The Main Event

Well, so we’ve discussed the format of a Formula 1 race weekend, the practice sessions, and the qualifying sessions which span over Friday and Saturday. Sunday brings us the main event. The race itself! All the data gathered about tire degradation, adjustments made to car setups, and so much more is about to be put to the test.

But before the lights go out and the field rushes into turn 1, they all first finish a slow lap back to their positions on the grid. This lap is called as the ‘Formation Lap’. As the name hints, there is no overtaking on the Formation Lap. Drivers make use of the Formation Lap to warm up the tires and the brakes to ensure they get the best start. So, everyone finishes the Formation Lap and lines up on the grid. The marshal waves the green flag at the back of the grid and the five lights light up one by one…but dear dear! A poor driver lets go of the clutch pedal and starts off before the five lights are gone! This is what’s called as a ‘Jump Start’. It is when a driver accidentally lunges beyond his gridbox before the race has started.

It is punished by means of a ‘Drive Through’ penalty which mandates the jump-starting driver to drive through the pits once without making any repairs to the car and without changing tires. The poor driver goes through the pits, returns onto the track in last place but in striking distance of P19 into the first corner. He goes for it, lunging into the corner, but ends up bumping wheels with the driver in front of him heavily. ‘Race Control’, the body which supervises the race, notes the incident and refers it to the ‘Race Stewards’ if it considers it serious enough. The FIA ‘Race Stewards’ are like the judges in court: they are responsible for determining if a particular incident warrants a penalty and if so, how severe. The stewards dish out penalties which add anywhere from 5 to 20 seconds to a driver’s race time.

Races are influenced by a wide range of parameters: from changes in weather to penalties awarded by the stewards, from pitstops and tires to entire strategies. Let us slowly understand each and every one of these parameters.

In the next article, let's take a deep dive into different tires compounds that are used in Formula 1.

Photo by Adriaan Greyling: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-renault-r25-and-red-bull-rb1-racing-on-the-track-at-a-grand-prix-in-2005-18738005/