The Basics
Formula 1 is single-seater racing at its absolute peak. Twenty drivers, split across ten teams, race purpose-built cars at speeds over 350 km/h on circuits around the world. Each weekend is a Grand Prix. Over a season of approximately 22 races, drivers accumulate points toward the World Drivers' Championship, while their teams compete for the Constructors' Championship.
The cars are among the most sophisticated machines ever built: hybrid power units producing over 1,000 horsepower, carbon fibre monocoques lighter than a small hatchback, and aerodynamic packages generating enough downforce to theoretically drive on a ceiling. Each car costs tens of millions to develop.
How Scoring Works
Points are awarded to the top 10 finishers in each Grand Prix: 25 points for first, 18 for second, 15 for third, then 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for tenth. An additional point is awarded for the fastest lap, but only if the driver finishes in the top 10.
In 2026, six weekends also feature sprint races, which are shorter Saturday races awarding 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 to the top eight finishers.
The Race Weekend
A standard F1 weekend runs Friday through Sunday. Friday is practice, where teams tune their cars to the specific circuit. Saturday is qualifying, which sets the starting grid through a three-stage knockout format (Q1, Q2, Q3). Sunday is the race itself, typically lasting around 90 minutes over 50-70 laps.
Strategy is critical. Teams must choose when to pit for new tyres (there are multiple compounds, from soft and fast but fragile, to hard and slow but durable). Weather can upend everything. A well-timed pit stop or a bold strategy call can win a race from an unlikely position.
The History
The first Formula 1 World Championship race was held at Silverstone, England on May 13, 1950. In the 75 years since, the sport has evolved from cigar-shaped front-engined cars on country roads to the technological marvels racing today.
The sport has been shaped by eras: the front-engined 1950s, the rear-engined revolution of the 1960s, the ground-effect era of the late 1970s, the turbo wars of the 1980s, the electronic wizardry of the 1990s, and the hybrid era from 2014 onward. Each era produced legends.
The Greatest Drivers
Juan Manuel Fangio
Five World Championships in the 1950s, a record that stood for 46 years. The Argentine maestro won titles with four different teams, something never repeated. His 1957 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring is often called the greatest drive in F1 history.
Jim Clark
The quiet Scottish farmer who was untouchably fast. Two championships, 25 wins from 72 starts, and an Indianapolis 500 victory. Many who raced against him, including his rivals, considered Clark the most naturally gifted driver to ever sit in a racing car. Killed at Hockenheim in 1968.
Ayrton Senna
Three World Championships. His rivalry with Alain Prost defined the late 1980s and early 1990s. Senna's rain driving was supernatural, his qualifying laps were poetry, and his death at Imola in 1994 changed the sport's approach to safety forever. Many fans still consider him the greatest of all.
Michael Schumacher
Seven World Championships, 91 race wins, and the architect of Ferrari's dominance from 2000 to 2004. Schumacher redefined what preparation meant in F1. Relentless, occasionally controversial, undeniably brilliant. His records stood for nearly two decades.
Lewis Hamilton
Seven World Championships (tied with Schumacher), the most race wins in history, and the most pole positions ever. Hamilton broke into F1 in 2007 and nearly won the title as a rookie. He went on to dominate the hybrid era with Mercedes. In 2026, he races for Ferrari, writing a new chapter at 41 years old.
Legendary Cars
Lotus 79 (1978)
The car that introduced ground effect to Formula 1. Colin Chapman's masterpiece used inverted wing profiles under the car to suck it to the track. The black and gold John Player Special livery became one of the most iconic images in motorsport. It changed racing forever.
McLaren MP4/4 (1988)
Senna and Prost in the same car. The MP4/4 won 15 of 16 races that season, the most dominant car in F1 history. Powered by a Honda turbo V6, designed by Gordon Murray and Steve Nichols. The only race it lost was Monza, where Senna was taken out by a backmarker while leading.
Ferrari F2004 (2004)
Schumacher's masterwork. Won 15 of 18 races. So fast that the regulations were changed specifically to slow it down. The F2004 combined Bridgestone tyres, Rory Byrne's chassis design, and a screaming V10 engine into the most complete F1 car ever built.
Mercedes W11 (2020)
The car that ran away with the season Hamilton tied Schumacher's record. The W11 introduced DAS (Dual Axis Steering), a system so clever it was immediately banned for the following year. Arguably the fastest car relative to its competition in the modern era.
Why Timezone Matters in F1
Formula 1 races happen across every timezone on Earth. The Australian Grand Prix might require a 4am alarm for European fans. The Las Vegas Grand Prix starts at 11pm local time, making it a Sunday morning event in Europe and Asia. Singapore races under floodlights at 8pm local, which is early afternoon in London.
This is why whensport.com exists. Every race start time, sprint time, and qualifying time, automatically converted to wherever you are.