Formula 1 (otherwise known as F1) is regarded as one of the most prolific racing series’ of all time, with cutting edge technology crafted into a stunning aerodynamic shape slicing through air, getting pushed by a monstrously powerful and blissful sounding 1.6 litre V6, revving up to 15,000 rpm (revolutions per minute), and for context the average car only revs up to around 6,500 rpm. This therefore is the pinnacle of motorsport, and let me walk you through how it works.

 

For a start, there are 10 teams: Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes, Mercedes, Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes, RB Honda, Haas Ferrari, Williams Mercedes, Alpine Renault, and Kick Sauber Ferrari. Their common names are highlighted in bold. Each team consists of 2 drivers, usually a “number 1 driver” that usually brings in more points for the team and a “number 2 driver” who usually doesn’t obtain as many points. This is usually to prevent rivalries within a team which can result in drivers in the same team battling each other, which could result in conflicts or competition on the track which could cause a crash, causing them to not finish the race and preventing them from gaining points. Although this is not to say teams don’t have drivers of similar standards, as this has happened in the past with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber in 2010 (and these 2 crashed in the Turkish GP too!), or more recently with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, who used to be good friends but the rivalry for the spot as the so-called number 1 driver in 2016 tore their relationship apart.

 

This leads me onto the points system - the method of determining who wins the Drivers Championship and Constructors Championship. Points are awarded for the top 10 finishing cars, and an additional point for the fastest lap, and the points go in the following order: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, and 0 for the bottom 10. Each driver gains the appropriate number of points, and the driver with the highest number of points at the end of the season wins the Drivers Championship. The Constructors Championship is awarded to the team of 2 with the most points combined at the end of the season.

 

Over a race weekend, there are 3 practice sessions, qualifying (a type of ‘time trial’ to rank each driver standings at the start of the race) and the main race, where drivers start in order of their time rank from qualifying. During the race, teams conduct pitstops to apply fresh tires to a car so they can get faster lap times, and because worn out tires can be a safety risk too. There are also special sprint race weekends, where 2 practice sessions are replaced to form a shorter race where extra points are available to the top 8 (points awarded 8 down to 1). The sprint race is usually around 100km, and should take about 30 minutes, about a third of a normal race, and unlike a normal F1 race where pitstops are mandatory, the FIA (the governing body for many motor races like F1) allows races to go on without pitstops as the tires are capable of handling this much punishment (and usually a change of tires is not worth the time despite it being really quick at 2.5-3 seconds plus the speed limit in the pits for safety, so teams may lose time by changing tires instead of gaining).

 

Thank you for reading this, and do comment any mistakes or details I have missed out!