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 around 24 Grands Prix worldwide. Drivers score points by finishing in the top ten of each race, and those points decide two titles: the Drivers' Championship and the Constructors' Championship for the teams. It is called a 'formula' because every car must be built to the same set of rules.
What Formula 1 is
Formula 1 is the highest class of international single-seater motor racing, run under the world governing body, the FIA.[2] The word "formula" refers to the detailed set of rules every car must be built to, so the championship is a contest of cars designed to a common formula as much as of the drivers behind the wheel.[2]
How a season works
A season runs across around 24 Grands Prix held in different countries, usually from March to December.[1] Ten teams enter two cars each, for a grid of twenty drivers, and each event builds to the race on Sunday after practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday.[1]
Points and championships
Drivers score points for finishing in the top ten of a race, with 25 for a win down to one for tenth, and those points add up over the year into two titles: the Drivers' Championship for the individual and the Constructors' Championship for the team.[2] The full system is in our guide to how F1 points work.
:::analysis If you are watching for the first time, the simplest way in is to pick a driver or a team and follow their Sunday. Underneath the noise, every race is the same puzzle: get to the front, then manage tyres, fuel energy and pit timing to stay there. The sport's recent boom, helped by the Netflix series Drive to Survive, has been built largely on new fans doing exactly that.
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Related reading
- [1]The beginner's guide to the 2026 F1 regulations (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [2]Formula One (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-06-20.