All you need to know about Formula 1 racing

For the uninitiated, F1 is the most elite and hi-tech racing series on the globe

By Jayostu Chanda

Another year long season of adrenaline, rivalries and battles in the Formula 1 racing season for the year 2023 commenced on March 3 at the Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir, Bahrain.

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So what is F1 racing?

For the uninitiated, F1 is the most elite and hi-tech racing series on the globe. This year, it consists of 22 races across the world in different countries and race tracks. The racing happens on closed race tracks with straights and corners. There are ten teams participating in the championship, each with two cars and one driver per car. This means that there are 20 cars on a track at the same time racing against each other.

What’s so unique about it?

There are three things that teams can compete against each other on: the car, the driver, and the strategy. Unlike most sports, the car or the equipment here play an extremely important factor in deciding the championship winner.

The race weekend is four days long. Thursday is the media day and setup for the teams. Friday consists of two practice sessions and Saturday has one practice session and one qualifying session. This qualifying session is where drivers try and set the fastest lap possible and this decides the starting order or grid for the race, which occurs on Sunday.

The race involves going over the track for a certain number of laps which depends on each track, totalling to a particular distance which varies from track to track. The race is won by the first person to cross the finish line after the prescribed number of laps for that track, and points are awarded to each driver and team depending on their finishing position. These points are added up across the season and the driver and team with the most number of points win their respective Driver’s and Constructor’s championship.
What are the teams and how many are there?

There are ten teams viz., Ferrari, Redbull Racing, Mercedes AMG Petronas, McLaren, Williams, Haas, Alpine, Alpha Tauri, Alfa Romeo Sauber and Aston Martin. Each of these teams have huge fan bases and a special mention must be made of the the “Tifosi”, the Ferrari fans, who are legends themselves.

Who is the current champion

The current F1 world champion is Max Verstappen racing for Redbull Racing. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes AMG Petronas, is a seven time world champion, and also a fan favourite.

What are the famous races?

The four famous races of F1 are Monaco GP, the Silverstone GP (UK), Monza aka the temple of speed (Italy) and Spa-Francorchamps or just Spa (Belgium). These races along with the season opener and closer races, normally Bahrain and Abu Dhabhi are races that are a must watch for any new F1 fan. As an added bonus, the night races which occur are also spectacular (Singapore GP).

Understanding and following F1 begins with watching F1 races regularly. This can begin with watching just the Sunday races and perhaps Saturday qualifiers, and can later watching the practice sessions, warm-ups, season testings and everything else that also goes on. It also means getting involved in the communities and discussions.

Where do I watch F1 reaces?

In India, F1 has the official F1 App, along with the F1TV app where you can subscribe and watch the races. There is also the official F1 Game, one for mobiles and one for PCs and consoles and another F1 Manager strategy app. There is an F1 League, the official league game, F1 Play, the predictions app, as well as F1 Race that is the official guide to visiting F1 race locations.

YouTube channels you could watch!

There are many YouTube channels which do a good job of explaining F1 for beginners and noobs, such as WTF1, the official F1 channel, Driver61, and so on. There are lots of communities as well such as F1ndia, also on instagram as @f1ndia.meme and lots of live screenings in major cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

What are the famous F1 races?

The four famous races of F1 are Monaco GP on May 28, the Silverstone GP(UK) on July 9, Monza aka the temple of speed (Italy) on September 3, and Spa-Francorchamps or just Spa (Belgium) on July 30. These races along with the season opener and closer races, normally Bahrain and Abu Dhabhi are races that are a must watch for any new F1 fan. As an added bonus, the night races which occur are also spectacular (Singapore GP).
So jump onto the F1 bandwagon and get set for the ride of your life.