What is Formula 1?

Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and also knowninstance a driver who used a minimal amount of
as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of autofuel to make his car lighter during qualifying in
racing defined by the Fédérationorder to get a better pole position would start the
Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motor sport'srace with minimal fuel and would need more fuel
world governing body. The "formula" in the namestops. Other new restrictions included one making
is a set of rules which all participants and carsit mandatory for each engine to last two races; a
must meet. The F1 world championship seasondriver who had to have his engine replaced would
consists of a series of races, known as Grandsbe penalised by starting ten places lower than his
Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in aactual qualifying position in the starting grid of the
few cases on closed city streets. The results ofrace. In 2005, drivers were not allowed to change
each race are combined to determine two annualtyres during the race, unless the tyres were
World Championships, one for drivers and one fordangerously worn. This rule was removed for the
constructors.2006 Formula One season. In 2007, Bridgestone
It is a massive television event, with millions ofwill become Formula One racing's sole supplier and
people watching each race in more than 200each team will receive only two specifications of
countries. The cars race at high speeds, often welltyre per event.
above 300 km/h (190 mph). The formulaThe first few years of the 21st century in F1 also
introduces a number of restrictions andsaw some controversies and scandals. At the
specifications that cars must meet. These are2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello,
designed, amongst other things, to keep theSchumacher's teammate at Ferrari who was
ever-increasing cornering speeds in safe ranges.running first in the race, was ordered by Ferrari
The performance of the cars is highly dependentto allow Schumacher to overtake him under
on electronics, aerodynamics, suspension and"team orders" and win the Grand Prix. Barrichello
tyres. The formula has seen many evolutions andlet him pass on the last lap at the finish line which
changes through the history of the sport. Theregreatly upset the spectators. At the podium, in
have been many different types of engines;response to the jeers of the crowd, Schumacher
normally aspirated, supercharged andstood on the second place spot and Barrichello
turbocharged, ranging from straight-4 to H16, withstood on top. Schumacher took the trophy for
displacements from 1.5 litres to 4.5 litres. Thefirst place from the Austrian chancellor and gave
maximum power achieved in the history of theit to Barrichello then took the second place trophy.
series was around 1200 bhp (900 kW) in racingBarrichello, Schumacher and Ferrari were fined
trim, during the 1980s turbo era.one million U.S. dollars for the failure to observe
Europe is Formula One's traditional centre andArticle 170 of the Formula One Sporting
remains its leading market. However, Grands PrixRegulations concerning the podium ceremony.[5]
have been held all over the world and, with newAs a result of this the FIA declared new rules
races in Bahrain, China, Malaysia, Turkey and theagainst "team orders" artificially affecting race
United States since 1999, its scope continues toresults. The 2005 United States Grand Prix at
expand. As the world's most expensive sport, itsIndianapolis saw only three out of ten teams race
economic effect is significant, and its financial andin a bizarre mishap when it turned out (after
political battles are widely observed. Its high profileseveral failures) that the Michelin tyres for the
and popularity makes it an obvious merchandisingother seven teams could not be safely used on
environment, which leads to very highthe surface of the track, causing them to
investments from sponsors, translating intowithdraw from the race[6] when the FIA refused
extremely high budgets for the constructora change for safety reasons, insisting on keeping
teams. However, in recent years several teamsto the letter of the regulations. Michelin
have gone bankrupt or been bought out by othersubsequently elected to stop supplying tyres to F1
companies.teams in 2007, sparking debate on whether this
The sport is regulated by thenew system would make all teams compete on a
Fédération Internationale demore equal ground.
l'Automobile (International Automobile Federation2005 marked the end of the V10 era in Formula
more commonly abbreviated as FIA), with itsOne. After the banning of turbocharged engines in
headquarters in Place de la Concorde, Paris. Its1989, V10 became the most popular engine
current president is Max Mosley. Formula One'sconfiguration in Formula One. To keep costs
commercial rights are vested in the Formula Onedown, the configuration was made mandatory in
Group, now owned by Alpha Prema. Although2000[7] (although only V10s had been in use since
now a minority shareholder, the sport is still1998) so that engine builders would not develop
generally promoted and controlled by Bernieand experiment with other configurations. Over
Ecclestone. Since CVC's purchase the complicatedthis period, the statistics show a supremacy of
(and according to some sources such as Thethe Renault and Ferrari engines, with Renault
Economist "murky") business structure has beenclinching six Constructors and five Drivers
simplified, leading to suggestions that the Formulachampionships as engine suppliers for Williams and
One Group could soon be floated.Benetton from 1992 to 1997, and their first ever
Many records were broken in the first few yearsDrivers and Constructors Championships in a
of the 21st century by German Michael100% Renault car in 2005. Renault was innovative
Schumacher and a resurgent Ferrari. In 2001,during this period producing non-standard designs
Schumacher set the new record for the mostsuch as the 111° 10-cylinder engine for the
Grands Prix ever won (the previous record holder,2003 RS23 which was designed to effectively
Alain Prost, had 51 wins). Schumacher eventuallylower the center of gravity of the engine and
retired with 91 Grand Prix victories. Schumacherthus improve the car's handling. This eventually
also holds the record for the most Grand Prixproved too unreliable and heavy, so Renault
wins in a season - in 2004, he won 13 of the 18returned to a more conventional development
races held. In 2003, Schumacher broke the recordroute. Ferrari also enjoyed great success in the
for most drivers' championships by obtaining hisV10 era, winning six Constructors' championships
sixth, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio's previousand five drivers' championships from 1999 to
record of five which had stood since 1957. In2004.
2004, he won the drivers' championship for aIn the 2006 season, the majority of teams had
seventh time. He also broke the record for mostdeveloped V8 engines as per the newly
points by scoring his 801st point at the Japaneseintroduced regulations. However, 2006 also saw
Grand Prix. The previous record of 798.5 was alsothe introduction of new teams, and a number of
set by Alain Prost. In 2002, Schumacher also setteams being reformed under new management.
a new record by winning the championship earlierAfter purchasing a 45% stake in the BAR team,
in the season than any previous driver by winningHonda re-entered F1 as a full team, whereas
the French Grand Prix in July that year.[3]previously they were only engine suppliers; Sauber
Despite Ferrari's dominance, Kimiwas taken over by BMW as Peter Sauber
Räikkönen, driving forstepped down from top-level management; the
McLaren-Mercedes, and Juan Pablo Montoya,long-standing Jordan marque was taken over by
driving for BMW Williams, had a chance of claimingAlex Shnaider to become Midland F1 (and late in
the 2003 championship right until the end of thethe 2006 season, purchased by a Dutch
season at the Japanese Grand Prix. Also in 2003,consortium headed by the Spyker brand); Red Bull
Fernando Alonso became the youngest ever poleacquired the assets to Minardi and created what
sitter by qualifying first at Malaysia. Later thateffectively became a "junior" team to their main
year he became the youngest ever winner of aRed Bull marque, Scuderia Toro Rosso; finally,
Grand Prix when he took the chequered flag inAguri Suzuki, a former F1 driver himself, acquired
Hungary. Schumacher's championship streak finallythe assets to the ex-Arrows team from Minardi,
came to an end on September 25, 2005 whenwhich was reformed into the Super Aguri team
Alonso clinched the 2005 championship with a third(The Arrows car had actually been on display in a
place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix to becomemuseum.). This amount of change was
the youngest champion to date, replacing previousguaranteed to cause some problem, especially as
record holder Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil. By then,most of the hand-overs occurred late into the
Michael Schumacher had been world champion for2005 season (especially with the new Super Aguri
more than 1,800 days.team). As such, Toro Rosso begun the 2006
In the rulebook, several driver aids returned due inseason using restricted V10 engines, supplied by
part to developments that allowed teams toCosworth. The 2007 season will also see great
evade the FIA "restrictions". Meanwhile, severalchange as engine homologation comes into effect,
changes to the rules were made with therequiring that engine design and development is
intention of improving the on-track action andfrozen at the end of the 2006 season. In 2006,
cutting ever-increasing costs.[4] Most notably, theRenault and Alonso once again won both titles. At
qualifying format changed several times betweenthe age of 25, Alonso became the youngest
2003 and 2006. Another new regulation madedouble F1 world Champion, breaking Schumacher's
drivers start each race with the same level ofrecord at 26. Also the seven times world
fuel they had during qualifying, introducing a newchampion Michael Schumacher retired after 15
tactical element to each team's strategy. In thisyears in F1.