Formula 1 : A quick guide

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Fun facts about the evolution over time

Bahrain: changing the layout

The circuit of Bahrain is mostly known for the layout it uses during the Grand Prix of Bahrain. But the circuit of Bahrain is the only venue in the world with multiple layouts that are in receipt of a Grade 1 FIA licence needed to host a Formula 1 event. This means that there are multiple ways to define a lap on the circuit of Bahrain, and that the race does not need to be the same every year. The usual layout is the "Grand Prix Circuit", but in 2010 they changed the layout to the "Endurance Circuit". This ignited a lot of critisism, because the circuit did not provide additional overtaking opportunities. The race did not take place in 2011 due to the civil unrest in the country. Due to the COVID19 pandemic in 2020, the various circuit layouts proved to be very useful as it was preferrable to organise the races on as few different locations as possible. In the same year, there was also the "Sakhir Grand Prix" next to the "Bahrain Grand Prix". It took place on the "International Circuit" and was significantly shorter.

In the graph you can see the lap times throughout the years which were driven in Bahrain. The difference in layout between 2010 and 2020 is clearly visible. Also notice that there are two distributions in 2020. This is due to the reuse of Bahrains circuit for 2 races in that particular year.

Monaco: very slow when wet

The Grand Prix of Monaco is one of the most famous Formula 1 races, and one of the races that has existed since 1929. The race is held on a narrow course laid out in the streets of Monaco, with many elevation changes and tight corners as well as a tunnel, making it one of the most demanding tracks in Formula 1. This means that, when the track is wet, the speeds drops significantly in Monaco. This was the case in 1997. As visible in the chart below, the lap times are half a minute slower in 1997 than in the other years. Michael Schumacher decided to start the race with tires for intermediate weather conditions, while his biggest rival Jacques Villeneuve started with dry tires, thinking the weather would improve. A lot of drivers made this decision, which caused a lot of accidents during the race. This was to the advantage of Schumacher, who easily won after 2 hours. The pace was so low that not all laps could be finished in 2 hours. This caused the 2 hour rule to take action, which means that the driver in the first position wins the race when the time runs out.

Rules determining the speed

In Formula 1, it's not only the driver or the improvement of the car that determines the speed and lap times. There are also a lot of rules that determine what may be used when constructing the car (for example: engine, tires, chassis), which properties a car has to have (for example: minimum weight), what may be done during a pit stop etc. In the chart below, you can choose to see the lap times of all drivers throughout the year on different circuits. Two things can be seen: 2004 is the fastest year so far in F1, and 2014 clearly the slowest of the last few decades. The race where you can see the differences the most is during the first race of the season. It is then that that the constuctors have not yet had the time to adapt to the new rules. We will take a closer look into these rules to explain why 2004 is the fastest year and 2014 the slowest.

From 2001 till 2006 there was a competition between 2 tire producers, namely Bridgestone and Michelin. They heavily improved the grip and corner speed on their tires to outrun the other. So in this era we notice the tires evolving pretty fast. In 2005 we see a different case. The V10 engines were replaced with the V8 models because the other model proved to be too dangerous. Therefore 2004 was the fastest as it was the last year that allowed using the dangerous but powerful V10 motors in combination with great tires.

In 2014 the V8 motors were forbidden, so the cars had to start using V6 engine (which they still do until this day). Similar to 2005, this again caused a drop in speed. By 2015, the constructors had started to improve the cars to get the speed as high as possible with the V6 engines, which makes 2014 the slowest year in quite a while.

Attention: pedestrians

The pit lane of a circuit is the area where the drivers drive along the garages where the pit crew waits with the right equipment to perform a pit stop. During the pit stop, the car stands still and several things can be done: new tires, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change or any combination of those. As you can imagine, the speed in the pit lane is limited to protect the people standing in these areas. For a long time the speed limit was 100kph, but in 2013 an accident involving a loose tire happened on the Nurburgring circuit. Therefore, a few races lowered the speed limit to 80kph in their pit lane. It became an official rule in 2014. In street circuits, the speed limit is even lower. In the chart below, we can see slower pit lane times from 2013 or 2014 in multiple circuits.

The video of the accident which triggered the rule:

World record pit stop

The pit stop time is a lot shorter than the pit lane time as it only counts the time the car stands totally still. In the graph below below, one dot is colored green. This is the shortest pit stop ever recorded. The pit stop only took 1.82 seconds in which all 4 tires were replaced. The Dutch driver Max Verstappen with his Red Bull racing team set an amazing time on the "Autodromo Nazionale di Monza" circuit in 2019. But as you can see, the pit lane time is not the fastest of all drivers in 2019. This could be because Verstappen drove in slower so he would fully stand still sooner when he got to his crew, or maybe he was just suprised they were already finished.

This demonstration of skill can be seen in the YouTube video below.

F1 is a mixed-gender sport

Although it is not obvious at first, F1 is actually a mixed-gender sport. Throughout its entire history, a total of 5(!) female drivers have actually raced against male competitors in a total of 15 races. Only one of them managed to score points, that being Lella Lombardi in the Austrian Grand Prix in 1975. It was a race filled with tragedy which ended earlier than intended due to a lethal accident caused by dislodged car parts. As such, Lella Lombardi was only awarded half a point for finishing 6th. In the table below, you can find all female drivers and their racing results. The amount of starts is lower than the amount of entries as sometimes drivers either fail to qualify or have a technical issue preventing them from starting.

Multiple reasons can be given for why the amount of women is so small. First of all, aspiring female race drivers have no one to look up to, so few girls even attempt to start a racing career. Secondly, rigorous training is required to gain strong muscles strength and endurance to be able to drive in a Formula 1 car. Women have a natural disadvantage at this, but it can be achieved, even though it takes more effort than a man. The last and probably most important reason is the funding. Racing is very expensive and to be able to qualify for races, you need to have a good car or you simply don't stand a chance. The well-funded constructors with very advanced vehicles have yet to give a woman a chance, as it is also a costly risk for them. However, the amount of prominent women in the sport is growing, so it might be soon that the first woman is victorious in a race!

Now you are all ready for the brand new season! Enjoy!

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