What do the flags mean in F1?

Yellow means danger and no overtaking, red stops the session, blue tells a lapped car to let the leaders by.

Yellow means danger and no overtaking, red stops the session, blue tells a lapped car to let the leaders by.

Why flags still matter

Marshals wave flags and the same signals light up on panels and in the cockpit. Ignoring one, like overtaking under yellow, brings a penalty.

Green: Track clear, racing again.

Yellow: Danger ahead: slow down, no overtaking. Two yellows: be ready to stop.

Red: Session stopped. All cars back to the pit lane.

Blue: A faster car is about to lap you: let it by.

White: A slow car ahead, like a recovery truck.

Yellow and red stripes: Slippery track: oil, water or debris.

Black and white: Warning for bad driving, often after repeated track-limit offences.

Black with orange disc: Your car is damaged: come to the pits.

Black: Disqualified: come to the pits and stop.

Chequered: The session or race is over.

What happens after a red flag?

Cars wait in the pit lane, teams may change tyres, and the race usually restarts from the grid.