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Manual on Formula One Racing

Formula One racing is one of the most popular sports across the world. The popularity is so much that Formula One races are now held from end to end of the world. Formula One races first started in France, Europe during the early part of 20th century. The first official F1 race was held in Silverstone, United Kingdom in 1950.

Formula One racing refers to a class of motorsports where open wheeled single seat race cars are fielded against each other. Unlike the production cars, the open wheeled cars have huge wheels located outside the car body unlike the production cars which have their wheels under the fenders.

Formula One is the pinnacle of car racing event. It features the best of the drivers and technologically advanced cars. But it is not a common man's motor sport and has to follow a lot of filtering to get in there to drive a F1 car. Formula One or the Grand Prix series have feeders like the Formula 2 and the other motorsports. A champion in Formula One will be classified as absolutely the best driver in the world.

The following steps are a must-have for any Formula-One team to operate as a close-knit successful unit.

Team

However, a driver is just the tip of the iceberg of the F1 team. A typical F1 team will have an annual budget of U.S. $ 120 million. The race does not begin with the driver. He is just one member of the team that comprises of at least a hundred people. The hierarchy of a F1 team includes a Team Boss, Commercial Director, Technical Director and finally Drivers.

A Team Boss

The boss decides the nature of the team. Some teams are owned by the car manufacturer like BMW, Ferrari, Renault and Toyota. He is like the CEO of the company. He is answerable to chief of the car manufacturer. Other private teams like Brawn GP and McLaren, Force India and Williams also have their own team bosses who usually are the team owners themselves.

Commercial Director

A commercial director helps attract sponsorship and deals for the team. He also helps determine the levels of sponsorship and placement of sponsorer's logos on the car. Sponsorships of logos on Formula One cars can run into mind-numbing amounts. This is how Formula One teams usually get their funding.

Technical Director

The person in this position is the head of the crew of engineers, designer and research and development scientists who construct the cars. He/she is the most important person (more important than the driver) because technology plays a vital role in Formula One racing. He seeks report from the chief aerodynamicist, chief designer and chief of research and development report to the technical director. It is he who has the final say on the construction on any F1 car.

Driver

Each Formula One team may use up to a maximum of four drivers. However, only two are allowed on to the circuit. Here a driver is out to cross the finish line first beating all his rivals including his team mate. All Formula One drivers are highly conditioned athletes who are required to maintain high level of physical fitness. Their bodies are specifically adapted to the very exacting requirements of this gruelling motor sport. No other racing series demands so much from its drivers in terms of endurance and stamina.

Formula One Season

A typical Formula One season consists of races, grand prix held on circuits across the world. There are 17 Formula One races scheduled for the year 2009.

The results of every race are combined to determine two annual championships. They are the most important events on motorsports- the Formula One World Championship and Formula One constructors Championship. While the F1 World Championship focuses on driver's individual performance, the Constructors Championship highlights the performance of the team and ultimately the performance delivered by the vehicle.

Earlier there were no special circuits for auto races but were held on public roads. Later, specially designed racing circuits were created for the sport. Currently, the only F1 race that is held on the street is Monaco Grand Prix. Monaco is special as the roads are narrow and tight street race forces drivers to slow down significantly. In fact Monaco Grand Prix is the slowest of the F1 races.

A driver is rated on how he performs in each race. The race car driver is awarded points on how he is placed in each race. The driver who earns the most points at the end of the season is named as the champion.

Even the teams are awarded points based on the same system. However their rating is based on the performance of the two team drivers. A team that gets a podium finish is given the highest points. The team goes on to win the constructors trophy.

Preparation

No other sport apart from F1 requires so much logistical support. Formula One has circuits spread across the globe and logistics are highly challenging. Normally at least a 100 people (as part of the team) travel from team's headquarters to the F1 location. All F1 teams are headquartered in Europe. Usually, teams transport three cars, one spare chassis and many spare power trains for each race. All F1 teams fly to Formula One venues in Asia, Australia and America.

Racing

All Formula One races are held on Sundays. Hence everything must be ready by Friday morning. This is when practice and qualifying sessions begin. Driver's can acclimatise themselves to the racing circuit conditions during practice sessions and to local weather conditions. This is the time that the team works closely to tweak their strategy.

Two qualifying session are immediately followed by practice sessions. Friday qualifying measures one speed on a single lap. The car is allowed to carry fuel enough only for one lap. The Friday results are used to determine the line up for the next day. Saturday is the final day for qualifying race. The results of the Saturday qualifying session will decide starting position for Sunday race. As per the rules no fuel can be added into the Formula One car between the end of Saturday race and the driver's first pit stop on Sunday. That is why cars are heavier on Saturday and more difficult to control. If the driver spins out of control during this qualifying session he cannot continue the race and will have to be contended with an unfavourable position on Sunday. Starting from the very front has an advantage as in Formula One overtaking a car is highly difficult. The other racers line up behind the pole position at the start on Sunday.

All the cars have to undergo a pre-race inspection and a final grid is issued and the circuit is ready to brace for a breathtaking race. Sunday is the race day during which each team plots its own strategy. In 2007, F1 organisers passed a rule that all teams much use tyres from a single supplier. As such only specified tyres from Bridgestone are fitted for all cars racing on Sunday.

In 2009, changes have been made to the sporting and technical regulations by the FIA. For the sporting regulations, the changes are aimed at increasing reliability and reduce expenditure. For the technical aspect of the changes are aimed at three main objective-reducing the role of aerodynamics in performance, making overtaking easier, and keeping lap times in check.

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