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Formula 1 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How are the points awarded?

The first eight drivers finishing each race earn the following points for the driver and their team:

Position	Points Awarded
1st	10 points
2nd	8 points
3rd	6 points
4th	5 points
5th	4 points
6th	3 points
7th	2 points
8th	1 point

What do all the different flags mean?

	Chequered (black & white) Flag You've finished the race!
	Blue Flag A car is about to lap you, let it past. If a car being lapped does not let the car overtake after seeing three blue flags then the driver is penalised.
	Yellow Flag Danger ahead, no overtaking is allowed. A single waved yellow flag means slow down, a double waved yellow flag means be prepared to stop if necessary.
	White Flag There is a slow-moving vehicle on the track, such as a tow truck or safety car.
	Green Flag A hazard has been cleared and the cars can race normally again.
	Red Flag The race has been stopped.
	Black Flag You are disqualified! Pull into the pits immediately. Shown with the car number.
	Red and yellow striped Flag The track is slippery, with water or oil on the track.
	Black and white diagonal halves Flag This is a warning that you have shown unsportsmanlike behaviour. Shown with the car number.
	Black with orange circle Flag Your car has a mechanical problem and must pull into the puts immediately. Shown with the car number.

 

What is oversteer and understeer?

In simple terms, when turning into a corner, oversteer occurs when the car turns more than you expect and understeer occurs when it turns less than you expect. If a car doesn’t have understeer or oversteer, then it is known to have neutral handling. Understeer tends to be safer than oversteer, as oversteer can cause a car to spin. All drivers tend to like their car setup in different ways, and these characteristics can be controlled by various settings on the car.

 

What are the rules of Formula One?

The rules of Formula One are set by motorsport's governing body, the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA). There are two sets of rules, the Technical Regulations and the Sporting Regulations.

 

Why were turbo engines banned from Formula One?

The primary reason for the banning of turbo engines in Formula One was due to safety. By the mid 1980's, a turbo Formula One engine produced over1000 horsepower, and despite pop off valves and other restrictions, turbo engines were still too powerful. The banning of turbo engines however did help to slow the cars down.

At the time, there was also a perception that the new engine regulations for 3.5 liter naturally aspirated engines would encourage more manufacturers to join Formula One. This turned out to be true as Renault and Lamborghini soon joined due to the new engine regulations, but at the cost of Porsche and BMW. The FIA also pushed this engine change in sports cars and it had the opposite effect. The new regulations would in time encourage a lot of organizations to look at Formula One.

Who was the oldest driver to enter Formula One? How old was he?

The oldest driver to ever enter a Formula One Louis Chiron, who came out of retirement to drive in his home Grand Prix in Monaco one more time in 1958. On the 18th of May, Chiron, however, was a spectator. Born on 3 August 1899 and thus aged 58 years, 9 months and 15 days, he did not qualify for the Grand Prix. Two years earlier, he had also tried, but that time his Maserati engine stood in the way of competing in his beloved Grand Prix (he started his first Monaco Grand Prix back in 1930).

Before that, the oldest driver to start a Grand Prix was Frenchman Philip Etancelin, who in 1952 classified eighth in his home race at the ripe old age of 55 years, 6 months and 9 days.

The oldest driver in recent times to compete in a Grand Prix was Nigel Mansell. The Briton raced in his final Grand Prix in 1995, when he drove in the Spanish Grand Prix for McLaren, aged 41 years, 9 months and 6 days.

Why did Damon Hill’s car wear a number 0?

Damon Hill first wore the number 0 in 1993. Nigel Mansell was World Champion in 1992, however decided to switch to Indy CART in 1993. As the FIA rules clearly state that the use of number 1 is exclusive to the reigning World Champion, the number could not be used in 1993. Instead, the team of the champion got numbers 0 and 2. Apparently then-three times World Champion Alain Prost didn't think the number 0 looked good on him, so his teammate Damon Hill got the number. Alain Prost became World Champion with number 2, then retired and left Formula One with another year without the reigning World Champion. Again, another three times champion picked 2 over 0: Ayrton Senna. Thus Damon Hill raced with 0 on his car for two years. 

 

What do you know about the front wings of the Formula One car dimensions and how they work?

The height of the front wing must be at least 5 cm from the ground and no more than 25 cm above the ground. This is defined by rule 3.7 of the technical regulations. No bodywork and thus no wing may be located in the box shaped form that goes from the centre of the wheels 35 cm forward and between 40 cm and 90 cm from the middle of the car (rule 3.12). Another demand is that any bodywork ahead of the rear wheels may not be wider than 140cm (rule 3.4.1). These are the major limits bound to front wing design.

Is that a brake light on the back of the cars?

No. The red light you will occasionally see on the back of the cars is not a brake light and is required by the rules for visibility in wet races. The light is required to be on whenever the car is on treaded tires.

 

What is the procedure before the start of the race?

The starting procedure was changed for 1996. The countdown begins 17 minutes before the parade lap with a series of lights and horns. The parade lap is started with a green light. The cars proceed in grid order returning to their spots on the starting grid. Transponders in the car signal to the officials when all the cars are in position and the actual start procedure begins. There are now five red lights and NO green light. The five red lights will come on one at a time at one second intervals. When the fifth light comes on the jump start system is activated. At a pre-set, but unpublished interval, all five red lights will go out and that is the signal to start. NB There is no green light. This system eliminates the potential problem of the red light going out but the green light failing to come on. Such a situation has happened in the past and causes enormous confusion and is potentially very dangerous. Also, disabling the jump start system until immediately before the start eliminated some of the bogus penalties we saw prior to 96 when the system was activated as soon as the car stopped.

What is the safety car used for?

Once a Safety Car is deployed, the 'SC' board is displayed on the track and drivers must slow down and circulate in their current order. The car waves past each driver in turn, until the race leader is behind him. Then all circulate until the race is deemed safe to continue, with the safety car displaying flashing amber lights. Switching

off these lights indicates that the safety car will pull off next time it reaches the pit entrance; once it does, the race continues.

What is a stop-go penalty?

Jump starts and pit lane speeding incur a 10 second 'stop-go' penalty. Penalties are served in the team's own pit under the supervision of the team manager. If the team does not administer the penalty correctly and the driver leaves before the 10 seconds is up, then they will be called back for another 10 second penalty. The officials monitor the length of the stop by means of the timing sensors buried in the pit box. They also send an official onto the pit lane wall to ensure that no work is done to the car during the stop.

Other offences can incur fines, loss of points, disqualifications or race bans. Decisions can be appealed but historically the FIA has a propensity for increasing a penalty on appeal. 

Is mid-race re-fueling allowed?

After being banned for 10 years for safety reasons, mid-race re-fueling was inexplicably reintroduced for the 1994 season. The re-fueling equipment used by all the teams is identical as the FIA mandates that the equipment be bought from Intertechnique and may not be modified by the teams. Fuel is pumped at a rate of 12 liters (3.3 gallons) per second.

 

Apart from the FIA, almost everybody associated with F1, fans, drivers and teams, believe that re-fueling is inherently dangerous and that, if not before, it will finally be banned when somebody is killed or seriously injured in a re-fueling accident.

 

What happens during a pit-stop?

Cars must not exceed the pit lane speed limit when entering and exiting pit lane. As driver comes in, one of the pit crew indicates the location of the pit (it isn't easy to find in the heat of the moment). The car stops on the marks and is lifted by front and back jacks. Three mechanics are required for each wheel; one to operate the tool to remove/replace the wheel, one to take the old wheel off and one to put the new one on. In addition, two are required to handle the fuel hose, and a couple of spares wipe the drivers' visor etc.  The operation is controlled by the chap at the front who holds the 'brakes on' sign, and he looks out for all the mechanics to raise their hands as a signal that they are finished and out of the way.

He then signals for the car to be dropped off the jacks and the driver can leave. Due to the restrictions on the equipment, re-fuelling actually takes longer than the tire change.

Crews rehearse before every Grand Prix to keep in practice. As there is now fuel being thrown around in the pit lane, all mechanics wear fireproof overalls, and sometimes helmets too. A few near-disasters have stressed that the pit lane is a dangerous place, and personnel there should be kept to a minimum.(i.e. groupies, relatives, under-age royals etc should be somewhere else!) The driver should keep his visor closed during a pit stop in case of fire. 

Why are sponsors needed?

Formula One teams could not continue to spend at current levels without sponsors, among which the cigarette companies were the major players, however due to advertising regulations in many countries, nowdays computer companies dominate this space. Sponsors can also rent out space on drivers as well as cars, and all spaces are available right down to the back of the mirrors. A six-inch wide patch on the front wing of a Williams will cost you about 2 million dollars for the season.

Why is Frank Williams in a wheelchair?

Frank Williams broke his neck in a car crash in France in 1986. He was driving home from the Paul Ricard circuit, lost control and turned the car over. The injury was so severe that he was not expected to live, and only survived due to his excellent fitness; he used to run half-marathons regularly. For a while it was thought that he would be unable to swallow or breathe unaided, but he regained more movement than expected. He is paralyzed from the chest down, with some limited movement in his arms. Among all the other obvious limitations, this means that he needs 24 hour care, cannot travel on commercial aircraft and even finds speaking an effort. Consider this when you wonder why he is rarely seen to smile.

Virginia Williams, Frank's wife, has written a book called 'A Different Kind of Life' which describes their lives before and after the accident, up to about 1990.

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