Formula 1

A Formula 1 season consists of individual Grands Prix, each a self-contained race weekend. On Friday, two free practice sessions allow teams to calibrate setups. Saturday features a final practice and a knockout qualifying session that sets the starting grid. Sunday’s race—typically between 56 and 78 laps, covering a minimum of 305 kilometers—awards points to the top ten finishers on a 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1 scale, with a bonus point for the fastest lap if finished in the top ten.

Selected races feature the Sprint format: a shortened 100-kilometer race on Saturday that awards points on an 8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1 scale to the top eight. Sprint qualifying is held on Friday, and the Sprint result does not affect the Sunday grid, which is set by the traditional qualifying session.

The cars themselves must conform to the FIA Technical Regulations, which specify dimensional constraints, aerodynamic rules, power unit specifications, and safety requirements. Since 2022, ground-effect aerodynamics have returned—cars generate the majority of their downforce from shaped underbody tunnels rather than complex upper-body wings, enabling closer racing and more overtaking.

The power unit is a 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged hybrid, augmented by two energy recovery systems: the MGU-K (kinetic) and MGU-H (heat). Together, these systems produce approximately 1,000 horsepower while recovering energy that would otherwise be wasted. Each driver is allocated a limited number of power unit components per season; exceed the allocation, and grid penalties follow.

The cost cap, introduced in 2021 and set at $135 million for racing operations, was designed to level the competitive playing field between the sport’s wealthiest teams and their midfield rivals. It excludes driver salaries, marketing, and the wages of the three highest-paid personnel, but covers design, manufacture, and trackside operations. The cap has already narrowed the performance gap, producing the closest midfield battles in the sport’s history.