Formula 1 is the strongest and most popular competition in formula racing. It’s owned by the Formula One Group and is sanctioned by the FIA. The abbreviation stands for Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile and you can find everything you want to know about them on their official website. Millions of fans follow this sport and watch all the races that are part of a single Formula 1 season. Even though there is only one set of races, there are actually two World Championships. One is for the drivers and the other one is for the constructors. Each constructor company has two racers in the competition.
A Formula 1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix (French for ‘grand prizes’ or ‘great prizes’), which take place worldwide on purpose-built circuits and on public roads. The results of those races are evaluated by a points system which determines how many points a racer or his constructor company will get. Keep reading to find out more about this sport.
History
Formula 1 originated with the first European Championship of Grand Prix Motor Racing in the 1920s and 1930s. However, the first official set of rules was set much later. Formula One was a new formula agreed upon after World War II during 1946, with the first non-championship races being held that year. The first one, the first Formula 1 race ever, was the Turin Grand Prix. Several organizations had different races during those times; however, due to the conflict, nothing was officialized until 1947.
The first world championship race was held at Silverstone, United Kingdom in 1950. A championship for constructors followed in 1958. National championships existed in South Africa and the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Non-championship Formula One events were held for many years. However, due to the increasing cost of the competition, the last of these occurred in 1983. After a hiatus in European motor racing brought about by the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the first World Championship for Formula 1 Drivers was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo in 1950.
Nevertheless, real popularity for Formula 1 didn’t happen until the 1970’s. Bernie Ecclestone took over the management of the commercial rights and improved it drastically. According to many, he is credited as the person who transformed the sport into the multi-billion dollar business it is today. Later he also became a part of the Constructor’s association. In 1978 Ecclestone also became the president of that organization.
Formula 1 Rules and Regulations
Formula 1 Grand Prix races usually take place over a whole weekend. There are three free practice sessions held between Friday and Saturday. After the last one on Saturday, there is a qualification race. The qualification race decides the starting positions for the main race. When it comes to the rules, we can separate them in several categories.
Tyre Rules
The new rule for F1 tyres that was introduced in 2016 was that Pirelli could select three different tyres for each race, and each Formula 1 team could choose the tyre from those three depending on the strategies. This concept also continued in 2017 and in 2018 but with Pirelli’s thicker and wider tyres that were tested extensively last year.
Qualifying
The qualifying sessions are different than the practice ones and the races. Each racer tries to drive the fastest lap, basically a faster personal time. The one who manages the fastest time will start in pole-position on the main race. Everyone else will start in the positions after him, depending on their time.
Race
Every Formula 1 race starts with a warm-up lap. This lap is also known as the formation lap because at the end the racers set-up according to their qualifications based starting positions. Once all the cars have formed on the grid, a light system above the track indicates the start of the race: five red lights are illuminated at intervals of one second; they are all then extinguished simultaneously after an unspecified time (typically less than 3 seconds) to signal the start of the race.
The start procedure may be abandoned if a driver stalls on the grid, signalled by raising his arm. If this happens, the procedure restarts: a new formation lap begins with the offending car removed from the grid. Formula 1 has additional rules when it comes to crashes on the track. The same applies when a formula stops working properly and the driver can’t get it off the track.
Safety Car
In the event of an incident that risks the safety of competitors or trackside race marshals, race officials may choose to deploy the safety car. This in effect suspends the race, with drivers following the safety car around the track at its speed in race order, with overtaking not permitted. The safety car in Formula 1 circulates until the danger is cleared; after it comes in, the race restarts with a “rolling start”. Pit stops are permitted under the safety car. Mercedes-Benz supplies Mercedes-AMG models to Formula One to use as the safety cars. Since 2000.
Organizations & Races
As we mentioned above, FIA controls everything that is related to Formula 1. This is where sports betting comes in place as well. Bettors can bet on who will win a certain race and even bet on how the other drivers will position at the end. There are bets on who will win the World Championship at the end, both for racers and constructors. In each Formula 1 season, there are 20 racers and 10 constructors. For more information, strictly about this sport check their official website.
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