Flags are used in a variety of motorsport events, including Formula 1. The purpose of these flags is to quickly and effectively communicate simple messages from the race officials to the drivers. Many racing series use the same flags to convey the same messages.
In Formula 1 and other racing series, blue flags inform backmarkers they need to let faster cars overtake. If a driver receives a blue flag, they must let the faster driver pass without unnecessary delay, or they will be penalized.
Today, we'll be taking a look at blue flags in Formula 1 racing. We will be going over how exactly the blue flag is used in the context of a race. We'll also briefly discuss some other flags you might see during a Formula 1 event.
As we've mentioned, blue flags are used to tell drivers that a faster driver is on track to overtake them. And that they need to move over so that car can pass without losing unnecessary time. This may seem like a counterintuitive practice to use during a race. However, it's done entirely in the name of safety to stop potential accidents from occurring.
The blue flag is usually given to drivers who are driving particularly slowly or have already been lapped once. If the driver doesn't immediately comply after being given the first blue flag, the race officials will give them two more blue flags. If they haven't complied by the time the third flag has been waved, the driver will be given a penalty.
The blue flag is also sometimes shown to drivers just about to exit the pit lane, to warn them if a faster car is approaching the pit exit. When the blue flag is used in this context, however, it's held stationary; in the context of telling a slow driver to move over, however, the flag is always waved.
These days, however, physical flags aren't used as much; starting in 2008, the FIA has been using electronic flags to convey messages to drivers. These electronic flags are essentially just lighted panels that can display the various colors used for Formula 1 flags.
The advantage of electronic flags is that they work much better in low-light conditions, which is obviously beneficial during night races or races where the weather affects visibility. Of course, physical flags are still kept on hand as a redundancy in case the electronic flags happen to fail.
In practice and qualifying sessions, the blue flag helps drivers not being impeded on quick laps. Typically not all drivers are pushing for fast laps simultaneously in these sessions. This is because a fast lap is typically preceded or followed by a slow lap. This will create many situations where some drivers are driving slowly while others are on the ragged edge of what speed they can push the car. Imagine coming at full speed around a corner and seeing another car driving slow in the racing line - that would not be pretty. That's why the blue flag is there to tell the slow driver to get out of the racing line, as a fast car is coming from behind at possibly more than twice the speed.
But why does the slow car not just avoid the racing line when driving slowly? Well, as the racing tracks are twisty with all sorts of corners, the racing line also changes from side to side. This means that slow drivers must also cross the racing line just to complete the lap. Here the blue flag helps the slow drivers to only cross the racing line when no fast car is approaching from behind.
Aside from the blue flag, race officials use nine other flags during a Grand Prix. Here are the other flags you might see on race day and what they mean:
