Learn Formula One: Part 1

Formula One is a complex spectator sport and it can be bewildering for someone to try to get into it and enjoy it immediately. This article is an attempt to try and just ease you into the wonderful and colourful world of Grand Prix racing. In subsequent articles other more complex aspects will be explained. The intention is that you would read this, take on what's here and then hopefully get more out of watching racing when next you do.

Qualifying

All drivers must qualify for the race on Sunday and this session is held on the Saturday before the race. Qualifying in Formula One is split into 3 parts. The first part is ran for 20 minutes and at the end of the session all but the cars from 16th place backward get to continue into the second session. Those drivers in 16th position and worse, know their grid slot already. Those positions don't change. In the second qualifying session the order from 15th position forwards are nulled and the competition begins anew. 15 minutes later, the cars in 11th to 15th position are settled and withdrawn from the track and a final  session, which is only 10 minutes long begins. In the third and final session 10 drivers competing must decide fuel strategy for the race. The qualifying sessions are complete with this final session's end. It's a complicated system at first but bear in mind that the Formula One fans of old have also had to adapt to it, it's not too difficult to follow. Watching these sessions will assure you that the system is simpler to watch than explain. It is not unusual to see drivers in 11th position  possessing a faster overall time than a top 10 placed car. This time was not set with race fuel strategy onboard and must have been beaten by the cars in the top 10 shoot out anyway.

Race

Formula One races are known as Grands Prix and are ran depending on the circuit between 58 and 78 laps which take roughly around 1 hour and 40 minutes each. The rules of Formula One currently stipulate that a race distance must be reached within 2 hours. Usually this is met easily unless a particularly long period has been spent behind the Safety Car or exceptionally bad weather has intervened. The race runs usually at 12pm local time with fly-away races being run marginally earlier or later depending on the time difference in Europe. The cars are setup on the Grid and prepared. Drivers and engineers are all present. At 3 minutes before the race start, the engineers must be making the final preparations and the drivers in the car. Cars will do a single parade lap at low speed to check out the car and track conditions and to warm tyres and brakes which will simply not work on a Formula One car unless they are operating at top temperature which on some components is toward 400C. The cars drive around the circuit in grid order with the Pole Position man being the fastest leading the field around. They line back up on their staggered grid slots back at the start finish straight and wait usually for around 30 seconds. All cars must be stationary before the automatic five red light sequence begins. When all the lights go out the race has begun.

Cars

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