Formula One racing facts for kids
A Formula One Grand Prix is a super exciting car racing event that usually lasts for three days, from Friday to Sunday. It's not just one race! Drivers and teams spend Friday and Saturday getting ready with practice sessions and qualifying rounds. The main event, the big race, happens on Sunday afternoon or evening.
Sometimes, the schedule changes a little. For example, the Monaco Grand Prix used to have practice on Thursday. Also, some races like the Las Vegas, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix might start a day earlier. During most Formula One weekends, you can also watch other cool races, like those from Formula 2 or Formula 3.
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Practice Sessions
Before the main race, drivers get a chance to practice on the track. These are called "free practice" sessions (often shortened to FP1, FP2, and FP3).
There are usually three practice sessions:
- The first two are on Friday (FP1 in the morning, FP2 in the afternoon).
- The third session (FP3) is on Saturday morning.
Each practice session lasts for one hour. During these sessions, drivers get to know the track, test their cars, and try out different settings. It's like a warm-up before the serious competition begins!
After the third practice session, the cars go into "parc fermé" conditions. This means teams can't make big changes to the cars before qualifying and the race. Sometimes, a special "third driver" (like a reserve or junior driver) might get to drive in the first practice session instead of a regular driver. Some races, like those in Bahrain, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Las Vegas, have practice sessions at night because the main race is also held in the evening.
Qualifying
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Qualifying is a super important session held before each race. Its main job is to decide the starting order for the race on Sunday. The fastest driver in qualifying gets to start at the very front, in "pole position". The slowest drivers start at the back. If a driver can't set a time for any reason, they also start at the back.
How Qualifying Works Now
Since 2006, qualifying takes place on Saturday afternoon and uses a "knockout" system. It lasts for one hour and is split into three parts with short breaks in between.
- Q1 (First Part): This part lasts 18 minutes. All 20 cars are on the track trying to set their fastest lap. When Q1 ends, the five slowest drivers are "knocked out". They will start the race from positions 16 to 20.
- Q2 (Second Part): After a short break, the 15 remaining cars go out for 15 minutes. Again, they try to set their fastest laps. At the end of Q2, another five slowest drivers are knocked out. They will start the race from positions 11 to 15.
- Q3 (Final Part): The last part lasts 12 minutes. Only the 10 fastest drivers from Q2 get to compete. They are given new, soft tyres to help them go as fast as possible. The times they set in Q3 decide the top 10 starting positions for the race. The driver with the fastest time gets pole position!
Drivers can do as many laps as they want during these sessions. They usually do an "out-lap" to get their tyres ready, then a "flying lap" (or "hot lap") where they push the car to its limit to set their fastest time, and then an "in-lap" to return to the pits.
Sprint Qualifying
Sometimes, on special race weekends, there's also a "sprint" race. From 2023, these sprints have their own special qualifying session called "sprint shootout" (or "sprint qualifying" in 2024).
The sprint shootout is similar to regular qualifying but shorter:
- SQ1: 12 minutes
- SQ2: 10 minutes
- SQ3: 8 minutes
This session decides the starting order for the sprint race, which is a shorter race held on Saturday.
Qualifying Rules
There are 20 cars in Formula One, with two cars from each of the 10 teams. In the past, sometimes too many cars wanted to race, so some wouldn't qualify.
The 107% Rule
The "107% rule" was brought back in 2011 to make sure all cars are competitive. This rule means that a car's qualifying time must be within 7% of the fastest time set in Q1. For example, if the fastest Q1 time is 1 minute and 40 seconds, a car must set a time within 1 minute and 47 seconds to be allowed to race.
If a car is slower than this, it usually won't qualify for the race. However, sometimes the race officials can allow a driver to race even if they didn't meet the 107% rule, especially if something unusual happened, like very bad weather during qualifying.
Starting Grid Penalties
Sometimes, drivers or teams get penalties that affect their starting position. This can happen if they use too many engine parts, or if they break a rule during practice or qualifying. These penalties can change the starting grid a lot from the order set in qualifying.
Sprint Race
Formula One started trying out "sprint" races in 2021. These are shorter races, about 100 kilometers long, held on Saturday.
- In 2021, the sprint race decided the starting grid for the main Sunday race. The winner of the sprint got pole position for Sunday. The top three finishers also earned a few championship points.
- In 2022, the sprint was still held, but the driver who was fastest in Friday's qualifying was officially given pole position for the main race. The sprint winner still started first on Sunday. Points were given to the top eight finishers.
- From 2023, sprint races became standalone events. This means the sprint race no longer decides the starting grid for the main Sunday race. Instead, Friday's qualifying session sets the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. Saturday has its own "sprint shootout" qualifying session, which sets the grid for the sprint race, held later on Saturday.
For 2024, the sprint weekend schedule was changed again to make it clearer. The sprint shootout and sprint race happen first on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Then, Saturday afternoon has qualifying for the main Grand Prix. This change allows teams to make more adjustments to their cars between the sprint and the main race qualifying.
The Main Race
The main Formula One race is held on Sunday afternoon. Some races, like those in Singapore, Bahrain, Qatar, Las Vegas, and Saudi Arabia, are exciting night races!
Race Start
About 30 minutes before the race, cars go out for "reconnaissance laps" to warm up their tyres. Then, they line up on the starting grid in the order they qualified.
When the race is about to begin, a green light signals the start of the "formation lap". During this lap, all the cars slowly drive around the track. This is a final chance for drivers to warm up their tyres and check their car systems.
After the formation lap, the cars return to their assigned spots on the grid. Above the start/finish line, there are five pairs of red lights. These lights turn on one by one, one pair every second. After all five pairs are lit, they all turn off after a random short delay (between 0.2 and 3 seconds). When the lights go out, the race officially begins!
A Formula One race usually covers a distance of just over 305 kilometers (except for Monaco, which is shorter). The race cannot last longer than two hours. If it does, the race ends after the next full lap. If the race is stopped by a red flag (for a big crash or bad weather), the total time, including the stoppage, cannot exceed three hours.
Pit Stops
During a dry race, every driver must make at least one mandatory pit stop. This is because they are required to use two different types of dry tyres. Teams plan their pit stops very carefully. If a driver is stuck behind another car, they might pit early to get new, faster tyres, or stay out longer hoping for a chance to pass.
Before 2010, cars also used to stop for fuel during races. But now, refuelling is not allowed during a race. If a driver starts the race on special "intermediate" or "wet" tyres (used in rainy conditions), they don't have to make a mandatory pit stop for dry tyres.
Podium Ceremony
At the end of the race, the top three drivers (first, second, and third place) go to a special platform called the "podium". Here, the national anthem of the winning driver's country and their team's country is played. Important people from the race host country give trophies to the drivers and a special trophy to the winning team. Then, the drivers spray champagne and are interviewed. After that, they go to a press conference to answer questions from reporters.
Points System
Points are super important in Formula One because they decide who wins the championship! Drivers and teams earn points based on where they finish in each race.
How Points Are Awarded Now
| What it is | % completed | Position | Fastest Lap | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | |||
| Race | 75% – 100% | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 50% – <75% | 19 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 25% – <50% | 13 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | None | None | |
| 2 racing laps – <25% | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | None | None | |||||
| <2 racing laps | None | None | ||||||||||
| Sprint | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | None | None | ||
- The winner of a race gets 25 points.
- Second place gets 18 points.
- Third place gets 15 points.
- Points continue down to 10th place (12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 point).
- An extra point is given to the driver (and their team) who sets the fastest lap of the race, but only if that driver finishes in the top 10 positions.
- In sprint races, points are awarded to the top eight finishers: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point.
The driver with the most points at the end of the season wins the World Championship! If two drivers have the same number of points, the championship goes to the driver with more wins. If they have the same number of wins, it goes to who has more second-place finishes, and so on.
Images for kids
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Formula One cars wind through the infield section of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the race for 2003 United States Grand Prix.
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Kimi Räikkönen at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the qualifying for 2005 United States Grand Prix.
