A parade lap, also known as a pace lap, formation lap or warm-up lap, is a lap before a motorsport race begins, in which the drivers go around the track at a slow speed (usually between 50and), and, in some cases, behind the safety car.
The lap is to ensure that track conditions are safe, and that there are no dangerous problems with the cars (including the safety car) or the circuit. The parade lap either leads to a rolling start, standing start, or back to the grid. Short circuits (such as the Brands Hatch Indy circuit layout) often have two of these laps. Overtaking is usually permitted on these laps in motorcycle racing, but not in car racing.[1]
The lap also allows the cars to warm up their tyres, which is crucial in order to be competitive during the race. Drivers will often attempt to warm up the tyres more quickly during the lap, by steering slowly from side to side, and may sometimes also warm their brakes.
In Formula One, the official title is formation lap. Any car which fails to leave the grid before the last qualifier has moved away is required to start from either the pit lane or the back of the grid. In MotoGP and the Superbike World Championship, it is known as the warm-up lap.
In NASCAR, the parade lap is referenced as a pace lap, and safety car speed is the same as the pit lane speed limit.