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Two black flags shown with a car number, one ending a competitor's race and one not.
The plain black flag excludes the competitor: their race is over. The black flag with an orange disc reports a mechanical problem that endangers others and sends the driver to the pits to have it fixed, after which they may rejoin. Both are shown with a number board, both are black, and confusing them costs a competitor a race they could have finished.
The plain black flag excludes a competitor; the orange disc sends them in to fix a fault and permits them to rejoin.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Black flag | Black flag with orange disc |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | squares | squares and circles |
| Colour | black | black and orange |
| Black flag | Black flag with orange disc | |
|---|---|---|
| May rejoin | No. | Yes, once the fault is corrected. |
| Reason shown | Exclusion, a sporting penalty. | A mechanical condition endangering others. |
| Face of the flag | Plain black. | Black with a solid orange disc. |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Black flag with orange disc — The plain black flag excludes a competitor; the orange disc sends them in to fix a fault and permits them to rejoin. | Commonly confused with Black flag — The plain black flag excludes a competitor; the orange disc sends them in to fix a fault and permits them to rejoin. |
International Sporting Code and the flag signals of circuit racing
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile · retrieved 2026-08-27
The international governing body of motor sport, cited for the defined meaning of its flag and board signals. Individual championships add signals and vary procedures, and a record describing a series variation says which series.
Both arms sweeping forward means play continues and no kick is coming. One arm straight up means a kick is coming and cannot score directly. Confusing them changes whether players expect a stoppage.
A cross means all ten pins fell to the first ball; a forward slash means it took two. The cross carries two deliveries of bonus and the slash only one, which is why three strikes are needed for a frame to reach thirty.
The exclamation mark praises a move, the question mark criticises it. Neither is defined by FIDE: unlike the rest of chess notation these are publishing convention, and two annotators may disagree about the same move.
Doubling intensifies whichever mark is doubled: !! is the highest praise available and ?? the harshest criticism. Read one for the other and you have inverted the annotator's verdict completely.