Flags are used to send messages during the race, and here is what each color means:

Green: indicates the start of the race (or the restart if there was a temporary delay).
Yellow: warns the driver to go slow in case of an accident, due to rain, or if there is a crash, debris, or even an animal on the track. Single-waved yellow flag means that the cars can’t overtake because there is a danger on the track. Double-waved yellow flag means that the track is blocked so, again, no overtaking is allowed.
Red: used as a warning sign and signals to driver to stop or return to the pit immediately.
Blue: means that the driver in front is one or 2 laps down and must let faster cars behind pass them.
Yellow and red stripe: informs the driver that conditions of the track are changed by car debris or oil and could cause problems, like loss of control or reduced grip.
Black with an orange circle: signals that the car has a mechanical problem and the driver must return to the garage.
Black and white: this black flag with a diagonally split white part warns the driver about receiving a penalty for unsportsmanlike behavior.
Black: means that the driver is disqualified and must immediately return to the pit.
White: is waived at the end of the free practice sessions, or when a slower moving car is ahead. This flag is also used when a medical vehicle, like an ambulance, is on the track.
Checkered: is waived once the race is finished. The drivers cannot start a new lap but they can finish the current one.

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