Beginner's Guide to Formula 1
Formula 101
Formula 1 can be quite daunting at first glance. Let’s break it down.
Teams and Drivers:
In Formula 1, there are only 20 drivers and 10 teams; which equals 2 drivers per team,
Though there are many enjoyable parts of Formula 1, one basic premise, of course, is to see who drives the fastest. This is determined and based on a simple point-scoring system. The driver who scores the most points at the end of the season wins the Driver’s Championship.
There is also another championship within Formula 1 called the Constructors Championship, which is whatever team scored the most points at the end of the system.
Points:
The points system is quite easy to understand. The position you win has an allotted amount of points associated with it, as follows:
1st place: 25 points
2nd place: 18 points
3rd place: 15 points
4th place: 12 points
5th place: 10 points
6th place: 8 points
7th place: 6 points
8th place: 4 points
9th place: 2 points
10th place 1 points
Position 11th through 20th does not earn any points for that race.
The Race Weekend
Race weekend is when the racers earn points and race days are held on Sunday (or Saturdays in the USA), but there is a lot of build-up and important events that happen before race day. A typical race weekend schedule should be as follows:
Friday - Practice 1
Friday - Practice 2
Saturday - Practice 3
Saturday - Qualifiers
Sunday - Race day
However, in 2024 there will also be 6 sprint race events on the calendar. The schedule for those races will go as follows:
Friday - Practice 1
Friday - Sprint Qualifying
Saturday - Sprint Race
Saturday - Qualifying
Sunday - Featured Race
So how do these events affect race day?
Practice
Practice is very vital to every racing championship (F1, F2, F3, F4, F1 Academy), as the drivers and teams are not allowed to practice and/or use their cars until practice day. Free practice is when drivers get to test out the track in person and test their cars. Teams are allowed to add parts and upgrade their cars throughout the season, and the practice is the actual moment of truth if the setup on their vehicles will work or not.
Drivers also get the chance to get a feel for the track and how the car responds. Drivers through the on-season and off-season will practice by using hyper-realistic racing simulations. These simulations are great for learning the different circuits and the car, but nothing is as good as the real deal.
Qualifiers
There are three rounds of qualifiers called Q1, Q2, and Q3. Whichever driver gets the fastest laps will start in certain positions for the featured race.
Q1: All 20 drivers will have a chance to qualify for Q2. The premise is simple; drive the fastest lap you can. Each driver will individually drive the lap. During Q1, the driver has 18 minutes and they (he?)can drive as many or as little as they want during the 18 mins. The top fastest 15 drivers will move onto Q2. The other 5 drivers are eliminated from the next round.
Q2: Q2 is the same process as Q1, except the drivers only have 15 minutes to complete their fastest laps. Q1 lap times determine the positions of the drivers in Q2. Once again, the slowest 5 drivers are eliminated and only 10 drivers move ahead to Q3
Q3: The process is the same for Q3 as Q1 and Q2, however, this round will determine the positions for the race the next day. The driver with the fastest time will start in first position, called Pole Position. The following positions will then be filled in descending order of the drivers qualifying times, starting with the fastest lap time.
(Source Motorsport Magazine - 2023 Bharain Grid)
The Race
The day is arguably the most popular event of the weekend. This is when the points will be scored, and when most of the action will take place. There are typically 23 Grand Prix races throughout the racing season, however, that can change depending on race track contracts. 2024 will consist of 23 races
Each track varies on lap amount. Listed below is the name and location of the races, circuits, and lap lengths in order of when they will be raced in the 2024 season.
Bahrain GP - Bahrain International - 57 laps
Saudi Arabia GP - Jeddah Street Circuit - 50 Laps
Austrilian GP - Melbourne GP Circuit - 58 laps
Japanese GP - Suzuka - 53 laps
Chinese GP - Shanghai International Circuit - 56 laps
Miami GP - Hard Rock Stadium Circuit - 57 laps
Imola GP - Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari - 63 laps
Monaco GP - Circuit de Monaco - 78 laps
Canadian GP - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - 70 laps
Spanish GP - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - 66 laps
Austrian GP - Red Bull Ring - 71 laps
British GP - Silverstone - 52 laps
Hungarian GP - Hungarorian - 70 laps
Belgian GP - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Aka Spa) - 44 laps
Dutch GP - Zandvoort - 72 laps
Italian GP - Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (Aka Monza)- 53 laps
Azerbaijan GP- Baku City - 51 laps
Singapore GP - Marina Bay Street Circuit - 61 laps
United States GP - Circuit of the Americas - 56 laps
Mexican GP - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez - 71 laps
Brazilian GP - Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace - 71 laps
Las Vegas GP - Las Vegas Street Circuit - 50 laps
Qatar Gp - Lusail Circuit - 57 laps
Abu Dhabi - Yas Marina Circuit - 55 laps
Sprint Race
In the 2024 season, there will be 6 sprint races. The sprint races are shorter than the featured races that are held on Sundays (Saturday's in the U.S). They typically only last about 30 minutes or 100km, whichever comes first. They will be held at the following Grand Prix:
Chinese Grand Prix - April 20
Miami Grand Prix - May 2
Austrian Grand Prix - July 29
United States Grand Prix - October 19
Brazilian Grand Prix - November 2
Qatar Grand Prix - November 30
The Qualifiers for the sprint races are essentially the same as normal qualifiers, except they are labeled “SQ1, SQ2, and SQ3” instead of “Q1,Q2, and Q3”. During the 3 segments, they will also have less time to try and get the fastest lap. For SQ1, driver’s are given 12 minutes, then 10 minutes in SQ2, with the last segment being only 8 minutes.
Finally, the top 10 driver’s with the fastest lap time will line up slowest to fastest. For example, the driver in 10th position actually had the fastest lap time. The point of the sprint race is to challenge the racer’s while they make their way through “traffic”. Positions 11-20 remain on the same on the grid. Drivers and teams earn points for these races. The point schedule is as such:
1st place: 8 points
2nd place: 7 points
3rd place: 6 points
4th place: 5 points
5th place: 4 points
6th place: 3 points
7th place: 2 points
8th place: 1 point
Teams and Drivers
Below is a list of the current teams from the 2024 season:
Red Bull
Drivers: Max Verstappen and Sergio “Checo” Perez
Team Principal: Christian Horner
(Left to right - Christian Horner, Checo Perez, Max Verstrappen, Koji Watanabe Source: Honda Racing)
Ferrari
Drivers: Charles LeClerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.
Team Principal: Fred Vasseur
(Left to Right - Charles LeClerc, Fred Vasseur, Carlos Sainz - Source Formula 1)
McLaren
Drivers: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Team Principal: Zak Brown
(Right to left - Zak Brown, Oscar Piastri, and Lando Norris - Source: Planet F1)
Mercedes
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton and George Russel
Team Principal: Toto Wolff
(Left to Right George Russel, Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, and Mick Schumacher - Source: US Motorsport)
Aston Martin
Drivers: Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso
Team Principal: Mike Krack
(Mike Krack left corner, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in the right Corner)
Haas
Drivers: Nico Hulkenburg and Kevin Magnussen
Team Principal: Ayao Komatsu (2024)
(Left to Right Kevin Magnussen, Pietro Fittipaldi (reserve driver), former team principal, Guenther Steiner, and Kevin Magnussen - Source: RaceFans)
(Left to right: Ayao Komatsu and Kevin Magnussen - Source: Autosport)
Williams Racing
Drivers: Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant
Team Principal: James Vowles
(Left to right: James Vowles, Mike Jones (CEO Gulf Oil), Logan Sargeant, and Alex Albon - Source: Gulf Oil)
Kick Sauber (Formerly known as BMW Sauber 2006-2010 and Alfa Romero 2019-2023)
Drivers: Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu
Team Principal: Andreas Seidl
(Left to right: Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas - Source: San Diego Union-Tribune)
(Team Pricipal Andreas Seidl and Valtteri Bottas - source: Formula 1)
Visa Cash App RB (RB) (Formerly known as Toro Rosso 2006-2019 and AlphaTauri 2020-2023)
Drivers: Daniel Ricciardio and Yuki Tsunoda
Team Principal: Laurent Mekies
(Left to Right: Daniel Ricciardo, woman unknown, Yuki Tsunonda, Laurent Mekies, Peter Bayer)
Alpine
Drivers: Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon
Team Principal e: Bruno Famin
(Left to Right: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly - Source: Formula 1)
(Team Principal Bruno Famin - Source Formula 1)
Conclusion
This is the basic information that you will need to follow the 2024 racing season. Each week, I will update the leader board (posted on the next page), and give general information and updates about the most current events in Formula 1.
Sources:
https://motorsporttickets.com/blog/how-many-laps-does-each-formula-1-race-have/
https://honda.racing/f1/post/red-bull-racing-2024-honda-rbpth-002
https://www.planetf1.com/news/key-recruits-join-mclaren-double-f1-2024-boost
https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/2024-f1-season-driver-lineup-calendar/10553575/
https://www.racefans.net/f1-information/f1-teams/haas/
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/who-is-ayao-komatsu-all-to-know-about-the-new-haas-f1-team-boss/10565163/
https://www.gulfoilltd.com/news/gulf-and-williams-racing-announce-partnership-2023-f1-season-and-beyond
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/national/story/2024-02-07/sauber-f1-team-says-its-not-concerned-by-reported-investigation-into-its-gambling-sponsorship
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.bottas-praises-seidl-for-working-to-change-any-old-school-mindset-within.6w79ewhg6KZHsv1tkAEiJz.html
https://www.visacashapprb.com/en/gallery/vcarb-01-launch-event-in-las-vegas/
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.team-preview-can-an-overhauled-alpine-get-themselves-out-of-no-mans-land.mqLMvv4Ws51Y8hBlszz1M.html
I am so ready for RACE DAY!!! Amazing article! 🏆