Flags and light panels let officials give safety and sporting instructions while you are driving. The colours are widely recognised, but the exact meaning, zone, stationary-versus-waved distinction, and required response are not identical in every karting rulebook.
Use this as a learning aid. Before driving, read the event's signal rules and listen for local instructions at the drivers’ briefing. If this page and an official instruction differ, follow the official instruction.
Danger and session-control signals
| Signal | What it communicates | Conservative driver response |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Danger in the sector ahead. Some rules distinguish stationary, single waved, and double waved signals. | Reduce speed visibly, do not overtake in the defined yellow zone, scan for the incident and marshals, and be ready to change direction or stop. Do not resume racing until the applicable rule says the restriction has ended. |
| Red | The session or race is being stopped. | Reduce speed immediately, stop racing and overtaking, be prepared to stop, and proceed only as officials and the event procedure direct. |
| Green | The track is clear, a yellow zone has ended, or another locally defined procedure is active. | Resume only as the applicable procedure allows; do not assume one green flag starts every session or race. |
| Black-and-white chequered/checkered | The practice session or race has ended. | Finish the lap under control, continue observing signals, and go to the location specified by the event. |
| Yellow with red stripes | Grip has deteriorated ahead, commonly because of oil or water. | Avoid abrupt inputs, look well ahead, and adjust speed and line for the uncertain surface. A waved version can carry a more urgent meaning under some karting rules. |
Under the 2026 Motorsport UK karting rules, for example, a stationary yellow warns of danger and requires enough slowing to retain full control, while a waved yellow means great danger and requires considerably more slowing and readiness for evasive action or stopping. Both prohibit overtaking. FIA circuit rules use a different single- and double-waved framework. This is why “yellow means lift a little” is unsafe shorthand.
Driver-specific and information signals
| Signal | What it communicates | Conservative driver response |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Traffic behind is approaching or trying to overtake. Its duty can vary between practice and racing and between static and waved display. | Stay predictable, check the local rule, and do not make a sudden blocking or “helpful” move. When instructed to allow a pass, do so at the first safe opportunity. |
| Black with your number | You are instructed to stop at the pits, parc fermé, or another designated place. | Acknowledge if the local procedure calls for it, complete the instruction on the required lap, and report where directed. |
| Black with orange disc and your number | Officials have identified an apparent mechanical problem that may create danger. | Stop competing and go to the required location using the event procedure. Do not rejoin until the problem is resolved and officials permit it. |
| Black and white divided diagonally with your number | A driving-conduct warning; repetition or the underlying action may lead to a penalty. | Correct the conduct immediately and continue to follow officials' instructions. It is not merely informal advice. |
| White | A much slower vehicle is in the sector ahead under FIA circuit signalling; local kart rules may differ or omit it. | Look ahead, approach with margin, and follow the event's defined meaning. |
Flags shown with a number apply to that competitor. Learn where and how your number will be displayed.
Build the scanning habit
On the first permitted laps of a new circuit, identify every flag or light-panel location. As you approach each one:
- look at the signal point before looking back to the corner;
- process the colour and whether it is stationary or waved;
- take the required action before reaching the incident; and
- keep scanning for the next signal and for officials on or beside the track.
Do not follow the kart ahead through a signal without reading it yourself. Their response may be late or wrong.