(under construction)

what is it?

formula one is the international masterclass of single seater motorsport, sanctioned by the FIA (federation internationale de automobile.) a formula one season typically lasts from march to november and consists of several races, each called a grand prix. these grands prix are hosted in different locations all around the world. some are hosted on closed circuits built specifically for racing, others are hosted on closed public roads (these races are called street races.) some races are held during the day, others are held at night.

teams and drivers

formula one currently consists of ten teams, or constructors. there are two drivers on each team.
mercedes (hamilton and russell)
alpine (gasly and ocon)
haas (magnussen and hulkenberg)
mclaren (piastri and norris)
red bull (verstappen and perez)
aston martin (stroll and alonso)
mclaren (piastri and norris)
alphatauri (tsunoda and de vries)
ferrari (leclerc and sainz)
alfa romeo (bottas and zhou)
williams (albon and sargeant)

the races

formula one events are hosted over a weekend, from friday to sunday. each event hosts three free practice sessions, a qualifying session, and a race. on friday two free practices are held, on saturday another free practice and qualifying is held, and sunday is race day.
free practice sessions are a chance for the drivers to... well... practice! it's a chance for everyone to get used to any car adjustments that have been made since the previous race, and to get a feel of the track. sometimes teams will use a free practice session to test potential new f1 drivers. qualifying sessions determine the starting grid (the order the cars will start the race in) for the race on sunday. qualifying sessions are judged by lap times (the amount of time it takes for a driver to go around the track.) the faster the lap, the higher the driver will start on the grid for sunday's race.

a race starts with a formation, or warmup lap, before all cars line up at their starting places. five red lights go out one by one. when they all go out, the race begins. depending on the length of the track, each race is typically about 60-70 laps, about 2.5hrs.

during races, drivers and teams communicate via a radio system. teams can relay information about strategies, places, and lap times, while drivers can relay information about track conditions, other drivers, tyre conditions, or if something is wrong with the car. drivers take pit stops throughout the race to replace tyres or repair damage to the car. there are a few different types of tyres that drivers can use, all with different durability and speed properties. a driver must make use of at least 2 different tyre types during a race.

the winner is whoever crosses the finish line first at the end of the race (when the checkered flag is waved,) and championship points are awarded based on final places. an additional point is awarded to the driver who held the fastest lap during the race. the top three drivers get to participate in a podium ceremony at the end of the race, where each driver and a representative from the winning team will recieve a trophy. then everyone sprays champagne on each other. it's fun.

the championship

there are two championships in an f1 season: a driver's championship and a constructor's championship. based on the results of a race, the top 10 drivers and the driver with the fastest lap are awarded points for the driver's championship. this creates an interesting dichotomy where two drivers may be on the same team, but they are also competing against each other. when a driver is awarded points, the same amount of points go to their team for the constructor's championship. the point scoring system is as follows:

1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	FL
25pts	18pts	15pts	12pts	10pts	8pts	6pts	4pts	2pts	1pt	1pt

f1 slang dictionary!

quali/qualy: a qualifying session
wag: "wives and girlfriends" usually refers to a driver's partner
in the points: finishing in the top 10, the only places where points are given
lights out: the start of the race
polesitter: the driver who starts the race at the front of the grid "on pole"
box: a pit stop. if a driver needs to pit, an engineer will usually say "box box box."
DNF: stands for "did not finish"
tifosi: a term for ferarri fans