At a glance
- A MotoGP blue flag tells a rider they are about to be overtaken. During a race, riders being lapped must let the riders lapping them pass at the earliest opportunity.
- During practice sessions, riders receiving blue must allow the faster rider past and avoid disturbing others through slow riding on the racing line.
- At pit exit, blue warns of approaching track traffic. The exiting rider must leave safely and without disturbing riders on track.
- At the finish line on the leader’s final lap, blue and chequered flags appear together when riders are closely ahead of the leader. The leader finishes; those preceding riders must complete their final lap and take the chequered flag.
MotoGP blue flag rules require a rider being lapped during a race to allow the riders lapping them to pass at the earliest opportunity. The signal generally means a rider is about to be overtaken, but practice sessions and pit exit carry different requirements: the response depends on where and when blue appears.
These duties apply under the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations, Edition 2026, updated 13 September 2026.
What riders must do when being lapped
A rider being lapped must allow every rider lapping them to pass at the earliest opportunity, not just the race leader.
Passing within a group of lapped riders is forbidden under the blue flag. The blue-flag provision specifies neither a fixed number of corners nor a prescribed manoeuvre for letting the lapping riders through.
MotoGP’s official flag guide says riders can receive penalties for failing to acknowledge relevant flags on track. That general guidance specifies no automatic blue-flag penalty.
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Practice and pit exit have different requirements
During practice sessions, the rider receiving blue must allow the faster rider to pass. They must also avoid disturbing other riders through slow riding on the racing line.
Blue warns a rider leaving the pits that riders are approaching on track. The exiting rider must leave safely and without disturbing those riders; this signal is shown at a signalling post after pit lane exit.
The following table brings together the different situations and required responses, including the combined finish-line signal explained below.
| Context | What prompts the signal | Required response |
|---|---|---|
| Race lapping | A rider is about to be lapped | Allow the lapping riders past at the earliest opportunity; passing within a group of lapped riders is forbidden under blue |
| Practice sessions | A rider is about to be overtaken | Allow the faster rider past and avoid disturbing others through slow riding on the racing line |
| Pit exit | Blue at a post after pit exit signals approaching riders on track | Exit safely without disturbing riders on track |
| Combined finish-line signal | Riders are closely ahead of the leader as they reach the finish line on the leader’s final lap | The leader finishes; the closely preceding riders must complete their final lap and take the chequered flag |
Source: 2026 FIM blue-flag and race-finish provisions, update 13 September.
What blue means alongside the chequered flag
When riders are closely ahead of the leader on the leader’s final lap, officials show the chequered and blue flags together at the finish line, simultaneously to those riders and the leader.
The leader’s race is finished, while the riders closely ahead must complete their final lap and take the chequered flag.
Image credit: Wrong Apex editorial graphics · Original editorial illustration · Modifications: Rendered from original graphic elements; resized and compressed to WebP. · Image source
