Formula 1 is what many consider to be the Pinnacle of Motorsport. F1 is Fast, Competitive, Complex and Extraordinary, 20 drivers and 10 teams all wishing to be the best of the bunch. These teams and drivers would take each other out just to better their shot at winning the Constructors or Drivers World Championship. For a sport this competitive rules need to be Strict and Regulations need to be followed to a T. Today we will be reviewing the rules, teams and drivers of this amazing sport, Let’s Begin.
The Teams: In F1 there are 10 teams competing for the Constructors World Championship. The Constructors World Championship is decided by the amount of a Team’s overall points over a season of F1, the team with the most points wins. The 10 teams each have 2 spots on the grid which each must be filled by unique drivers. The 10 teams on the grid are: Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Williams, Sauber, Haas, Visa cash app RB, Alpine, and the current champion, McLaren. Each team has 2 drivers racing for them, these drivers are the 20 of the best in the world, Many of the drivers have been karting since before they were 10.
The Drivers: The drivers each have to drive in the toughest of conditions, pulling many Gs in a single corner and having to race in over 100 degree heat in every race. The F1 Drivers undergo rigorous training to make sure they can survive and drive in these conditions. The 20 drivers are: Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Estaban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, and Isack Hadjar. These 20 drivers need to train to drive at over 200 mph, to do this they need reaction time training, so they can, well, react to what’s happening to them, one slip up can ruin a race.
The Regs: The regulations that the team and drivers race under are created by the FIA, we will not go into the process in which the regulations are chosen. There are 2 types of regulations, Technical and Sporting. Technical regs dictate what the teams can and cannot do when designing/producing the car. These technical regs tell the teams many things, like, how heavy the car should be, the length of the front and rear wing, the overall height of the car, The amount of fuel that can be used during a race, and the horsepower of the car. Sporting regs tell the teams proper procedure when competing in a race, like Parc ferme, race procedure, and scoring. The minimum weight requirement of the car (during the 2025 season) including the driver and their race gear, is 800 kilograms. After Qualifying (which determines where a driver starts during the race) the driver and car need to be weighed to make sure they are at the minimum weight requirement. this is very important because any less weight in the car can make it go tenths of a second faster, which doesn’t sound that much but is crucial in F1.
F1 is an amazing sport with many regulations, teams and drivers. This overview should have given you some insight into the important processes and people who keep this sport evolving. Now, enjoy a few races of Formula 1.
Related Stories:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5624591/2024/07/09/f1-parity-gp-red-bull-verstappen-mercedes/
https://www.formula1.com/en/page/what-is-f1
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