Formula 1 is the pinnacle of international motorsport that consists of open-wheel single seater cars. There are two championships: the Drivers’ championship and the Constructors’ championship. In the 2024 class of Formula 1, there are 10 teams, with two drivers each.
- Mercedes- Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
- Red Bull- Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
- Ferrari- Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
- Aston Martin- Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso
- Mclaren- Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris
- Alpine- Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly
- Alphatauri- Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo
- Alfa Romeo- Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu
- Haas- Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen
- Williams- Alex Albon and Logan Sargent
The Grand Prix Weekend
Friday
On Friday of a Grand Prix weekend, there will be two practice sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon
Saturday
On the Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend, there is a third practice session in the morning and qualification in the afternoon to determine where drivers start on the grid
Sunday
On Sunday of a grand prix weekend, there is when the race takes place- different times depending on the country. For example, the Singapore Grand Prix is later in the day as it is the only night race in the dark night.
Scoring system
1st=25 points
2nd=18
3rd=15
4th=12
5th=10
6th=8
7th-6
8th=4
9th=2
10th=1
With a point for the fastest lap if a driver finishes in the top 10
Sprint weekend
The exception to normal weekends would be sprint weekends, in the 2024 season there will be 6 sprint races.
Friday
There is a practice session and then qualifying takes place
Saturday
The second practice session, then the sprint race takes place
Sunday
The Grand Prix takes place
Scoring system for sprint weekends
1st=8
2nd=7
3rd=6
4th=5
5th=4
6th=3
7th=2
8th=1
Flag system
Yellow flag= single wave means overtaking is prohibited due to a danger off the track- speed reduction is required
Double waved yellow= means overtaking is prohibited due to a danger on the track- speed reduction is required
SC board = safety car is put out on track when an incident blocks the track or leaves debris. Drivers must stop racing and stay behind the safety car.
VSC = Virtual safety car is for minor incidents, where no safety car is on track, but a driver must slow down
Yellow and red stripes = slippery track, due to oil, water or debris can also be used to indicate a small animal on track
Green = Normal racing conditions
Blue = A blue flag indicates that the driver in front who is one or more laps down must let faster cars pass. If the driver ignores three consecutive blue flags, a penalty is issued to the driver. In practice and qualifying, this is shown when a car is being hindered by a slower car
White = Slow-moving vehicle ahead– also when a miscellaneous vehicle, such as the medical car, or an ambulance, is on track
Red = session suspended or stopped due to imminent danger to competitors or spectators, due to bad weather. All cars proceed to the pits
Black = driver is disqualified and must return to the pits immediately
Black with orange circle = Car is damaged, or the driver has a mechanical problem and must return to pits as soon as possible
Half-white/half-black = a warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour
Chequered flag= session is completed
Feeder series
There are several feeder series into Formula 1 including Formula 3 and Formula 2 which are both single seater racing.