Beginners guide to formula one

The world of Formula One is both thrilling and complicated, and having a guide is the best way to go. In this article, I will show and tell you all you need to know about Formula One, from the drivers to the circuits and even the fans. 

Formula One has consisted of 20 drivers and 10 teams, with 1 team principal since 1996, meaning 2 drivers drive for one team. The drivers come from many different nationalities, and for a fun fact, there have been drivers from over 40 countries.

Now how does a race work? A Formula One season includes 24 races consisting of different countries like Great Britain, Italy, Monaco, etc… A Formula One weekend begins on a Friday and ends on a Sunday. Friday consists of free practice 1 and 2 where teams test their cars and drivers get to know the track and then comes  Saturday which consists of practice 3 and qualifying which determines where the drivers will start form on Sunday, then Sunday which is race day and all the thrills happen.

In Formula One there are also what we call sprint races which is a short race that happens on Saturday in some race circuits like in China, Belgium, and Brazil where the driver will race 100 kilometers. It normally lasts 30 minutes if no safety car is brought out. The purpose of a sprint race is to not only add points to the drivers and the teams but also for the drivers to know the track better and add emphasis on flat-out attacking like overtaking and having no mandatory pit stops help that, a sprint race is a less strategic race and helps the drivers to know the race track better. 

During the race, there are safety cars and flags that may be deployed depending on the situation, the most common flags are the checkered flag which is shown at the finish line, a yellow flag which shows that there is a hazard, red flag which means session ended and a green flag which means the track is clear and if any of these rules are broken the drivers are hit with a penalty which could be a 5 seconds or 10 seconds penalty etc... depending on the violation. These punishments are decided by the Stewards.

When a Formula One race ends the drivers are given points which will later on be added to the driver championship to determine the winner of the season and the constructors championship to determine the team constructors championship. The points are as follows; 

Now, the fans, Formula One fans play a very vital role in the sport, the grandstands are full of them but we are going to be talking about a particular fandom in Formula One which is the Tifosi, which are supporters of Scuderia Ferrari, during races held in places like Monza or Monaco you would always notice the Tifosis in bright red and heavy flags that you can’t miss which shows their loyalty to Ferrari. They are known to have the biggest fan base in Formula One.

You can watch a Formula One race on the official Formula One app called f1 tv and you can Catch up on all the news or play on the fantasy league on another official app called Formula 1, you can also catch up on Formula One on some other social media apps and win fun prizes on F1 Play.

The race and all the rules can be overwhelming but you would get the hang of it like I did. I can’t wait to see who your favourite drivers and teams are, and can’t wait to see how your first race goes. Remember we are all one in the Formula One community and we are all welcome to have you.! Thanks for reading my article.