What happens when the red flag is waved during a MotoGP race?

Will the race be restarted? What happens to the laps he riders have already completed?

What does a red flag mean in motogp?

Once the decision to raise the red flag and stop the race has been made, there’s no turning back, meaning it isn’t taken lightly. However, in some situations the race direction has no choice but to make the call. From this moment, the red flag will be waved at each marshall post, meaning the riders must slow down and return to the pit lane.

To make sure nobody tries to take advantage of the last lap before the red flag is waved, it is cancelled and the rider’s positions from the previous lap are taken into account when restarting the race.

While the red flag is on display, riders must slow down and return to their pit boxes as safely as possible. The direction’s message is clear: driving on the track is dangerous, so it has been closed. Ignoring any of these rules may lead to immediate disqualification or other possible sanctions.

What happens to the race?

Now we have avoided any potential risks and the riders are safe back in their pit boxes, it’s the time to ask ourselves a few questions — Will the race be restarted? What happens to the laps he riders have already completed? Depending on the situation, the race can be restarted in a few different ways.

Three laps or less completed
If the conditions allow it, the riders return to the track and all the previous laps are cancelled. The race is restarted from the beginning, but with one lap less. If it’s not possible to restart the race, the competition is cancelled and no points are given.

More than three laps but less than two-thirds of the race completed
If the riders can return to the track, they will start the race from the grid as in the same positions as the lap before the red flag was raised and complete the remaining laps. If due to the conditions the riders cannot complete the race, it is cancelled and half the corresponding points are given.

More than two-thirds of the race completed
If the competition needs to be stopped at this point, the race is finished early and points are given depending on the results of the last lap before the flag was raised.

What do the teams do in the time between when the flag is raised and when the race is restarted?

It’s certainly a busy time as the teams can take advantage to make any necessary adjustments to the motorbike. When a race is restarted, it is normally shorter and poses different challenges to the original race. For all these reasons, the choice of tyres and any necessary adjustments to ensure top performance are drastically different in this new situation.

Luckily, races aren’t often stopped. Even though MotoGP is a sport that can come up against a lot of difficulties, the dedication of the organisers and teams and their dedication to the riders and on-track staff make it possible for us to enjoy this amazing show.