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New to F1? Start here.

Got into Formula 1 through Drive to Survive, a friend, or a race you caught by accident? Read these in order. Each one takes about five minutes.

1. Step 1

   Formula 1 explained: the complete beginner's guide

   Formula 1 is the top level of single-seater motor racing. 22 drivers in 11 teams race around the world from March to December, scoring points at each Grand Prix. The driver with the most points wins the Drivers' Championship, and the team with the most points wins the Constructors' Championship.

2. Step 2

   How does an F1 race weekend work?

   A standard F1 weekend has three practice sessions (Friday and Saturday), qualifying on Saturday to set the starting order, and the Grand Prix on Sunday. Six weekends a season use the sprint format instead, which swaps two practice sessions for Sprint Qualifying and a short Saturday Sprint race.

3. Step 3

   How F1 qualifying works: Q1, Q2 and Q3 explained

   Qualifying is a one-hour knockout session that sets the starting order. In Q1 and Q2 the slowest cars are eliminated, and in Q3 the 10 fastest drivers fight for pole position. Whoever sets the fastest lap in Q3 starts the race from first place.

4. Step 4

   How F1 points work

   The top 10 finishers in a Grand Prix score points: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1. In a Sprint, the top eight score 8 down to 1. Drivers' points count towards the Drivers' Championship, and both drivers' points count towards their team in the Constructors' Championship.

5. Step 5

   F1 2026 rules explained: Boost, Overtake Mode, Active Aero

   In 2026, F1 brought in smaller, lighter cars with engines that get about half their power from electricity. DRS was replaced by Active Aero (wings that open on straights for every driver) and Overtake Mode, which gives extra electrical energy to a driver within one second of the car ahead. Drivers also have a Boost button to deploy battery power whenever they choose.

6. Step 6

   F1 tyres explained: compounds, colours and strategy

   F1 tyres come in dry compounds marked by colour: red for Soft (fastest, wears quickest), yellow for Medium and white for Hard (slowest, lasts longest). Green Intermediates and blue Full Wets are for rain. In a dry race, every driver must use at least two different dry compounds, which forces at least one pit stop.

7. Step 7

   F1 pit stops explained: the undercut and overcut

   A pit stop is when a driver comes into the pit lane to change tyres, usually in two to three seconds. Teams pit because tyres wear out and because the rules require two different dry compounds per race. When you pit relative to rivals, using tactics called the undercut and overcut, can win or lose positions.

8. Step 8

   F1 flags explained: what every colour means

   Yellow means danger ahead: slow down, no overtaking. Green means the hazard is clear. Red means the session is stopped. Blue tells a driver to let a faster car lap them. The chequered flag ends the session. Black-and-white is a warning for unsporting behaviour, and black means disqualification.

9. Step 9

   Safety Car vs Virtual Safety Car explained

   The Safety Car is a real car that leads the field at reduced speed while an incident is cleared. It bunches everyone up and wipes out the gaps between them. The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) has no physical car: every driver must slow to a set minimum lap time, so the gaps stay roughly the same. Overtaking is banned under both.

10. Step 10

    F1 penalties explained: time penalties and grid drops

    The stewards hand out F1 penalties. The most common are 5- or 10-second time penalties (served at a pit stop or added to the race time), drive-through and stop-go penalties, and grid penalties that move a driver back at the next start. Repeated offences add penalty points to a driver's licence, and 12 points within 12 months brings a race ban.