Formula 1 is the pinnacle of open-wheel formula racing and is governed by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (the FIA). 

The category came into existence in 1946, with the first World Championship Grand Prix taking place in 1950. 

Since then, 1,079 World Championship Grand Prix have taken place, over 72 seasons, in 34 countries.

A typical race weekend spans from Friday to Sunday, and includes free practice, qualifying and the Grand Prix race. 

There are three practice sessions, lasting 60 minutes each: FP1, FP2 and FP3. FP1 and FP2 take place on a Friday, whilst FP3 takes place on a Saturday before qualifying. The practice sessions allow teams to drive their cars out on track, testing new upgrades, track conditions, and general car balance. As the weekend progresses, practice sessions become more closely connected to qualifying simulation and race day preparation.

Qualifying is the second session on a Saturday - determining the starting grid for the race on Sunday through a process of elimination. The starting grid position may be altered if the driver receives a grid penalty, perhaps for replacing a power unit on the car. The session is split into three segments over the duration of about an hour: Q1 (18 minutes), Q2 (15 minutes) and Q3 (12 minutes). 

During the Grand Prix, drivers are required to run two tyre compounds, meaning that the drivers must complete at least one pit stop per race. During the pit stop, crew members will replace the worn tyres with another set and make any rapid repairs to the car that are required, such as replacing the front wing. The pit stop is a major element of strategy for the team, as they consider every possible outcome during a race. 

The typical length of a pit stop is 2-3 seconds. The fastest ever pit stop was by Red Bull Racing, who completed Max Verstappen’s stop at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix in 1.82 seconds.

Sometimes, teams will attempt an ‘undercut’ – where the driver completes their pitstop earlier than another driver that they are trying to finish ahead of and tries to make up the time lost on fresher tyres whilst the other driver still has to complete a stop. 

Alternatively, the ‘overcut’ does the opposite – the driver ahead will try to build up a gap between himself and the car behind, so that when they complete their stop, they will hopefully remain ahead. 

Under a safety car, the time lost from a pit stop is significantly less, so teams who are due a pit stop will take advantage of this to hopefully gain some positions when racing resumes.

Formula 1 cars are evolving all the time, and the 2022 season brought about a shakeup of the regulations and a major shift in the appearance of the car – all in the hopes of achieving closer racing and more overtakes across the grid. 

This shakeup in regulations hopes to attract more manufacturers to the grid by simplifying the fundamentals of the car. The refreshed cars feature ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics, which can create more downforce and restrict the amount of ‘dirty air’ (turbulence) that can combat the downforce loss experienced during an on-track battle for position.

All teams interpreted these regulations somewhat differently, meaning that all cars look quite different to each other. In 2022 there was a combination of distinctive elements, such as quite large sidepods, hardly any sidepod, ‘gills’ appeared in different places, and the floor of a car looked very dissimilar across all 10 teams.

The new regulations also brought ‘porpoising’ – where the car bounces violently as a result of airflow through the car’s ground effects ‘stalling’. It can be combatted by raising the ride height of the car, but this can cost performance, meaning teams had to choose between painful porpoising and performance on track. This appeared to fade as the 2022 season progressed, but it is certainly something to look out for in the new season.