You might have heard about Formula 1 on Tiktok, as it has been gaining popularity there, or you might have seen your favorite celebrity, like Ed Sheeran or Kendall Jenner, visiting a team during a race. If you are wondering what this sport is about, but do not know how to get into it? Here is a basic introduction to Formula 1:
Whoever is fastest wins the race – that is the premise of Formula 1, F1 for short. Of course, it is not actually that simple. F1 got its name “Formula” from all the different rules and regulations teams have to follow; the 1 refers to it being the highest level of the Formula racing series.
Every race, called a “Grand Prix,” 20 drivers of 10 different teams (which makes two drivers per team) compete on a track to gain as many points as possible.
Whoever finishes first gains 25 points, gradually going down as the places lower until place 10, who only wins one point. Additionally, if the person who sets the fastest lap of the entire race is within the first ten finishers, he gains an extra point.
Winning these points is crucial for both driver and team because ultimately, they compete for a championship. The drivers try to get as many points as possible to win the driver’s championship at the end of the season. The team’s points are from both their drivers added together, and if they receive enough points, those could lead to winning the constructor’s championship.
Every race weekend has a set schedule. A typical weekend consists of three practice sessions on Friday and Saturday. During this time, the teams can evaluate their cars’ performances and work to improve any technical difficulties for the upcoming race. They have time to collect data and work on their strategies as well.
On Saturday afternoon, the three qualifying rounds take place. The qualifying rounds determine the starting position of the drivers. During each round, the drivers have a set time to leave their garage and set a fast lap time that will get them into the next qualifying round.
In the first round, all 20 drivers take part. The five drivers to set the slowest times are eliminated and their starting positions are set. During the next round, the other 15 drivers compete again with the five slowest drivers being eliminated. The last round of qualifying sets the starting positions of the first 10 drivers.
The races take place on Sunday afternoons and take up to two hours, each race is about 190 miles, with varying numbers of laps because every circuit is different.
Current Teams:
Some successful teams currently include Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren. These high-performing teams typically do well in the first and second qualifying rounds and are expected to do well in races, with higher podium chances than the ‘midfield’ teams.
The midfield and backmarker teams rarely have as big funds as the bigger teams and therefore do not perform at the same level. Those include Aston Martin, Williams, Racing Bulls, Kick Sauber, Haas, and Alpine. Most of the time, there is one team that has a dominance for a while, but the dominant teams change regularly.
Successful drivers:
With seven championships won, many consider him the greatest driver of F1. Hamilton is an immensely famous and successful driver who has set many records over the years, including most race wins, most podiums, and most pole positions. He started driving in F1 in 2007 for McLaren and to this day his rookie season is one of the best ones there have been, missing the champion title by one single point in his first year. He won his first championship in only his second year of F1. In 2013 he joined Mercedes, a team that at that point had not been that successful. Despite this, the decision worked out well for Hamilton, considering he won six more championships and established himself as a legend of the sport. Although he has been such an integral part of Mercedes for years, he has recently joined Ferrari, where we will see him first race in the 2025 season.
The “greatest of all time” is a title that both Hamilton and Schumacher can be described with. He, like Hamilton, has seven championships in his pocket. He made his debut in 1991 driving a midfield Benetton, but still impressing with excellent results and eventually two championships. After five years he joined the struggling Ferrari team, but dominated in the early 2000s, winning five championships for the team. Even though he retired in 2006, he made a surprising comeback with Mercedes in 2010. After a skiing accident in 2013, his family has kept his life and condition completely private. His son Mick Schumacher has followed his career choices and also became an F1 driver. He is currently a reserve driver for Mercedes after having driven for Haas for two years.
With three championships so far, Max Verstappen is currently the most dominant driver on the grid. Verstappen is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, and was trained to follow in his father’s footsteps from a young age. Verstappen’s F1 career began at Toro Rosso in 2014, and he soon joined Red Bull. Back then, he showed a lot of talent, consistently finishing with good results, though not nearly as good as today. He won his first championship in 2021 in a controversial race against Lewis Hamilton, continuing his and Red Bull’s dominance onward and establishing himself as an extremely talented driver. He has surpassed his father’s career accomplishments by far, winning almost every single race in 2023, only once not standing on the podium.
