52 Fascinating F1 Facts That You Probably Haven't Heard About

Formula 1 or F1 is the most prestigious racing competition for high-speed cars in the world.

F1 cars are different from regular road cars. An F1 race car is made of carbon fiber and can weigh up to 1631 lb (740 kg).

The sport has a wide reach, with a reported 500 million viewers around the planet. Currently, the Sky Sports Network holds the right to broadcast the coverage of F1 races in the UK and Ireland. The FIA and Sky Sports have a contract that is valid up to the 2024 F1 season.

Let's fasten our seat belts and continue reading to get a broader idea of this hugely popular global sport.

History Of F1

The history of the Formula 1 dates back to the '40s.

Some observers are of the view that the first racing competitions were held in Europe before the start of the Second World War.

Back then, it was known as the European Championship Grand Prix.

Once the war was over, the officials who were involved with motor racing came together and organized more races.

The first so-called Championship Race was held in Turin in 1946 and called the Turin Grand Prix.

However, the official beginning of Formula 1 can be traced back to the year 1950, when the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) was set up in Paris, France to act as the governing body of Formula 1 racing. Since its establishment, the FIA has been conducting and regulating this adrenaline-pumping sport.

Those of you who are very new to this sport should know that a standard Formula 1 calendar consists of several races. Such a race is also called a Grand Prix.

For the 2022 season, there are 23 races in the racing calendar, which is the highest ever since the sport began 72 years ago.

Along with F1 racing, there exist other racing competitions such as Formula Two or F2, Formula Three or F3, Formula Four or F4, and Formula Students. These are deemed as lower in status than Formula 1.

F1 races are held each year in different destinations spread worldwide. Some of the races are held on designated circuit routes, while others are held on regular public roads.

Once the races of a particular season are concluded, the governing body of F1 declares a Drivers' Champion as well as a Constructiors' Champion. Thus, F1 teams compete for two separate titles during a calendar year.

Drivers and Constructors are awarded points after each F1 race, according to the performance of the team.

Although the craze for Formula 1 began mainly in the European countries, it did not take much time for the sport to take over the popular cultural space in the United States.

Currently, F1 has a strong global appeal and is a very big sport in several countries of Asia.

The F1 racing calendar comprises 20 different races in 20 different locations in a single year.

Car Models And Technology

Formula 1 is an expensive sport. A lot of money is involved in this premium motorsport competition.

A typical F1 car cost around 7-8 million dollars.

Since F1 racing teams hire industry experts to build the perfect racing machine, the overall cost increases by the time the car is made ready.

An F1 race car has tremendous acceleration potential. In about four seconds, an F1 race car can shoot up to speeds of 100 mph (27.8 kph) from a stationary position.

The art of handling F1 cars takes years of training, which F1 drivers have to undergo before they are allowed to drive these cars. The most important skill that an F1 must have is the ability to use the brakes of the cars efficiently.

The construction of F1 cars takes a lot of hard work, as more than 80,000 parts go into the making of a single car. The drivers are required to be thorough with all the different parts and components of the cars to be competitive during the race.

As the various parts of F1 cars are individually expensive, the total cost of the cars skyrockets in the end.

Another vital component in an F1 car is the brake system. Each F1 car has a complex set up of brakes.

Here we should note that during an F1 race, cars reach speeds of hundreds of miles per hour in a matter of moments, and then they reduce their speed in the blink of an eye during twists and turns.

When the F1 drivers use their brakes to reduce the speed of the car or make a halt, the carbon content of the car brakes can reach temperatures of up to 1832 F (1000 C).

To make this sensational feat of engineering work, F1 mechanics take great care in setting up a foolproof brake system inside each F1 car. High-functioning brakes inside a car ensure the safety of the driver.

An interesting fact about F1 car engines is that they do not turn on unless they are heated before the start of the race.

An F1 racing team can have up to 600 background staff. F1 cars are allowed to fill up their fuel tanks only one time before the start of the race. 

The G-force experienced by F1 drivers is so extreme that their tear ducts spray water into their visors.

Next time you watch a live F1 race, remember to observe how the F1 car is handled before the race starts. There are high chances you will find racing team members using heating pumps to fire up the engines.

It is not easy to be a Formula 1 driver. It looks fashionable from the outside, but the driver has to endure excessive amounts of heat while seated inside the car.

Throughout the race, the driver is exposed to the heat of the F1 car engine. The heat, coupled with the heat that the body of the driver produces during the race, usually sees a driver lose up to 8.8 lb (4 kg) of body weight in a single race.

To make it easy for the driver, F1 racing helmets generally have a water bag attached to the helmet of the driver. With the press of a button, the driver manages to drink the water from the water bag. This helps the driver to remain hydrated without needing to stop the car.

Like the driver, the tires of an F1 car also lose weight during a race. About 1 lb (0.5 kg) of weight is lost by tires due to wear and tear during a race.

One of the most intriguing parts of a Grand Prix race is pit stops. When the cars need to change tires or any other part, they take the pit lane and arrive at the designated spot belonging to crew members of individual racing teams.

On average, pit stops take around three to four seconds, and on many occasions, they can determine the outcome of the race.

An F1 car engine is allowed to be used only five times. This is because the FIA has made the safety of the driver pivotal in the sport, and engines used more than five times generally malfunction.

One of the most prominent features of an F1 car is its steering wheel. An F1 steering wheel is full of buttons and switches, all of which control the various functions.

The wheel usually has around 20 buttons, making the sport even more taxing for the driver.

From the 2022 season, F1 cars will undergo radical changes with more regulations on the car design that aims to make racing safer.

Famous F1 Racers

In the history of F1, one team has dominated for the most part.

The Italian racing team of Scuderia Ferrari has won the most number of Constructors' Championships. They have won the title a record 16 times.

They are followed by Williams on nine Constructors' Championships, and McLaren & Mercedes in the third position with eight titles.

Ferrari was so dominant as a team in the early 2000s that they won the Constructors' Championship titles consecutively from 2000-2004. 

The most successful F1 driver of the initial years of the sport was Juan Manuel Fangio. This Argentine great won the Drivers' Championship title on five instances.

He remained unbeatable from 1954 to 1957 after taking his first title in 1957. For 46 years, Juan Manuel Fangio held the F1 record for most Driver's Championships.

Fangio's record was reached and then broken by the German driver Michael Schumacher. Schumacher went on to win the drivers' title a total of seven times.

From the year 2000 to 2004, he won five titles in a row. Before that, he had won the crown in 1994 and 1995 with Benetton.

In the world of motorsports, the name Mario Andretti shines bright. Andretti is one among two race car drivers to have achieved the feat of winning not just a Formula 1 race but those of NASCAR, IndyCar, and the World Sportscar Championship.

Mario Andretti had won the F1 Drivers' Championship in 1978.

Another master driver of recent times is Sebastian Vettel, who has won the championship four times.

As a member of the Red Bull racing team, Vettel was in imperial form from 2010 to 2013. He has 53 F1 race wins under his credit and is the all-time youngest F1 champion.

In recent years, Lewis Hamilton has emerged as the top F1 driver of his generation. Hamilton has already won the championship a record-equalling seven times and is looking to shatter all existing F1 records.

From the year 2013, Hamilton and former teammate Nico Rosberg completely dominated the sport.

In the last season of 2021, Max Verstappen clinched the title from Lewis Hamilton in the last lap of the last race in Abu Dhabi. This was the young Dutch Red Bull driver's first title.

FAQs

Q: Why do they call it Formula 1?

A: 'Formula' comes from the list of rules and regulations that are part of the sport. All teams have to follow these codes to be part of the F1 family.

This term was first used by the officials of the FIA to denote the regulations governing the single-seater motorsport races. The number '1' is a representation of the topmost classification status that this sport enjoys among all other motorsport competitions.

Q: How fast do F1 cars go?

A: F1 cars can reach speeds of up to 223 mph (360 kph) within a matter of a few seconds.

Q: What are the differences between F1 racing and the Grand Prix?

A: Both are more or less the same thing. F1 racing indicates the entire season, whereas a Grand Prix represents a single event in the F1 calendar.

Q: Why is F1 racing so regulated?

A: F1 racing is highly regulated because it is a dangerous sport, so the safety and security of the drivers are of utmost importance to the governing body, FIA.

Q: What engine does the American F1 Racing Team use?

A: The American F1 racing team is Haas. They use V6 Double-Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) reciprocating engines. This type of engine was introduced in 2014 and is the standard type of F1 engine used by all teams.

Q: How can you get into F1 racing?

A: To get into F1 racing, you need to start at a very young age. The aspirant driver is required first to gain valuable experience driving fast cars in primary and intermediate levels of racing tournaments. Once all the requirements are met, the aspirant may be given an F1 trial.

Q: How does F1 racing work?

A: F1 racing consists of various racing teams that compete against each other. Each team gets to field two cars with two drivers, and at the end of an F1 season, the driver and the constructor with the most number of points win the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championships.