This March marks the 75th anniversary of Formula 1 and with the first two races already complete, here is everything to know about the current 2025 season.
In today’s modern race world, competitions are held over a three-day period. The first day is known as a practice day, where drivers have the opportunity to utilize the track and configure which car setups work.
On day two, racers take the first hour of the day to finish practicing before the next activity begins: Qualifying. This next step determines the order of which drivers line up. Racers will compete in three periods, Q1 (18 minutes), Q2 (15 minutes) and Q3 (12 minutes). Within these time slots, drivers compete to eliminate other players from reaching a higher position in the lineup.
The last day is known as the Grand Prix. While there is no set amount of laps for each Prix, the race must meet a minimum of 305 kilometers or roughly 189.51 miles.
Each season, drivers will race 24 laps across the world at various tracks. A few famous circuits include Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy, Circuit de Monaco in Monaco and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
When it comes to the rules of F1, drivers must comply with regulations, such as staying within the track or using specific tires to ensure a smooth race. If a player does not follow the rules, a penalty will be issued.
One of the most common penalties is when all four tires of a car cross over the track lines. If this happens three times, drivers will receive a penalty. There are a few options of the severity of a penalty. The first is usually a warning or reprimand which is similar to if a teacher told a student to put their phone away. If the driver continues to disregard the rules, a more drastic punishment can occur, such as grid drops, time penalties or in more serious cases, disqualifications.
A grid drop lowers the driver’s position in line on the next race, which can be challenging to make up. Time penalties add additional seconds to a driver’s race. This can be by having the racer wait a certain amount of times before a pit stop or by adding seconds to their finished race time. One of the most severe punishments can be disqualification. Drivers will lose their points, changing their finishing position and overall jeopardizing their chance at the championship.
At NDB, there are a few F1 watchers, with one of the most dedicated being senior Abby Milotich. She recalls her first exposure to the racing world was seeing the Gran Turismo movie. While the film covers a different aspect of motorsport racing, she quickly leaned towards the speedy world of F1.
“I have a hard time watching sports because I get bored super easily. But this, like, I can sit down for … however long the race is and watch it the whole time,” said Milotich.
She recommends looking into the rivalry between popular drivers Max Verstappen and George Russell, which started after Russell claimed Verstappen was driving too slow during qualifying.
Apart from F1, there is a wide variety of motorsport racing, some of which include rallying, off-road racing, and drag racing.
Junior Alexandra Davidow closely follows drag racing as her father, Ben Davidow was an avid racer.
“I love it [motorsport racing] and my family loves it … So I definitely think if you’re interested in it and want to kind of like look into it a little bit more, I definitely think you should,” shared Alexandra Davidow.
While the season continues to “drive by,” understanding the rules of the sport can help new watchers stay informed throughout the year.
