New to F1?

New to Formula 1? Start here. What F1 is, the abbreviations you will see on the timing screen, how a driver gets to the grid, and how the sport compares to IndyCar and NASCAR. The basics, explained simply.

• What is F1? A beginner's guide
  Formula 1 is the top class of single-seater motor racing, contested by ten teams and twenty drivers over a season of aro...
• F1 abbreviations and acronyms, explained
  Formula 1 timing screens and results are full of shorthand. DNF means did not finish, DNS did not start, DSQ disqualifie...
• How do you become an F1 driver?
  Becoming an F1 driver means climbing the single-seater ladder, from karting as a child through Formula 4, Formula 3 and...
• Women in F1: have women raced, and what is F1 Academy?
  Women are allowed in F1, which has no gender rule, but only two have started a Grand Prix: Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1...
• Why is F1 so popular?
  F1's recent surge is credited largely to the Netflix series Drive to Survive, which since 2019 has drawn in a younger, m...
• F1 vs IndyCar: what's the difference?
  F1 and IndyCar are both top single-seater series, but they differ sharply. IndyCars reach a higher top speed on oval tra...
• F1 vs NASCAR: what's the difference?
  F1 and NASCAR are very different. F1 cars are lightweight open-wheel prototypes that reach around 370 km/h and corner fa...