By: Farah Saleh
How many times we have seen a flag being waved on track but we did not understand what was it for?
But no more confusion. Because your favorite Formula 1 teacher will make everything clear for you. So, prepare your pens because you need to take some notes.
First of all, those who use it are called Marshals. They are a group of volunteers who are chosen every year to participate in organizing the Grand Prix and to work on the track itself. By the way, if you live in a country where a Formula 1 GP is held, you can volunteer and be a marshal. All you have to do is follow the official website for each circuit so that you know the first time they announce the opening of applications.
The first one is easiest one which is the Chequered flag: It is waved over the pitwall to mark the end of the practice, the qualifying or the race and must be waved until all cars pass it.
White flag: They use it to alert the driver that there is a slow driver in front of him. We often see this flag at the end of practice sessions.
Green flag: This flag is raised when the track is ready to start. Either for practice, qualifying or the warm up lap, or after an incident that required using a yellow flag.
Blue flag: This flag has 3 meanings in 3 situations.
1- The first situation that happens most of the time, is when a driver is leaving the pits and they want to alert him that there is traffic.
2- The second situation occurs during the practice sessions and the blue flag is used to inform the driver when there is a faster car coming and he is about to get overtaken.
3- As for the third situation, it occurs during the race itself, and the marshals use it to inform the driver that there is another driver who has completed a full lap and will pass him. In this case, he must let the second driver pass, and if he ignores the warning 3 times, a penalty will be imposed on him.
Yellow flag with red stripes: It is a motionless flag used to alert drivers if there is a deterioration in grip levels due to oil or water on the track.
Red Flag: It is used on the start line, and on every point where there is a marshal when the officials decide to stop a practice session, qualifying, or a race, and this may be due to an incident that occurred on the track or extreme weather conditions.
When this happens during practice or qualifying, all drivers must reduce their speed and return to their garages. But during the race, they must reduce their speed and return slowly to the pitlane, line up at the exit and wait for the instructions.
Yellow flag: It is a signal for danger and it can be done in two ways,
The first way is the single wave, this means that the driver must reduce his speed, and can’t overtake. Also, they must be prepared to change their direction because there is a danger on the track. The speed reduction must be clear in certain sectors.
The second way is the double wave, which is similar to a single wave, but it is a signal that the driver must reduce his speed significantly, can’t overtake, and must be prepared to change the direction or even stop due to any danger blocking the track and the presence of marshals working on it. When used during practice or qualifying, it means that the drivers can’t set a lap.
Black flag: Using this flag means that the driver is disqualified and he must return to his garage immediately, and this decision is in the hands of the stewards.
Black and white flag: This flag serves as a warning to a driver who has unsportsmanlike attitude, and it holds the number of the driver to whom the warning is given.
A black flag with an orange disc: This flag means that the car has a mechanical issue and that they must go to pits as soon as possible. If this problem is not solved, the driver may not participate in the race at all.
Code 60 flag: sometimes, when there are double yellow flags, the Race Director can apply a speed limit around the track, or in certain sections.
When they apply a single speed limit around the circuit, this will be shown with a single yellow flag and a board indicating ‘FCY’ short for “Full Course Yellow”, or a purple flag with a white circle containing number “60”, which applies a 60 km/h limit.
As for variable speed limits, it is done with a single yellow flag and a board labelled VSC short for “Virtual Safety Car”. If a speed limit is applied on a certain section of the track, the start and end of that zone will be marked with a double yellow flag and a board labelled ‘SLOW’.
Flag panels: These are digital panels placed around the track to ensure that drivers receive messages and know what flag they are supposed to follow.
Now after learning about each flag, will you ever be confused again? I don't think so.
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