Understanding Formula 1

Superficially, Formula 1 racing is simple in its elegance: a race around a circuit and whoever crosses the finish line first wins. But there is more to it than just the driver or the car. Formula 1 racing has become part science and part hi-tech, but it still maintains that aura of motor racing of the past. The cars have become faster, the drivers more skilled, the tracks more challenging (or less, depending on whom you ask) and technology mind-boggling. Anyone can enjoy watching a Formula 1 race, it is thrilling, exciting and gets your adrenaline pumping – there is nothing comparable to watching live Formula 1 race, with the crowds roaring and car engines piercing your eardrums! However, deeper understanding of Formula 1 racing and its finer details will enable greater enjoyment of the sport.

There are about 16 to 17 races in the annual F1 Championship race, called Grand Prix. These take place all over the world, at a range of tracks, some specifically designed for F1 races, others just regular streets that are turned into an F1 racing circuit for just one weekend a year. The most famous of the street circuits is the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the shortest overall track in the Grand Prix circuit, but considered one of the more technically difficult tracks to race. F1 races normally take place over a weekend, with practice sessions and qualifying races held on Fridays and Saturdays, with the actual Grand Prix race held on Sunday afternoons. This makes F1 easy to follow and perhaps a weekend trip to a racing circuit near you is also an option.

One of the reasons why Formula 1 is so appealing to spectators around the world is that it is a truly global race. The sport includes drivers from all over the world, including Britain, Australia, Brazil, Finland, Germany, Japan and the US, to name a few. Combine this with races that take place on racing circuits all over the world and you have a sport with truly international appeal. For each race, teams and their entourage have to travel to different circuits, such as in countries as geographically diverse as England, Bahrain, Australia, Malaysia and Monaco. There are also new circuits that are added to the Championship race, for 2004 it is China and Bahrain. Of course, each Grand Prix circuit has its own unique history, challenges and legends, making each race breathtaking, and having captivated audiences since its inception in 1950.

The Formula 1 championship race is a combination of driver and team and there are rankings for both throughout the year. These are called the Drivers' World Championship and Constructors’ World Championship. It is important to understand the points system, to be able to follow the Formula 1 team and driver’s progress throughout the season.

The top eight finishers in each Grand Prix race score points towards both the drivers’ and the constructors’ world championships, according to the following scale:

1st place: 10 points
2nd place: 8 points
3rd place: 6 points
4th place: 5 points
5th place: 4 points
6th place: 3 points
7th place: 2 points
8th place: 1 point

An example can easily illustrate how the points system works. If Michael Schumacher, who drives for Ferrari, finishes first and his team mate, Rubens Barrichello second, then Schumacher would get 10 points towards his Drivers World Championship and Barrichello 8 points. Ferrari would get 10+8, i.e. 18 points, towards its Constructor’s World Championship points. The rest is simple, the driver with the most points at the end of the season is declared Drivers’ World Champion and the constructor with the most points is declared the Constructors’ World Champion. If, however, a driver or team have the some number of points at the end of the season, then the driver or team who had the highest number of superior race results will win the championship.

There are currently ten teams competing in the Grand Prix and these include some well-known car manufacturer names like BMW, Ferrari and Mercedes. Then there are teams that non-F1 lovers would probably not know about, such as Jordan, McLaren and Minardi or Jordan. They are all big names in racing though. But just to show how difficult F1 racing really is, consider Honda and Toyota two new-comers to the F1 racing circuit. Honda entered in the late 1980s and Toyota in 2002 and neither have won a single Grand Prix race yet! So, its not only the technology and driver, but also experience.

In terms of the teams, each team or constructor, runs two cars in each race, with basically the same colour scheme or race livery throughout the season. There are many regulations defining the liveries of cars in Formula 1 races, for example: every car must carry its driver’s race number, which must be clearly visible from the front of the car, and the driver’s name must appear either on his helmet or the side of the cockpit. The team’s name or emblem must also appear on the nose of the car. By knowing this, you can keep track of your favourite driver.

Talking about drivers, the history of F1 is filled with larger than life legends of racing. Probably most famous is the Brazilian, Ayrton Senna, who died in the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. Other F1 greats include Austria’a Nikki Lauda, England’s Nigel Mansel, and France’s Alain Prost. Most people will have at least heard of those names in the past. Perhaps the biggest legend of them all is Juan Manuel Fangio who collected a record five championships in the fifties. Recently he was usurped by another legend in the making, Michael Schumacher, who is likely to become the greatest driver Formula 1 has ever known. Today, the drivers are even better known, thanks to the penetration of media throughout the world and many will have heard of the Schumacher brothers, Rubens Barrichello or David Coulthard. There is also family history in Formula one. Recent Champions Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve are both sones of former champions. F1 is dominated by some charismatic and talented drivers, making it fun for the spectator to follow their annual progress in the F1 Championships.

Much of Formula 1 racing has become a science, but it still has enough of the luck factor built in to make it fascinating year in, year out. Each team will have their own strategy and before any race, discussions will center around the condition of the circuit, the weather, set-up of cars, suitability of drivers, past winners and last but not least, tyres. For example, pit stops are an important part of a team’s strategy. For some circuits, it makes sense to make two or even three pit stops during a race, because a car can run must faster with less fuel to carry, which means it can use softer tyres for better grip. However, it really has been the ability to perform fast pit stops that has changed the face of an F1 race. It used to take minutes for mechanics to perform pit stops, but now most teams can re-fuel, change tyres and even make minor mechanical adjustments in just under 11 seconds flat. That makes a huge amount of difference in an F1 race, where every milli-second counts. Simply watching this teamwork at play in the pit stop is almost as fascinating as the race itself. A chance to spend some time in the pit stop is a must for any F1 enthusiast. Some circuits allows three-day F1 race pass holders to visit the pits or even experience a pit change, don’t miss out on that if you get the chance.

Now teams have an abundance of data and cars are equipped with the latest hi-tech devices, monitoring almost everything in the car. Teams can place emphasis on choosing the right tyre and the right strategy, but there are still elements that cannot be controlled – weather, accidents, mis-judgements and best of all luck. For example a poorly timed pit stop can place the driver behind a slow runner, enabling a rival to gain a significant time lead, or team tactics can result in collusion to ‘shut out’ another driver. For the spectator, all this technology is the real winner, because it means that there are large screens around the race track, so that you can follow the entire race from anywhere on the track. For TV viewers, there is live and instant playback, with a whole host of statistics and commentary. Race results and standings can now be accessed pretty much anywhere from the internet or major newspapers, making this sport even more accessible to newcomers. F1 is no longer the sport of the rich and affluent, but can be enjoyed by anyone.

Formula One 2004 Season Regulation Changes Every year, there are some changes to the F1 regulations and that is no different for 2004 season. There are a number of major and minor changes that have been made by FIA, the governing body of the Formula One for 2004, following are some of the highlights.

Race weekend layout: Friday morning’s private test session and the first qualifying session have been abandoned. Instead the opening day's track action will comprise of two one-hour practice sessions, in which all teams, except the top four in the 2003 championships, will be allowed to run a third car. Now two back-to-back laps will be used to determine the starting grid formation (based on fastest laps).

Pit lane regulations: The pit-lane speed limit at most events will be raised to 100kph (63mph) and the practice of fuel circulation for the purposes of cooling will now be prohibited in the parc ferme.

Single engine rule: This year, a team can use only one engine per driver per race. If the driver has to switch engines during a race weekend, he will be penalised 10 starting slots on the grid. For example, Kimi Raikkonen in the Bahrain Grand Prix would have started fifth on the starting grid, but had to switch engines during the practice session due to a fire and had to start 15th at the Grand Prix race. An engine replacement after the second qualifying session will even mean an immediate loss of qualifying