Formula 1 or F1 is a highly technical sport that millions of people watch. Anyone can watch F1, but with this beginner’s guide you will be able to have more insight and gain a more pleasurable watching experience.

Teams and drivers

As of 2025, there currently are 10 teams, with 2 drivers per team. In 2026, Cadillac will join the grid as the 11th team, with Grand Prix winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas confirmed as their drivers.

The current F1 teams and drivers this season are as follows:

• McLaren (Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris)
• Ferrari (Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton)
• Mercedes (George Russell, Kimi Antonelli)
• Red Bull Racing (Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda)
• Williams (Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz)
• Aston Martin (Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso)
• Racing Bulls (Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar)
• Kick Sauber (Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto)
• Haas (Esteban Ocon, Ollie Bearman)
• Alpine (Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto)

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Circuits

F1 races span several continents. The tracks that drivers race on are called circuits. Before a season begins, all the locations and dates of the circuits are already known.

In order to host an F1 Grand Prix, the circuit must meet the guidelines.

• The track must be at least 3.5km long, but it should not exceed 7km in length.
• There is no set amount of laps, as each circuit is designed differently.
• All races are set by the minimum number of laps to reach at least 305km (excluding Monaco).

Each track is unique and gives fans and drivers alike different reasons to look forward to them.

F1 race weekend

A Formula 1 race weekend is a racing event that takes place over three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Overall, each day is busier and more anticipated than the next.

On Friday, there are two practice sessions, Free Practice 1 (FP1) and Free Practice (FP2).

On Saturday, there is the final practice session (FP3). Later on, qualifying takes place and it is split into 3 stages: Q1, Q2, Q3. After Q1, the five drivers on the bottom of the leaderboard are eliminated.

Then after Q2, five more drivers are eliminated. The ten remaining drivers go into Q3 to figure out the top 10 grid positions. The positions they finish in determine their starting grid on Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Sunday is the most important day of the whole weekend. It is when the main Grand Prix event is held, this is when drivers compete to be on the podium. Races are usually about 90 to 120 minutes long. When it is finished, there is a podium ceremony in which the top 3 drivers are given trophies.

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Tyres

During the race, drivers are required to make at least 2 pit stops, as they need to change their tyres twice. For dry weather, there are 3 types of tyres: soft, medium and hard. In order to easily distinguish between the tyres, each one has a different colour.

The soft tyres are red, medium — yellow, hard — white. Besides the tyres for dry weather, there are also 2 types of tyres for wet weather. The green ones are used for light rain whereas the blue ones are used during heavy rainfall.

Each tyre type has its own pluses and minuses. The soft tyres have the fastest rubber and the highest grip on the track, but the tyres aren’t durable. The medium tyres are the middle ground — they are slower than the soft tyres, but faster than the hard tyres.

They last longer than the soft ones, but not as long as the hard ones. The hard tyres provide the last grip, but they last the longest.

Some commonly used F1 terminology

Since F1 is a technical sport, there is a lot of jargon that may be hard for a new fan to understand and figure out. Below is a list of some of the main terms one should know in order to understand what commentators and fans are talking about.

• The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body of many international racing series. Think of it like FIFA for the World Cup.
• The Formational lap is the lap before a race begins that allows drivers to prepare for the start and warm up their tyres.
• The Drag Reduction System (DRS) works by opening a moveable flap on the rear wing of a car. It can only be used in specific zones when the driver wants to overtake the driver in front.
• In 2026, DRS will be replaced with Manual Override Mode (MOM). It follows a similar principle, but will make overtaking more unpredictable.
• The podium is the area in which the top 3 drivers are presented with trophies after the race ends.
• The Safety Car is an official car that is deployed when there is an accident or dangerous weather conditions. It drives in front of the cars in order to slow them down and leaves when it is safe to resume racing.
• The term box is used when a driver needs to go back to the pit stop.
• Every season, drivers compete for the title of World Drivers’ Champion (WDC). The driver who gains the most points throughout the Grand Prix wins. Winning the WDC is a major accomplishment which contributes to a driver’s legacy. The current champion is Max Verstappen, who has won the WDC 4 times in a row.

Image credit: Jonathan Borba from Unsplash

Formula 1 has numerous reasons to draw people in. While there might be a lot of information to get used to, it is undeniably worth learning. From the drivers to the technical terms, Formula 1 is a sport for everyone.