The drivers

The people in the cockpit: how fit Formula 1 drivers are, what their race numbers mean, how a driver reaches the grid, and the debate over the greatest of all time. Guides to the drivers and the numbers behind them.

• What does an F1 race engineer do?
  A race engineer is a driver's main point of contact with the team, the voice on the radio through every session. They tr...
• How fit are F1 drivers?
  F1 drivers are genuine elite athletes. They withstand around 5G in fast corners and under braking, sit in cockpits hotte...
• F1 driver heights and the weight rules
  There is no height limit in F1. On the 2026 grid the tallest drivers, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon, stand around 1.86 met...
• F1 driver numbers explained
  Since 2014 every Formula 1 driver picks a permanent number from 2 to 99 and keeps it for their career. Number 1 is reser...
• Why is number 17 retired in F1?
  Number 17 is retired in memory of Jules Bianchi. The French driver raced number 17 in 2014, suffered severe head injurie...
• Who is the best F1 driver ever?
  There is no settled answer, but the debate is anchored in records. Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the most...