Guide to F1: 2024 Edition (Flags, terminologies, formats, and more!)

You may have heard of Formula 1 (more commonly known as F1) in recent years, thanks to Netflix's series Drive To Survive, which brought viewers behind the scenes of the spectacle to show what it's really like to survive in the pinnacle of motorsports.?

Over the past season, we've also heard from you and friends eager to learn more about the world of F1. So, that's exactly what we plan to do with this three-part article series — giving you everything you need to know before the 2024 F1 season commences in Bahrain this March.

F1 World Championship: A brief history

In 1946, the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) — the sporting arm of the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) — replaced 80-year-old president Chevalier Rene de Knyff with Augustin Perouse, who initiated discussions on a new Grand Prix formula.

Around the same time, the cumbersome AIACR title was replaced with the slicker Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) we know today.

Based in Paris, at the end of the 1949 season, it was announced that races in 1950 would unite to create a Grand Prix World Championship for Formula One drivers. The FIA created a scoring system and seven races were deemed suitable for the championship. The first race of the World Championship (the British Grand Prix) was held on 13 May at the Silverstone circuit in the United Kingdom.

Today, there are two key organisations you need to look out for in F1: the FIA and Formula One Management. FIA is heavily responsible for 'drafting, regulating and enforcing the rules and regulations in F1' to promote and ensure safe racing. On the other hand, FOM's sole purpose is to drive commercial success for the series.

What is an F1 race weekend?

On a normal race weekend (also known as a Grand Prix), you'll most likely see cars on track from Friday to Sunday. That said, most team personnel arrive earlier to set up the garage and car before the cars even hit the track.?

The weekend is split into three parts: Free Practice, Qualifying, and Race. During free practice, teams will test different setups, fuel loads, and tyres to get the most optimal setup before qualifying. During qualifying, each driver will put in their best lap to ensure they qualify as high up on the grid as possible. Qualifying is divided into Q1, Q2, and Q3, with drivers in the bottom five eliminated until the top 10 qualify for the elusive Pole Position (1st on the starting grid)..?

If no penalties are being applied to the drivers, that will be the final starting position. Come Sunday, drivers do the one thing they're paid to do — drive fast, don't crash, and score points.?

Sprint weekends are a different story. It is a sprint race of 100 kilometres and was introduced as a way to change up the race weekends. Last season, F1 introduced Sprint Qualifying, where Sprint results no longer determine the final positions for the official race. Drivers only have two Free Practice sessions to get the right setup and will still have to complete a regular qualifying session before the race.?

This year, China, Miami, Austria, United States, Sao Paolo, Qatar will host Sprint races, instead of the regular race weekends.

We love sprint weekends as they give even more opportunities for great battles. We’re especially excited this year as we’ll see the entire sprint before the qualifying, so anything could happen! - Mania Onboard

How do penalties get applied?

Each team has a set of allocated parts they're allowed to use throughout the entire season (we'll explain the different parts of an F1 car soon). They're forced to take a penalty if the team exceeds that limit.?

Other ways drivers receive penalties include:

• Starting from the wrong grid box.
• Driving dangerously.
• Speeding in the pitlane.
• Exceeding track limits.

Each driver must also run two different tyre compounds during a dry race (wet races are exempt from this). There's an entire rabbit hole regarding F1 tyres (such as the Revised Qualifying Format last season, where teams are forced to use a specific tyre compound during qualifying), so we recommend you check the official F1 guide about tyres.

For starters, all you need to know is this simple rule: the softer the tyre, the quicker the car goes due to increased grip, but the faster the tyre degrades.

If a driver receives a time penalty during the race, they choose to serve the time penalty when they pit. If they do not pit again, the time penalty gets added to final results which may impact their final finishing position.

What are some common terminologies used during a race?

Over the course of a race weekend, you may hear terms like, "It's another DNF for Charles Leclerc, his third DNF of the season." Here is a collection of some popular terminologies in F1:?

• DNF: If a driver does not complete the full-race distance, they did not finish (DNF).
• DNS: If a driver fails to start a race (either through a mechanical issue or for whatever reasons), they did not start (DNS).
• DSQ: A driver can be disqualified (DSQ) during or after the race for various reasons, such as not having a minimum sample after a race (which happened to Sebastian Vettel in 2021).
• DRS: The Drag Reduction System manipulates the rear wings, allowing drivers to open up the rear when they're less than a second behind a car at predetermined points on the track during the race. It can be used at any time in practice and qualifying (unless a driver is on wet-weather tyres). DRS deactivates once the driver brakes.?
• Undercut/overcut: Undercut is when drivers pit early to get a performance advantage from fresh tyres, which hopefully places them ahead when their rival pits. Overcut is the exact opposite — you pit later as you let your rival pit first in hopes that you can win the battle on fresher tyres.?
• Box: Short for ‘Pitbox’ - Often used as instructions to bring the car into the pits.?
• Constructors and drivers' championship: Every driver gets points for the teams, but the points also count equally for the drivers themselves. At the end of the season, a team score will count for the constructors' and the driver's individual score for the drivers' championship. Prize money is only awarded for the constructors' and not the drivers' championship.?
• Apex: The midpoint of a turn when drivers come closest to the inside curb of a turn. Driving close to an apex and taking the straightest possible line is how drivers maintain the highest speed through a corner.?
• Pole position: When a driver qualifies first at the end of Q3, they secure first place on the starting grid.?
• Blistering: Excess heat causes the rubber to soften and break away in chunks from a tyre's body, creating a massive love of grip. These pieces of tyre rubber can collect at the side of the track off the racing line (the optimal turn around a turn), which can be very slippery when driven on.
• Chicane: A tight sequence of corners in alternate directions which are used to slow down cars.
• Downforce: F1 cars are designed similarly to the wings of an aeroplane. Rather than generating lift upwards, these cars are meant to stick as close to the ground at high speeds.

What do the flags mean?

Throughout a race weekend, you'll see track marshalls wave different kinds of flags. These are some popular examples:

• Chequered flag (black and white): Waved to cue the session (practice, qualifying or race) has ended.
• Yellow flag: Signals that there's a danger on the track. Overtaking is not allowed. A single-waved yellow flag means drivers have to slow down, a waved yellow indicates that drivers must reduce speed and be prepared to stop, and a non-waved yellow flag shows a hazard near the racing surface.
• Red flag: Used to signal an immediate suspension of a session due to imminent danger.
• Blue flag: Waved to a driver that is one or more laps down. The slower car must allow the faster car behind them through before three consecutive flags are shown.????
• Green flag: Racing conditions have resumed.
• Black with orange circle flag: Shown with a driver's number to indicate a mechanical problem and the driver must immediately pit.?

If a driver refuses to follow instructions when a yellow flag, blue flag, or black with orange circle flag, they may incur a time penalty.

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This newsletter was written by Hew Hoong Liang (Nathan) and edited by Jonathan Khoo .

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In the meantime, don’t forget to check out Mania Onboard (@maniaonboard on Instagram and TikTok) on their take of what you need to know ahead of the 2024 season.?