What is a Blue Flag?
In auto racing, the Blue Flag (with the yellow diagonal stripe) informs a driver that they are being caught by a faster car and are about to be lapped. Blue flags generally come out when the faster car is within about 2 seconds of the car that’s about to be lapped.
How do I know I’ve been given a Blue Flag?
In iRacing a Blue Flag icon will be shown by default towards the top left hand corner of your display. The Crew chief audio (aka Carl) will also tell you “They’re showing us the Blue Flag.” (You can move the flag in your layout using ALT-K and dragging it into a more prominent position.)
What must I do if I am shown the Blue Flag?
NEVER fight with a lapping car when you receive the Blue Flag. It is not a battle for position.
ALWAYS keep an eye on your Relative F3 to be aware of cars around you.
ALWAYS drive in a predictable manner. Ideally you should be making it very clear what you are doing with smooth inputs (opening a gap, moving offline, lifting to facilitate the pass etc.) The default “PASS LEFT/PASS RIGHT button bindings or a friendly radio message can help a lot.
NEVER make a sudden move at the last moment. If you’re surprised by a Blue Flag situation, don’t panic. Just carry on steady and come up with a plan, or let the pass happen as safely as possible if the passing car is already alongside.
ADVANCED TECHNIQUE With experience, you’ll be able to manage faster traffic by finding the best opportunities that allow the pass to happen with a minimum of time lost for you and the overtaking driver. (Going extra deep into a hairpin to open the gap and thus having a bit more speed down the following straight is a good example.)
What other advice do you have for when I’ve been given a Blue Flag?
- If in doubt, stay on the racing line, particularly if it’s a multiclass race and the overtaking car is inherently quicker. Remember if you’re both in the same cars, acceleration curves are basically identical, and staying on line can turn the slower driver into a moving road block.
- Ease up on the throttle to allow a clean pass on the straightaway--it’s best to communicate this ahead of time, or to move off line before reducing acceleration so you don’t get rear-ended if the car behind is using you as a draft.
- In road racing, the majority of passes happen in the braking zones, and that’s true for Blue Flag passes as well. If you’re on line and the overtaking car is on the inside, remember that they’ll probably brake a tad earlier than normal to make the corner with the non-optimal entry. Anticipate this by dragging your brake a tad earlier as well to leave room at the apex.
- A bit of information goes a very long way. Utilise the radio to verbally communicate with the lapping driver, brief clear messages are best. (“Pass Right,” “Lifting,” are great examples. “Get near me and we’re both getting on the express train to wallsville” is less helpful.)