For most people, Formula One is synonymous with motorsports. With the fastest cars on the road, Formula One is an exhilarating sport to behold. With this in mind, we will just outline some of the finer points of the sport that many people might actually miss.
A Little History
Known as F1, it is the highest level of single-seat auto racing. It is monitored by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), founded in 1950, which has been the main forum for this kind of racing since then, though other F1 races were actually in operation until 1983. There are a large number of rules surrounding the sport to which all drivers and manufacturers must conform or risk elimination. Each year the rules are checked through and, on occasion, modified – some with a lot of controversy and complaint. In a single F1 season there are a number of races, called Grand Prix, which are held across the world on different tracks. The drivers and their car manufacturers are then ranked according to their results, with points awarded from a win down to 10th place, in a dual points system.
How It Works
Each Grand Prix takes place over a weekend. The weekend offers two practice runs on the Friday and one on the Saturday allowing the drivers to get the feel for the car and the track. Each team can only use two cars. The qualifying round is then held after the last practice session and is what determines the order in which the cars line up on the Sunday race day. The qualifying laps are run in three sections with the slowest drivers in each qualifier knocked out. Each driver can do a number of laps, but it is only the fastest time that will be considered. After the order is determined the race itself will start with a warm-up lap before the race begins in earnest.