Ninh explains, the Rules of Formula 1 The object of the race is to be the first
to cross the finish line after completing a certain number of laps around a track.
Formula One, more commonly known as F1 is the most popular auto racing sport in the
world, and is the highest level of single seat car racing.
F1 is contested in a varying number of races throughout a calendar year, and each race
is known as a Grand Prix. Drivers will drive a specially designed race
car that is designed to go around a race track in as fast a time as possible.
There are three parts to any race. Practice
Mostly held on a Friday, practice is where drivers can test their cars on the racetrack.
This is valuable to determine how the car will run given the weather and environment
and also to get the driver used to the track. Qualifying.
To determine what position each driver starts in the race, each driver will complete laps
of the track on their own. The fastest driver will start the race on the grid in the 1st
position, the 2nd fastest in the 2nd position etc. until all the drivers are assigned a
position to start the race. This is known as qualifying and is usually held on a Saturday,
the day before the actual race. The Race.
Once qualifying has determined the order where the drivers start, the actual race is usually
held on a Sunday. Drivers will do one warm up lap and then line up in the position that
they will start as determined by qualifying. Once all the lights go out, the race begins.
Drivers have to complete a predetermined number of laps, for a total distance of 305km (or
260 km for Monaco) … the driver who crosses the line first after all the laps have been
completed … wins. Drivers get points for the position that they
finish, and the driver with the most points after all the grand prix’s have been contested
is crowned the world champion. It’s honestly that simple, but there’s
a few other things you’ll need to know about before going to or watching a race. For example.
Track Each Grand Prix track is totally different
to another, and all of them are contested in a different country. This means that teams
and drivers have to prepare and set up their cars for the environment. From the sweltering
heat of Abu Dhabi, to the cold and rain of England, to the humid night race of Singapore,
and the world’s most famous street race – Monaco.
Drivers will usually memorise every turn for every track so that they perform better when
they actually race.
Tires Each team has access to different types of
tires. The softer the tyre, the more grip you have, but the quicker they wear out. The
harder to tyre, the longer they last but they have less grip.
Depending the weather and track conditions determines which tyres the teams should use.
Using the wrong tyre at the wrong time could cost you the race, and sometimes worse.
Pit Stop Cars are allowed to go back to their own team’s
garage (or pit) to change their tyres or refuel. This is known as a pit stop and teams are
so fast at changing 4 tyres and adding fuel that this can be done in about 3 seconds.
A team is allowed as many pit stops as they like, but this adds time to your race and
could cost you valuable positions. Penalty
Should you break one of the rules, a penalty may be issued against you depending on the
severity of the rule you broke. This can either be imposed as time added to
your total time to complete the race, known as a drive through penalty, docking you starting
positions on the grid to start the race, or more severe penalties such as penalising you
for future races, or excluding you from any further grand prix’s.
Flags During a race, marshalls will use flags to
indicate things to the drivers. I’m not going to cover single every flag,
but the most common are:
Green Flag – This flag is used to start or restart a race.
Yellow Flag – This is to tell the driver to slow down due to a hazard or accident.
Red Flag – This is an instruction for the drivers to either stop or return to the pit
lanes due to danger on the track. Black Flag – This is a penalty issued to
a driver who has broken the rules. Blue Flag – This is an instruction to let
the car behind overtake you. Checkered Flag – This is the famous flag
that denotes the end of a race. Constructors Championship.
Constructors, or teams are allowed to field two drivers in a race. The points for every
teams’ drivers are added up and the team with the most amount of points at the end
of the season will win the Constructors Championship. I could talk more about engines, chassis,
ERS, DRS, aerodynamic body parts but these change almost every year and the points I’ve
talked about are the most salient ones for a beginner to understand.
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Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK