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F1
Here's how F1 works: understanding the superstar of motorsports
Whether you’re new to F1 or trying to get your head around the updated rules for 2026, here's a guide to teasing out the complexities of Formula One.
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F1 is the biggest, richest and most prestigious motorsport championship in the world and it’s getting bigger year on year. But who are the key players? Are the cars all the same? Isn't it just people driving around in circles? Our beginner's guide to Formula One will take you from the back of the grid to the top of the podium.
01
What is Formula One?
Formula One is an elite motorsport world championship pitting the 22 best racing drivers against each other in races around the globe. It’s also a team sport with constructors building their cars to meet a specific set of rules – or formula – with the quickest machine often the decisive factor. F1 is the greatest measure of extreme performance, engineering excellence and brilliant innovation where the standards of performance are raised not year on year, but race by race.
Max Verstappen pushing the limits
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02
What makes F1 the pinnacle of motorsport?
The unparalleled combination of cutting-edge engineering, extreme performance, elite human skill and massive financial investment makes Formula One the top level of motorsport. Formula racing sees teams design and build their own chassis to a specific set of regulations (formula), creating the fastest, most advanced vehicles in the world.
To qualify for a seat in F1, drivers have to develop their skills by racing in various open-wheel racing feeder series, winning races and working well with their team all the way from karting as young children through F4, Formula Regional, F3 and F2. That route and championship hierarchy are determined by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the governing body for motorsport, which established F1 as the elite level of racing in the late 1940s.
As compelling as domestic competitions like Indy in the US and Super Formula in Japan – and international series like WRC and WEC – may be, in terms of popularity, driver skill and athleticism, technology and bags of cash, F1 leaves other racing championships in its dust.
The Orange Army of Max Verstappen fans
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03
Just how popular is F1?
F1 is the biggest motorsport in the world, with more than 20 rounds taking place on four continents. The World Championship has enjoyed an explosion of interest thanks to a hit show on Netflix, an Oscar-winning movie starring Brad Pitt, and an expansion of the calendar with more races in the USA as well as the Middle East. All that activity means F1 has about 827 million fans as of 2025, a 63 percent increase since 2018. The audience is also increasingly younger and more diverse, with 43 percent under 35 and 42 percent female.
A look around the paddock confirms it’s a truly global sport with drivers, team members and sponsors coming from all over the world – although its heartland is still in Europe.
Around London in the UK, you’ll find the Formula One promoters themselves and then in the Motorsport Valley is Oracle Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, McLaren, Williams, Aston Martin, Alpine and Cadillac. It’s important to note that Oracle Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, Alpine and Cadillac are Austrian, German, French and American teams (respectively).
While Japanese-owned, Honda engines are manufactured in the UK in the same town as Red Bull Racing. Ferrari, Racing Bulls (short for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team or VCARB) and tyre suppliers Pirelli are Italian. Audi is based in Switzerland and Haas is somehow based simultaneously in the US, UK and Italy. Meanwhile, the FIA is based in France.
Isack Hadjar on the attack at the Chineses Grand Prix
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04
What makes F1 so captivating?
F1 takes motor racing to the extreme: the cars hit speeds over 370kph (230mph), accelerating from 0-100kph (0-60mph) in about 2.3 seconds and braking almost as fast, with drivers experiencing up to 6.5G. There are amazing stories up and down the paddock: of people defying the odds, using their ingenuity to earn victory and of heroic near misses. There are exciting rivalries between drivers, teams and even teammates. F1 is a drama on four wheels that plays out in the crucible of the most exciting motorsport in the world.
The greatest drivers in the championship are legendary: Juan Manuel Fangio, the first five-time champion, Jim Clark, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. The dominant driver of this generation is Max Verstappen who competes against a stellar field of champions like Hamilton, Alonso and Lando Norris, as well as rising stars like Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto andArvid Lindblad.
Ollie Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli, Sergio Pérez
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05
Who competes in the World Championship?
F1 features two World Championships: one for Drivers and one for Constructors (Teams). There are 11 teams, each with two race drivers, a pit crew ready to change tyres and conduct running repairs, plus the drivers' race engineers and the team principal running the race from the pit wall.
The only ever-present team is Ferrari, which also boasts the most world titles, followed by McLaren and Williams. But the past two decades have been dominated by Oracle Red Bull Racing and their arch-rivals Mercedes.
F1 is also the oldest car racing world championship, beginning in Silverstone in the UK in 1950. For the record, MotoGP™ was up and running one year earlier. That first calendar featured events that still form the nucleus of the schedule: as well as Silverstone, there’s the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the Monaco Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.
The Racing Bulls pit crew push Arvid Lindblad and his car to the start line
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06
What happens at a Formula One Grand Prix weekend?
The classic Grand Prix format is made up of three 60-minute sessions (Free Practice) – two on Friday and one on Saturday morning – where the track is open for drivers to fine-tune the car set-up. On Saturday afternoon, it’s qualifying (Quali) to determine the starting order for the race on Sunday.
As soon as the flag falls on Quali, the cars are locked away in parc fermé and can’t be worked on until during the race itself on Sunday afternoon. The Grand Prix is designed to last about 90 minutes and no more than two hours. The minimum distance is 305km/190 miles, so the number of laps varies according to the length of the circuit.
There are also six special rounds that feature a Sprint Race, which means more action and less testing. A Sprint is over 100km/62 miles of racing (about 30 minutes) with no mandatory pit stops to encourage flat-out racing. For a Sprint weekend, drivers get one Free Practice on Friday morning, then it’s Sprint qualifying. The Sprint race is on Saturday and is followed by Quali for the Sunday Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto talk to the press
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07
What else happens at a Grand Prix weekend?
In between the sessions, the circuit will be filled with support races from junior categories such as F2, F3 and F1 Academy, which will feature rising stars from the Red Bull Junior Team. Meanwhile, the drivers and senior team personnel will be talking to the media across the whole weekend. Away from the track, on Wednesday and Thursday, while the teams set up the garages and motorhomes, drivers will be involved in various activations such as meet and greets with fans and sponsors, and appearances in local media.
F1 Grand Prix weekend schedules
Friday AM
Friday PM
Saturday AM
Saturday PM
Sunday
Classic
FP1
FP2
FP3
Quali
Grand Prix
Sprint
FP1
Sprint Quali
Sprint
Quali
Grand Prix
08
How does the Formula One World Championship work?
The F1 calendar is made up of more than 20 rounds, each featuring a unique Grand Prix – a 90-minute race held on a purpose-built racetrack or a street circuit. Each one tests a different aspect of performance and winning a single F1 race is a career highlight.
There are two world championships at stake: the Drivers and the Constructors and they score points by finishing in the top 10 in a Grand Prix or top eight in a Sprint. Those are the only points on offer: nothing for pole position, fastest lap or tidiest garage.
09
The F1 points system
Position
Grand Prix
Sprint
1st
25pts
8pts
2nd
18pts
7pts
3rd
15pts
6pts
4th
12pts
5pts
5th
10pts
4pts
6th
8pts
3pts
7th
6pts
2pts
8th
4pts
1pt
9th
2pts
10th
1pt
Max Verstappen is a four-time F1 World Champion
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10
What is the Drivers’ World Championship?
The Drivers' World Championship encapsulates the romance of F1 and the drivers are its lead actors. Piloting an F1 car at top speed through narrow streets while competing for position with 21 cars demands skill and mental clarity to avoid crashing out.
Even though safety levels are light years ahead of where the sport was in its early decades, motor racing is still incredibly dangerous as drivers dice at 300kph/186mph. The slightest mistake can send cars crashing heavily into the barriers with drivers risking injury and worse on every lap.
But becoming an F1 driver also means instant global fame. Since his F1 debut in 2015 Max Verstappen has been followed around the world by the Orange Army – a devoted fanbase who pack the grandstands especially at the Belgian and Austrian Grands Prix. Further down the grid, Franco Colapinto has caused an F1 boom in Argentina since his debut in 2024, catapulting him to stardom in his homeland, second only to soccer legend Lionel Messi.
Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium at the Japanese Grand Prix
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The rewards are massive: reaching F1 only comes after years of karting, which is a costly business, but the starting salary for new drivers is around €5m/$5.8m with bonuses for scoring points. That money may also be supplemented by sponsorships and promotions.
Scoring points will earn drivers a bonus and move them up the Drivers’ World Championship leaderboard. Finishing highly will fill their bank balance and their trophy cabinet. And then there’s the prestige: only 116 drivers have won a Formula One Grand Prix and just 35 have become World Champions – true legends of the sport but also global superstars who transcend F1.
The cars are lined up prior to the race start
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11
What is the Constructors’ Championship?
While the Drivers’ has the glamour, the Constructors’ is arguably more important as it determines the amount of prize money earned by the team at the end of the season. The exact amount of money up for grabs isn't known each season, but as a rule of thumb, if the overall prize pool is €850m/$1bn, the winning constructors will pocket about €120/$140m. Prize money is awarded all the way down the grid – as the only ever-present in the championship, Ferrari always get proportionately more – but the money can make a huge difference with teams desperate to finish as high up as possible.
12
How long does the season last?
An F1 World Championship lasts nine months, with the first race in early March and the finale in mid-December. But with pre-season testing starting in February, F1 is effectively a year-round race off the track to design and refine the best car. The results can be seen on track as cars improve and drivers that may have started well down the order will move up the championship table.
The action unfolds on a mix of purpose-built racetracks and temporary street circuits that challenge different aspects of skill and car design. There are some outliers such as outright speed in Monza and Jeddah, physical endurance at Singapore or high tyre wear at Bahrain and Barcelona, but every circuit has unique characteristics that provide a test for the drivers and teams to overcome.
Team-mates: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar
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13
The teams and drivers
There are 11 F1 teams, each with two race drivers. The drivers' role is to extract maximum performance from the chassis in every session in the pursuit of points and trophies. Their accurate feedback on track and back in the garage is vital for helping the team to develop the chassis in testing and then during the season to set up the car perfectly for racing.
That includes the angle of wings on the chassis, the brake bias and the choice of tyres and tyre pressures, all of which affect the pace and handling of the car. They also have a say in determining race strategy. During the Grand Prix, their race engineer will help them to know when to push, when to try to pass, the best time to pit and when to save tyres or hold position.
To race in F1, drivers need to be supremely fit and hugely skilled, but also highly intelligent: they need to focus on the action while also processing colossal amounts of information quickly to keep the car on the limit while also controlling numerous settings through the steering wheel (see below) and communicating clearly with the team.
They need to be superb team players with the self-discipline to look after themselves, and the interpersonal skills to build and manage a campaign. The hopes of a team of thousands of people, plus the investment of the sponsors, are on their shoulders and nearly one billion fans are watching. So, no pressure! They are also acutely aware that their place at the top of the pile is precarious: any driver who is not delivering will soon find someone else in their seat.
Red Bull Racing Technical Director Pierre Waché
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14
How do the teams operate?
The Constructors' title is the primary focus of the teams and, in addition to providing the best chassis to drivers, their strategy is to leave the circuit with maximum points and two cars intact and ready to race again.
The teams are responsible for designing the chassis from the floor up. It needs to work perfectly with the engine (power unit) and the tyres, which are provided to all teams by Pirelli. Throughout the season they will continue to refine the design in search of unlocking more speed and better performance. That work is carried out at the factory and in the garages and must come under a strict budget cap.
The first rule of being an F1 driver is to beat your team-mate, but for the sake of challenging in both championships and maintaining effective working relationships, teams have a different approach to managing their drivers. Some define a number one and number two structure. An extreme example was with Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. Schumi was the greatest driver of his generation – he ensured he not only had the best car and the best engineers, he also had his team-mates (Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa) contractually obliged to support his campaign.
But most teams allow both drivers to race, usually until it’s clear which is the quickest and has the best chance of winning a world championship. Crashing into your team-mate is the cardinal sin in F1, partly because of the effect on morale and partly because rebuilding a car after a crash is so costly it can put a dent in the team budget and impact on the title race.
On stage at the live reveal at Ford HQ in Detroit
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15
Who builds the engines?
While every team builds their own chassis, they don’t all make their own engines. That’s because engine technology is expensive and difficult and they can save themselves some sleepless nights by buying the engine off the shelf. Red Bull Racing, McLaren and Williams have all won multiple world championships as so-called customer teams.
But there are also advantages to building your own power unit (PU), because the entire design process is in synch: your chassis and PU teams work closely to ensure the whole package fits together perfectly. Ferrari has always produced their own engines, as has Mercedes. In fact, the German marque has been a PU supplier in F1 for longer than they’ve been a constructor. In 2026, Audi joined the ranks of power unit suppliers and Cadillac intend to start building their own by 2029. Meanwhile, Honda is exclusively supplying Aston Martin.
Red Bull has also established Red Bull Powertrains to provide engines to both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, in partnership with automotive giants Ford. It’s a huge and ambitious undertaking for the team, but one that puts them in control of their power unit supply and their destiny on track.
Red Bull Racing team boss Laurent Mekies on the pit wall
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16
Who are the key people in the teams and what do they do?
The teams bring an elite group to each round, along with two race drivers, a pit crew ready to change tyres and conduct running repairs, plus the drivers' race engineers, team principal and other senior personnel running the race from the pit wall. Back in the garage and motorhome, you’ll find more useful types like race strategists, physios and other support staff.
Team principal: In football terms, he’s the manager, the chief coach, the one directing operations from the sidelines – or pit wall in F1 terms. The team principal is often also the face of the outfit representing the team in the media. From combative to kindly, each has their own approach to making the crucial choices that propel the team to the podium.
Technical director: Usually the second in command of the team, the TD is responsible for the design of the chassis and all its components and is backed by a team of engineers and aerodynamicists who help shape the car across the season. Engine manufacturers such as Red Bull Powertrains also have a separate TD in charge of building the power units.
Sporting director: Managing all trackside operations, regulatory compliance and liaison with the FIA, the SD acts as the bridge between team management and operational staff. They oversee pit crew performance, interpret technical rules, handle in-race sporting matters and manage personnel logistics during race weekends.
Head of Race Engineering Gianpiero Lambiase and Max Verstappen
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Head of race engineering: Leading the technical side of racing, the head of race engineering determines pit stops and works with the 20-strong team mechanics and engineers that make up the pit crew. With assistance from heads of departments such as strategists, mechanics and data analysts, they determine the race strategy for the team and drivers, and ensure its execution.
Race engineer: The race engineer works closely with their allotted driver, forming a close bond, and taking charge of managing the race from the pit wall. They handle communication between the pit wall and driver, and work closely with the driver to set up the car for each race.
Strategist: Working with the team at the racetrack and back in the factory, the strategists' role is to come up with winning strategies for the Grand Prix, including tyre strategy. They will work closely with the factory’s simulator team to run through alternative scenarios and set-ups to find the perfect approach to the race.
Reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda
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Reserve driver: The reserve driver will spend a significant part of the Grand Prix in the sim testing different race strategies and car set-ups, mimicking the driving styles of each driver and working long into the night. On Saturday, they will usually fly out to the race ready to be in the garage, just in case they're needed to deputise on Sunday. Of the current grid, both Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman made their F1 debuts impressing as substitutes for an injured or unwell driver before landing a seat full time.
And the whole operation is backed up by the extended team back in the factory running simulations to test different chassis set-ups and race scenarios, and developing new parts for the car.
17
Who are the drivers on the 2026 F1 grid?
Team
Driver
Driver
Chassis
Power Unit
McLaren
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
MCL40
Mercedes
Mercedes
George Russell
Kimi Antonelli
W17
Mercedes
Oracle-Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen
Isack Hadjar
RB22
Red Bull Ford
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton
SF-26
Ferrari
Williams
Carlos Sainz
Alex Albon
FW48
Mercedes
Visa Cash App RB F1 Team
Liam Lawson
Arvid Lindblad
VCARB 03
Red Bull Ford
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso
Lance Stroll
AMR26
Mercedes
Haas
Esteban Ocon
Oliver Bearman
VF-26
Ferrari
Audi
Nico Hülkenberg
Gabriel Bortoleto
R26
Audi
Alpine
Pierre Gasly
Franco Colapinto
A526
Mercedes
Cadillac
Sergio Pérez
Valtteri Bottas
MAC-26
Ferrari
F1 fans are a fixture at Grands Prix
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18
How do Formula One cars work?
Formula One cars use cutting-edge hybrid power systems and aerodynamics to produce ground-shaking acceleration and record lap times.
Power units
The hybrid engine generates about 1000hp/745kW from two sources in a 50/50 split: an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and an MGU-K unit that generates electric power from kinetic energy. The ICE is a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 that runs on 100 percent sustainable fuels. It’s not radically different from the engines introduced in 2014, which are already the most fuel-efficient in the world.
Attached to the flywheel, the MGU-K recovers kinetic energy from braking and when the engine is idling. From 2026, this component is used to produce half of the overall power, which can be used as a boost to help drivers overtake and defend. The drivers and constructors that can harness the technology will dominate the championships.
These elements need to be built to last as there are limits on the number of components. A driver gets four ICEs and Turbochargers, three MGU-Ks, Energy Stores and Control Electronics, and four Exhaust sets for the entire 2026 season. If they exceed that amount, they will incur a grid-place penalty. In 2027, the rules are even more stringent, with just three ICEs and Turbochargers, two MGU-Ks, Energy Stores and Control Electronics, and three Exhaust sets.
Box! Box! Every driver has to pit at least once in a Grand Prix
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Aerodynamics
With their large wings front and rear, F1 chassis use aerodynamics to generate grip, channelling air to push the car body down onto the track, enabling the car to corner more quickly. The effects can be dramatic – such as the ground-effect cars of the 1980s and early 2020s that pushed air out from under the car, making them look like they were on rails.
But aerodynamics also create a wash of disrupted, 'dirty' air behind them (drag), which makes it hard for cars to follow closely, causing more tyre wear and making it trickier to overtake. To encourage closer racing, the F1 rules often strip away aero elements and from 2026 ground-effect is gone as F1 ushers in simpler chassis designs.
In its place comes active aero front and rear wings, which open and close like shutters. When closed, more air is pushed onto the chassis, providing downforce through corners, and when open, air passes smoothly over the car, reducing drag and boosting straight-line speed.
F1 race tyres
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Tyres
Rather than produce a durable tyre that can last for the entire Grand Prix, F1 tyres are designed to perform within a narrow window before degrading, forcing drivers to pit. Manufacturers, Pirelli, make a total of six compounds for racing in dry conditions (slicks) plus two tyres in case of rain, intermediate and wet.
Only three of the six compounds are available on a Grand Prix weekend – Soft, Medium, Hard – to create different pit stop strategies. As a rule, the softer the tyre, the faster the car but the shorter the tyre’s usable life – although track surface and temperature also have an impact on tyre performance and degradation.
Steering wheel
A modern F1 steering wheel is a complex, custom-built control centre with more than 25 buttons, rotaries and paddle shifters, enabling drivers to adjust power unit settings, including harvesting kinetic energy, brake balance, differentials and front- and rear-wing position. There’s also a speed limiter to deploy in the pit lane, paddles for controlling gear changes, plus the boost button for deploying electric energy. It’s also a phone, allowing drivers to talk to their team on the pit wall over team radio.
The simulator at the factory is used to test set-ups and strategies
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19
Race strategy and tactics
There’s more to F1 than keeping your right foot down: there are 21 other cars on track and the right strategy can help get your car to the front. Being on the right tyres and pitting at the optimal time can make a crucial difference to race results. Car performance also changes due to tyres, track temperature and the amount of fuel onboard.
It’s harder to overtake on some circuits, for example, at Monaco, Suzuka and Hungary, a good driver can defend track position and win in a slower car. Teams will usually have several strategies with a Plan A and Plan B to respond to circumstances. Here are some typical strategy choices that might be deployed at an F1 Grand Prix:
20
Fuel and energy management
Race fuel is heavy, which makes the car slower, so an efficient engine is better than a more powerful one that needs more fuel. Likewise, a driver who is smoother and uses less fuel can extract better performance than drivers with a heavier foot. The racing term 'slower is faster' refers to the art of taking a slower, more precise entry into a corner to enable a better and longer spell of acceleration on exit, ultimately leading to faster lap times.
Being easier on the car also extends tyre and brake life and maximises car energy. The MGU-K is also harvesting energy on every lap, charging the car battery to give drivers a boost of power to defend, attack or increase their overall lap time, all activated with the Boost button.
From 2026, Overtake Mode replaces DRS (Drag Reduction System) as F1’s main overtaking aid. As with DRS, drivers must be running within one second of the car in front at a detection point to activate Overtake Mode. Once triggered, the driver gets a surge in power to help them to overtake.
Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls during a pit stop
© LAT Images/Red Bull Content Pool
21
Tyre and pit stop strategy
Pit stop strategy: Every car must pit at least once during a race, and in dry weather, use two of the three dry tyre compounds. But several stints on a faster tyre can be quicker than making the rubber last through two longer stints. Strategists will consider numerous factors, including the length of the pit lane entry when determining the fastest race time, often aiming to pit when they have 'clean air; (no traffic) to maximise performance.
One-stop: On a typical one-stop strategy, the driver will start with the medium tyre to get away to a quick start and swap onto the hard tyre and race to the flag.
Two-stop: Pit stops cost time, but that can be offset by being on a faster tyre – for example Soft-Medium-Hard or Medium-Hard-Hard. On this more aggressive strategy, the tyre will degrade more quickly, but the average times will be lower across the whole Grand Prix, using the pacey soft tyre when loaded with fuel and running to the end on a harder tyre when the car is lightest.
Undercut: There’s more than one way to overtake. It can be done on track or in the pits. The undercut involves pitting earlier than a rival and, ideally speaking, rejoining the action in a part of the track that’s clear of other drivers. They exploit the fresh rubber and clear air to put their foot down with some fast laps in the hope that when their rival pits and rejoins, they’re ahead.
Overcut: Staying out on track longer than opponents draws out the life of the tyres before pitting means coming out on fresh rubber when they’re lighter, faster and have fewer laps before the final flag.
Safety Car (SC): An accident on a piece of debris on the track can trigger a Safety Car period when the racing is neutralised (ie, no overtaking) and the cars slow down and line up behind the SC. This can take several laps and allows the race marshals to safely clear the circuit of debris before the Safety Car returns to the pit and racing starts again.
Virtual Safety Car (VSC:) A VSC means the racing is neutralised and the cars have to slow to a speed limit but the Safety Car doesn’t physically leave the pits – it enables more minor disruptions to be dealt with less disruption to the race. Teams will often pit their drivers under a SC/VSC period as they lose less time than doing it during a race.
Shanghai International Circuit with the Shanghai skyline in the distance
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Street racing: the Loews Hairpin at Monaco
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
22
The Formula One calendar
The F1 season currently takes in 22 rounds with the promoters looking to add two more in the coming years, plus many more Sprint rounds. As the schedule has grown season after season, F1 has introduced more back-to-back races and even some triple headers, stretching the team’s resources and the stamina of its personnel.
F1 cars work best on smooth, dry surfaces and in warm conditions, so the schedule is built around racing in the best weather. The championship starts and ends with races in the southern hemisphere’s summer in Australia and Brazil and generally sticks to warmer climes, neatly avoiding the desert heat of the Middle East by staging night races and day/night in spring and late autumn.
After heading to Florida, competition ventures north to Europe in search of reliable weather for classic rounds like Monaco, Austria and the British Grand Prix. But it doesn’t always work: Spa-Francorchamps, home of the Belgian Grand Prix, is built in the hills of the Ardennes, which, while technically not a rain forest, might as well be.
The summer calendar isn’t exclusively in Europe: it’s punctuated with visits to North America (Montreal) and Asia (Baku). The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is usually the last European race of the year before competition returns to south Asia in Singapore and a run of races in the Americas – Austin, Mexico, São Paolo and Las Vegas (ironically often the coldest race of the year) – before returning to the Middle East and a showdown against the setting sun at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The pit lane housing the team garages with the paddock behind
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
23
Key Formula One terminology
- Active aero – Adjustable front and rear wings that change angle depending on track position: closed for grip in corners, open for speed on straights.
- Backmarker – A slower car likely to be lapped by the race leaders.
- Blistering – Tyre damage caused by overheating, where rubber bubbles and breaks away.
- Boost – New for 2026, a feature allowing drivers to deploy extra electric power anywhere on track (if energy is available).
- Boots – Slang for tyres.
- Bottoming – When the underside of the car hits the track surface.
- Box – Team radio slang for pit stop (“Box! Box!”), coming from 'boxenstopp', the German for pit stop.
- Brake bias – Adjustment of braking force through the wheels.
- Chicane – A sequence of tight corners designed to slow cars down.
- Clean air – Undisturbed airflow that allows optimal aerodynamic performance.
- Clipping – When the engine management system diverts all electric power to recharge the battery, causing the car to slow and behave erratically.
- Deg – Short for degradation, the gradual loss of tyre performance over time.
- Dirty air – Turbulent air behind a car that reduces downforce for the following car.
- Downforce – Aerodynamic force pushing the car onto the track to increase grip.
- Drag – Air resistance slowing the car down.
- ERS (Energy Recovery System) – Captures and redeploys energy to provide additional power.
- Falling off the cliff – When tyre performance drops off dramatically.
- Hot lap/flying lap – A high-speed lap to set the quickest time in Qualifying or Practice.
- Flat spot – A worn patch on a tyre caused by locking the brakes.
- Grand Chelem (Grand Slam) – Achieving pole, fastest lap, leading every lap and winning the race.
- Green flag – Signal that the track is clear for racing.
- Grid penalty – A grid penalty punishes drivers for infractions in the rules by moving them down the starting order after Quali – usually 5 or 10 places, but severe breaches can mean starting at the back.
- Halo – Protective structure around the cockpit to protect the driver’s head.
- HANS device – Head and neck support system used in crashes.
- Installation lap – A lap to check car systems when first going out on track.
- Lift and coast – Technique where drivers lift off early to save fuel or tyres.
- Lid – Slang for helmet.
- Managing the gap – Controlling pace to stay ahead without overusing tyres or equipment.
- Marbles – The loose rubber left behind by the tyres when they form little balls of rubber called marbles. They can reduce grip if drivers run over the top of them.
- Overcut – Staying out longer than a rival before pitting to gain time in clean air.
- Oversteer – Rear tyres lose grip, causing the car’s rear to slide out.
- Overtake Mode – A new feature replacing DRS that provides extra energy deployment when within one second behind the car in front.
- Paddock – Restricted area behind the pits for teams and personnel.
- Parc fermé – Secure area where cars are stored before the Grand Prix after Qualifying.
- Pit lane/Pits – Area where cars stop for tyres and repairs.
- Pit stop – A stop during the race for tyres or repairs.
- Pit wall – Booth on the side of the track and across from the team garage where senior team personnel and race engineers manage race strategy.
- Plank (Skid block) – Wooden strip under the car that limits ride height; excessive wear leads to disqualification.
- Pole position/Pole sitter – First place on the starting grid, earned in Qualifying.
- Power unit/PU – The hybrid system combining engine and energy recovery components.
- Qualifying – Session that determines the race starting order.
- Racecraft – A driver’s skill in overtaking, defending and race management.
- Recharge mode – A setting used to recover energy for later deployment.
- Red flag – Session stopped due to danger or conditions.
- Safety car – A car deployed to slow and control the field during incidents.
- Sidepod – Bodywork housing cooling systems on either side of the car.
- Slicks – Dry-weather tyres with no tread for maximum grip.
- Super clipping – When the battery recharges using kinetic energy without the driver coming off the throttle or braking.
- Undercut – Pitting earlier than a rival to gain time with fresh tyres.
- Understeer – The opposite of oversteer: when the front tyres lose grip, causing the car to run wide in corners.
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