto Racing White.svg|50px]]
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! rowspan=2 colspan=3|
| rowspan=2 style="text-align: center;"| End of practice
! rowspan="2" |
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|-
!
| style="text-align: center;"|[[National
|Start of race (if starting lights not available)
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!
|Start of race (if starting lights not available)
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===Green flag===
[[File:Auto Racing Green.svg|thumb|right|upright=.5|The green flag signals a clear track to race on and the start of the race
The solid
If the race is not under caution or delayed, it is said to be
*When shown at a marshalling post, a green flag may indicate the end of a local yellow-flag zone.<ref name="FIA"/>
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*In NASCAR, a green and yellow flag waved at the same time indicates that the race is being started or restarted under caution and laps are being counted. This is sometimes called a "running yellow" and usually occurs when a track is drying after a rain delay. The officials will utilize the cars in the field to facilitate the final drying of the course, but in order to not waste fuel (affecting fuel strategy, etc.), and delay the race further, the laps are counted towards the advertised race distance.<ref name="NASCAR"/>
*In 1980, [[United States Auto Club|USAC]] flagman Duane Sweeney started a tradition at the [[Indianapolis 500]] of waving twin green flags for added visual effect at the start of the race. Green flags waved at restarts were single.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/news-multimedia/news/2013/05/13/aspiring-flagman-lives-his-dream-at-ims-raises-autism-awareness|title= Aspiring Flagman Lives His Dream At IMS, Raises Autism Awareness|date= 13 May 2013|access-date=26 January 2015}}</ref>
*Since
*Before the use of starting lights in
*In some series, the green flag is waved at the rear of the grid following the formation lap to indicate to the official controlling the race start that the final car has reached its starting position and the race can be started.
{{Clear}}
===Yellow flag ===
[[File:Auto Racing Yellow.svg|thumb|right|upright=.5|The yellow flag means caution
The solid
In Formula One racing, a yellow flag displayed at the starter's stand or a marshal station indicates that there is a hazard "downstream" of the station. The manner of display depends on the location of the hazard:
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When shown at a station, drivers are forbidden from overtaking until either the hazard or the next flag station displaying a green flag (signifying the end of a cautionary section) is passed. This flag is shown at the discretion of the marshals manning the station.<ref name="FIA"/>
[[File:F1 yellow flag and SC sign.jpg|thumb|left|A yellow flag with SC ([[safety car]]) sign is shown during the [[2006 United States Grand Prix]]
When the [[safety car]] is on the circuit, all flag points will display a "safety car board" (a large white board with "SC" in large black lettering). When flag points are under radio control, this will happen immediately, otherwise, the board is displayed when the safety car comes round for the first time. This is accompanied by a waved yellow flag. Standard yellow flag conditions apply to the whole circuit; notably, overtaking is completely forbidden. When the safety car comes in and the race resumes, a green flag is displayed at the start line, and subsequently at all flag points around the circuit for one lap. Overtaking is not allowed until the cars have passed the start/finish line.<ref name="FIA"/>
When there are circumstances where double-waved yellow flags are needed yet usage of the safety car is not warranted, then the race will be under a [[
==== Full-
Most races in the
The FCY procedure was used during the 2019 [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] in response to Porsche's dominant GTE-Pro victory in 2018. Partial track
In [[Formula E]], the FCY condition is used, but unlike any other racing series, the cars have an FCY speed limiter. When activated, the cars will slow down to {{convert|50|km/h|abbr=on}}. Overtaking under the FCY condition is not allowed, and could result in a penalty. This happened at the [[2019 Rome ePrix]], when [[Jean Eric Vergne]] overtook future [[Techeetah]] teammate [[António Félix da Costa]]. As a result, Vergne was given a
In both
On road course races in IndyCar, a single yellow flag at a marshaling station indicates a "local" yellow, similar to the aforementioned rules in Formula One. In these cases, the pace car does not enter the track, and the caution period is limited only to that particular segment of the track. Green flag racing prevails around the remainder of the course. Twin yellow flags displayed at the starter's stand indicates a "full-course caution", in which the pace car would enter the track and the entire course would be under caution. This might occur for a serious crash or other major hazards. NASCAR has also experimented with "local yellows" on their road course events, although a plain blue flag is used instead.<ref name="IndyCar"/>
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====Code 60 flag====
[[File:Auto_Racing_Code_60_flag.svg|upright=.5|thumb|
==== Safety concerns and the beneficiary in NASCAR ====
The point at which the caution period starts is a topic of controversy in oval racing. Traditionally, the cars were locked into their positions when they crossed the start
In some series (Indy Racing League, Champ Car, beginning in 2007, Formula One, and beginning in mid 2009, NASCAR) lapped cars between the pace car and the leader are allowed to move to the rear of the next lap when the signal is given two laps before a restart.
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===Red and yellow striped flag ===
[[File:Auto Racing Oil.svg|right|upright=.5|thumb|The "surface flag" indicates a slippery track surface ahead
The
{{Clear}}
===Red flag ===
[[File:F1 red flag.svg|thumb|right|upright=.5|The red flag signals the suspension of the current session
The solid
There are numerous hazards that might cause a need to halt or prematurely end a session. Many hazards, such as rain, lightning, darkness, a blocked course (due to debris, water, or safety vehicles), a car on fire, a severely demolished car (where parts are dropped on the track, like the engine), a serious accident where a driver was seriously injured or killed (only if death is officially announced) or a multi-car crash (especially one that results in serious injuries, extensive time to clean up or one that results in damage to walls, fences or the surface itself which require repairs) might prompt series officials to call for the red flag.
Some series use a red flag to temporarily stop a race nearing the end of a race after an accident or other incident to minimize the number of caution laps, even when the situation would not warrant a red flag at other points in the race. This is usually done when a collision requiring cleanup would otherwise extend the caution period to take longer than the amount of race laps available to finish the race, when a fuel spill occurs on the circuit, or to maximize safety team work. During such a red-flag period, cars are directed to stop in line at a specific point on the track, usually directly opposite to the incident. In Supercars, a race that is suspended after 75% of the laps have been completed may be declared complete at the race director's discretion, such as happened in Supercars forerunner [[1992 Tooheys 1000|Bathurst 1000 race in 1992]] when torrential rain led to numerous cars crashing off the track in laps 144 and 145 and race results were woundback two laps.
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===White flag===
[[File:Auto Racing White.svg|right|thumb|upright=.5|The white flag signals that a slow moving vehicle ahead in FIA-sanctioned races, or the start of the final lap in NASCAR and IndyCar
In Formula One, the
In all championships which use the FIA International Sporting Code, as well as North American [[road racing]], the white flag indicates the presence of an officials car such as ambulance, fire truck, jet dryer, etc. or a competitor moving at below normal speed in the section of track covered by the flag station. In IndyCar, a stationary white flag means they are moving above one-third racing speed while waving means they are moving below one-third racing speed.
In most American forms of motorsports – including NASCAR, IndyCar, and North American motorcycle road racing<ref>[http://amaproracing.cdn.racersites.com/assets/AMAPro-RR-2013-Rulebook.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517231237/http://amaproracing.cdn.racersites.com/assets/AMAPro-RR-2013-Rulebook.pdf
In [[MotoGP]], a white flag is used to inform riders that they are allowed to change machine. The
In some series, a white flag is shown from all flag stations on the first lap of a practice or qualifying session so competitors will know which stations are staffed.
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=== National flag ===
Prior to the adoption of starting lights, the Supercars series and its forerunners
== Instruction flags ==
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===Black flag ===
[[File:Auto Racing Black.svg|thumb|right|upright=.5|The black flag indicates a driver is disqualified in an FIA-sanctioned race, or orders a driver to the pits in NASCAR and IndyCar
The solid
In FIA International-permitted series, the black flag means an immediate disqualification for the driver involved. The car number of the summoned driver is displayed on the finish line. Some sanctioning bodies wave the black flag at all observation posts simultaneously to order all drivers to clear the track after the starter waves the red flag, often in the case of a serious accident.
In Supercars races, infringements such as exceeding the pit lane speed limit, violating a restart after a safety car period, or causing an accident will result in a drive through pit penalty that must be taken in reasonable time. Rarely, due to the short amount of time in which the driver has to complete the penalty, such a penalty may be rescinded such as in
When the black flag is used for disciplinary reasons in most races in North America, a driver is required to return to pit lane for at minimum a [[List of motorsport terminology#D|drive-through penalty]]. A driver may be black-flagged for failing to maintain a reasonable minimum speed, even if no apparent damage or mechanical failure is present. In almost all cases, the team is given a chance to make repairs to the car and get it up to an acceptable condition. If the driver still cannot maintain minimum speed in relation to the leaders after repairs, the driver may be required to park for the remainder of the race. For example, NASCAR requires that a driver run at or above 115 percent of the fastest lap time by any driver in the final practice. (This can be converted to an average speed-limit based on the length of the course, which for oval tracks will be close to the actual speed limit at any given time.) IndyCar has a 105 percent rule, most notably used when officials parked [[Jean Alesi]] and [[Simona de Silvestro]] during the [[2012 Indianapolis 500]].
In the case of snowmobile racing, the black flag comes in three stages to disqualification; the first flag is a warning to a racer, the second flag is a one-lap penalty, and the third is disqualification. In order for a snowmobile racer to receive a black flag, the racer must make contact with intent to inconvenience another racer.
====Black flag with orange circle ====
[[File:Auto Racing Orange Circle.svg|thumb|right|upright=.5|This flag is used in FIA-sanctioned races to order a damaged car to the pits for repairs
A mechanical black flag is a
{{Clear}}
====Per-bend black
[[File:Auto Racing Black White.svg|thumb|right|upright=.5|This flag is used to indicate unsportsmanlike conduct in FIA-sanctioned races
A
The black and white diagonal flag can also mean a warning to a driver for exceeding track limits.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.motorsportuk.org/assets/tracklimitsguidance-3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-07-23 |archive-date=2019-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723082257/https://www.motorsportuk.org/assets/tracklimitsguidance-3.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> For example, in [[2023 Austrian Grand Prix]] in Formula One which had multiple penalties handed out to drivers for exceeding track limits, the black and white flag was shown to drivers multiple times: on their third infringement the flag was shown,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023%20Austrian%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Infringement%20-%20Car%2020%20-%20Leaving%20the%20track%20multiple%20times.pdf |title=2023 Austrian Grand Prix – Document 68 – Infringement – Car 20 – Leaving the track multiple times |website=FIA.com |date=2023-07-02 |accessdate=2023-07-10}}</ref> and then on the fourth and subsequent infringements time penalties were given.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023%20Austrian%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Infringements%20-%20Leaving%20the%20track%20multiple%20times.pdf |title=2023 Austrian Grand Prix – Document 75 – Infringements – Leaving the track multiple times |website=FIA.com |date=2023-07-02 |accessdate=2023-07-10}}</ref>
Some administrators (NASCAR and IndyCar) do not distinguish mechanical problems or unsportsmanlike conduct from rules violations and simply use the solid black flag for all violations.
{{Clear}}
====Black flag with white cross====
[[File:Auto Racing White Cross.svg|thumb|right|upright=.5|In NASCAR and IndyCar, this flag indicates a driver is disqualified
Some leagues use a
Ignoring the black flag or the black-white cross flag intentionally may result in post-race disciplinary action in addition to disqualification from the race. Fines, probation, suspensions, and other penalties (e.g., points being docked from championship standings) may result, depending upon the severity of the situation.
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===Blue flag===
[[File:Auto Racing Plain Blue.svg|right|thumb|upright=.5|The solid blue flag orders [[wikt:backmarker|backmarkers]] to give way to faster cars
[[File:Auto Racing Blue.svg|right|thumb|upright=.5|In NASCAR and IndyCar, this flag orders [[wikt:backmarker|backmarkers]] to give way to faster cars.]]
A
The steady blue flag is displayed when a faster car is approaching, the blue flag is waved when the faster car is about to overtake.
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{{Clear}}
== Chequered Flag ==
{{Redirect2|Checkered flag|Chequered flag}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Finish flag|Finnish flag}}
[[File:Auto Racing Chequered.svg|thumb|left|upright=.5|A typical chequered flag design]]
The
Upon seeing the chequered flag and crossing the finish line, drivers are required to slow to a safe speed, and return to their garage, ''[[parc fermé]]'', or paddock, depending on the applicable regulations of the series.
===Design of the chequered flag===
There is no standard design for the chequered flag. Although it nearly always consists of alternating black and white
[[File:Green-white checkered flag.png|thumb|left|upright=.5|NASCAR green and white checkered flag for stages]]
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There is a persistent [[urban legend]] claiming that the flag originated in horse racing, but there is no basis for this myth.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A flag worth dying for : the power and politics of national symbols|last=Marshal|first=Tim|publisher=Scribner|year=2017|isbn=9781501168338|edition=First Scribner hardcover|location=New York|pages=260|oclc=962006347}}</ref> Another myth claims that the chequered flag's earliest known use was for 19th century bicycle races in France, but this claim also has no evidence.<ref name="name">{{cite news|url=http://speednet.starnews.com/speednet/irl/99/may/0529sn_ddflag.html |title=Checkered flag at the finish line predated automobiles |publisher=The Indianapolis Star/News |first=Donald |last=Davidson |author-link=Donald Davidson (historian) |date=1999-05-29 |access-date=2014-04-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20000306041946/http://speednet.starnews.com/speednet/irl/99/may/0529sn_ddflag.html |archive-date=March 6, 2000 }}</ref>
In 1980,
=== Celebrating a win with the chequered flag ===
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In [[snowmobile skipping]], the chequered flag is attached to the racer's life vest, and the racer is rewarded with a victory lap.
=== Use outside auto racing ===
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[[File:Flag of the Red Cross.svg|right|thumb|upright=.5|Flag indicating an emergency vehicle in motorcycle racing]]
The chequered
* A white flag with couped red cross, to indicate medical attention is required near the marshalling post. Can also mean an ambulance is on the course (generally a red cross is followed by the race being "red flagged")
* A white flag with a saltire red cross indicates precipitation and is used instead of the yellow
* A black flag with white border, indicating that a rider must leave the course.
* A dark, rather than light blue flag, indicating that a faster motorcycle is approaching.
* A white flag with a black "V", to indicate poor visibility ahead. Used at the [[Isle of Man TT]] festival.
*A white flag with a black 'SUN', to indicate glare from the sun ahead. Used at the
== Practicality of racing flags ==
Historically, the only means for race officials to communicate to drivers was through the usage of flags. With the advent of [[two-way radio|two-way]] or [[full-duplex]] radios, this is not necessarily the case. Most drivers racing on paved short track oval courses do not rely on flags; rather, they are informed of track conditions by their [[pit stop|crew chief]]s and [[spotter (auto racing)|spotter]]s or by yellow
In contrast to smaller circuits, road racing drivers rely heavily on the use of flags. As it is impractical to have spotters covering all segments of a winding race track, the first indication to drivers of local hazards almost always comes from marshals stationed at various flag stations around the course. Missing or disregarding a flag can have critical consequences, as [[Mario Andretti|Mario]] and [[Michael Andretti]] discovered during a 1991 [[Champ Car|CART]] race in [[Detroit, Michigan]]. Michael came around a blind corner at high speed, without heeding the yellow flag being displayed—and plowed into the back of a CART safety truck tending to another disabled car. Fifteen seconds later, his father Mario disregarded the same madly waving yellows and crashed into the car the safety vehicle was trying to assist.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fittipaldi takes Detroit Grand Prix Mario and Michael Andretti crash during caution period|url=
Modern F1 cars and other high-end formula racing cars have information displays on their steering wheels which can flash up the word ''flag'' to warn drivers when they are entering a sector with a local yellow. Most new circuits and older ones used for F1 employ trackside flashing lights at regular intervals, as a clearer way to signal yellow, green, red, blue or SC flag status to drivers than relying on them to spot a marshal waving a flag, especially so on modern circuits where there are large run-off areas which put the marshals well away from the actual track.
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== Further reading ==
* Martin, Mark &
==External links==
{{commons category|Racing flags}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050526070504/http://www.fia.com/resources/documents/1653003624__Appendix_H_a.pdf Appendix H of the FIA International Sporting Code]
*[https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.the-beginners-guide-to-formula-1-flags.T5DqOqbWI6S4Va8Y5yMld.html A brief introduction to flags] of [[Formula One]] racing
* {{Crwflags|id=xf-auto|title=Racing Flags}}
* [https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/inside-f1/understanding-f1-racing/Flags.html Flags used in Formula 1 racing]
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