A Beginner’s Guide to Formula 1 in 2026

“If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” These are the famous words of the legendary Formula 1 driver Ayroten Senna. Though it was meant to be a racing analogy, it has a deep meaning in our lives, telling us to do our best and take even the smallest opportunities. There is no reward without any risk.

Three-time Formula 1 world champion Senna died in a car crash in 1994, but his statements define the current generation of Formula 1: 22 drivers fighting for the ultimate title, giving their very best to reach the very top. A sport filled with adrenaline, risks, drama, and pure racing. Every single emotion for one and a half hours on 24 weekends.

So what is Formula 1? How did it become what it is today? Basically, F1 is 22 drivers racing cars around a circuit for 90 minutes. But there is much more to it; the racing is just the cherry on top. It is a sport filled with various elements and a long history to date back to.

What is Formula 1?

Almost every weekend, the FIA hosts F1, F2, and other races across the globe. The current F1 calendar features around 24 races that stretch over the year, making it one of the longest seasons in major international sports, nearly double the length of an NFL season. It takes place on five different continents. 

There is a mix of summer and winter breaks to give everyone a chance to rest and reset. Since races are held in different countries and time zones, start times vary, so it is almost impossible to provide a single schedule for all races. 

The drivers are divided into 11 teams, with two drivers on each team. Big car manufacturers like Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren are an integral part of this legendary sport.

What Happens During a F1 Race Weekend?

F1 conducts three practice sessions at each race, during which drivers get a hold of the track and find the best possible strategy going into the race. Two practice sessions are held on Friday, while the last practice session is held on Saturday.

After practice, the drivers are tested in a qualifying session that determines the order in which they will start Sunday’s Race. The drivers compete against each other and even their teammates to finish the lap in the fastest possible time. Margins of less than 0.1 seconds are common in qualifying, so even a small mistake can cause a big blow to the driver. 

Qualifying is divided into three rounds: Q1, Q2, and Q3. In every round, six drivers are eliminated, and their starting positions are determined by the order in which they finished that session. The final Q3 decides who gets the pole position, or essentially starts the race at the very top. Then we arrive on Sunday.

The Sunday’s Grand Prix 

This is the climax of the F1 race weekend. 22 cars with one goal, to complete the laps as fast as they possibly could. It results in overtakes, crashes, and heated exchanges between teams. The drivers throughout the race are on the radio with their team, who give them information about their own performance and their rivals’.

Then comes the pitstop, the most thrilling part of the race. Each car is required to come to its team’s pit, where its team changes its tires and sometimes even the entire front wing. Teams compete to complete the pitstop as quickly as possible. 

The current record stands at just 1.80 seconds, set by the McLaren F1 Team in 2023. These records keep falling as teams push the limits of what’s possible, making every race a chance to witness history being rewritten.

F1 is not just about who is the fastest on track, but who is consistently the fastest. There is also tyre conservation, with drivers deliberately slowing through parts of the track to minimise tyre degradation. 

F1 currently offers five types of tyres that are hard, medium, and soft, where hard tyres are the slowest but have the least degradation throughout the race, and vice versa for the soft. The other two tyres are intermediate and wet, which are used when the track is somewhat wet and very wet, respectively.

Aftermath of the Formula 1 race

When one of the cars is about to complete the final lap, the chequered flag is waved, and whichever driver finishes first is called the winner. The top three finishers are said to have earned a podium finish. Those drivers are called to the podium and given the trophies. 

Then comes the famous champagne spray, a celebratory tradition in Formula 1 that began in the 1960s and now marks every podium ceremony. Champagnes are popped open, and everyone celebrates being included in this decades-long tradition.

But that’s not completely the final result. After the race, all drivers and cars are thoroughly examined to determine whether any rules were broken. There have been several occasions where drivers thought they had won, only to be disqualified after these checks. 

For example, at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, George Russell was disqualified after winning the race because his car was found to be underweight according to the regulations. 

The Drivers

Even though it doesn’t seem like it, F1 is a very rigorous and demanding sport. Drivers lose up to two to four kg of weight just by driving the cars for those 90 minutes. 

They experience extreme G-forces equivalent to flying a fighter jet. As Lewis Hamilton once described: “Your whole body is just being thrown in all directions, your head feels like it weighs a ton and every muscle is straining just to keep control.” 

During crashes, this number can reach about 50 G, equivalent to a car crashing directly into your chest. Drivers’ cockpits could reach temperatures up to 60⁰C. 

Driving more than 186 miles an hour or 300 km per hour results in less than a fraction of a second of reaction time to make a turn. The cars produce around 4,000 kg of downforce, so theoretically they could drive upside down at about 124 miles per hour (200 km/h).

Post Race Analysis

Formula 1 offers many things that can only be learned by seeing for oneself. The sport is not just about the final race, but also about the plotting and planning, the innovations in technology, and the memes that come with it.

Overall, Formula 1 is a sport that people of all ages can enjoy without much thought. It’s highly recommended that you add this short 90-minute fun element to your weekend, where you can relax and enjoy a beautiful experience.

2026 Formula 1 Grid

2026 F1 Race Calendar