Formula One

Each driver must hold a valid Super Licence, the highest class of racing licence the FIA issues, and races must be held on Grade One tracks, the highest circuit grade the FIA issues. F1 has been owned by Liberty Media since 2017, when it was acquired for an estimated $8 billion from the British business magnate Bernie Ecclestone. Formula One cars are the world's fastest regulated road-course racing cars, owing to high cornering speeds generated by large amounts of aerodynamic downforce. The United Kingdom is the hub of the sport, with the majority of teams based in an area of Oxfordshire known as "Motorsport Valley".

Formula One originated from the World Manufacturers' Championship (1925–1930) and the European Drivers' Championship (1931–1939). A new International Formula for cars was agreed upon in 1946, to take effect in 1947; the first Grand Prix run to the new regulations was the 1946 Turin Grand Prix, anticipating the formula's official start. The new World Championship was instituted to commence in 1950.

The first world championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix, took place at Silverstone Circuit on 13 May 1950. Giuseppe Farina, driving for Alfa Romeo, won the first Drivers' World Championship, narrowly defeating his teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio took the title in 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957 — a record of five championships that stood for 46 years until Michael Schumacher won his sixth in 2003. Fangio's 24 wins from 52 races entered remains the highest winning percentage by any driver. A Constructors' Championship was added in 1958. Stirling Moss, widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers of the era, never won the title, finishing runner-up four times and third three times between 1955 and 1961.

For many years, promoters also held non-championship races to Formula One regulations, often with local cars and drivers — South Africa ran a domestic F1 championship from 1960 to 1975, and a British F1 Championship used second-hand cars fitted with the Cosworth DFV from 1978 to 1980. Rising costs made such events rare; the last was the 1983 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, won by reigning champion Keke Rosberg.

The first major technological shift was the move to mid-engined cars, proven by triple champion Jack Brabham; by 1961 every team had switched. The Ferguson P99, the last front-engined car to enter a championship race, appeared at the 1961 British Grand Prix. In 1962, Lotus introduced an aluminium-sheet monocoque chassis, the greatest breakthrough since the mid-engine. Sponsorship arrived in 1968: Team Gunston ran cigarette colours on privately entered Brabham cars at the South African Grand Prix, and Lotus became the first works team to follow, in Gold Leaf livery at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Aerodynamic downforce gained importance from 1968, when Lotus owner Colin Chapman fitted wings to the Lotus 49B at the Monaco Grand Prix. In the late 1970s Lotus introduced ground-effect aerodynamics — pressing cars to the track with up to five times their weight and forcing near-solid suspension. FISA banned ground effect from 1983, by which point turbocharged engines, pioneered by Renault in 1977, dominated: a BMW turbo unit reached an estimated flash figure over 970 kW (1,300 bhp) in 1986 qualifying, making these the most powerful open-wheel circuit cars ever. The FIA progressively limited fuel and boost before banning turbos entirely in 1989.

Electronic driver aids emerged in the 1980s, including Lotus's active suspension — driven to victory by Ayrton Senna at Monaco in 1987 — followed by semi-automatic gearboxes and traction control. Amid concerns that technology was outweighing driver skill, the FIA banned many aids for 1994.

From the 1970s, Bernie Ecclestone reorganised Formula One's commercial rights and is widely credited with transforming it into a multi-billion-dollar business. After buying Brabham in 1971 he gained a seat on the Formula One Constructors' Association (FOCA), becoming its president in 1978, and persuaded the teams to negotiate as a bloc. The formation of FISA in 1979 triggered the FISA–FOCA war, in which FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre clashed repeatedly with FOCA over television revenues and technical rules. The conflict produced the 1981 Concorde Agreement, guaranteeing technical stability and reasonable notice of regulation changes; further Concorde Agreements followed in 1992 and 1997.

The rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost was F1's central focus from 1988 until Prost retired at the end of 1993. Senna was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix after crashing at the Tamburello curve; Roland Ratzenberger died in qualifying the same weekend. The FIA subsequently used safety as grounds for rule changes that would otherwise have required unanimous team agreement, ushering in the "narrow track" era from 1998 with smaller rear tyres and grooved tyres to reduce grip and cornering speed. No driver died at the wheel of an F1 car for twenty years until the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, where Jules Bianchi collided with a recovery vehicle after aquaplaning off the circuit, dying on 17 July 2015.

Michael Schumacher and Ferrari won five consecutive Drivers' and six consecutive Constructors' Championships, setting records for wins and titles. His streak ended in 2005 when Fernando Alonso and Renault took both titles, repeating in 2006. Team orders, legal since 1950, were banned in 2002 after Ferrari's manipulation at that year's Austrian Grand Prix. A tyre war between Michelin and Bridgestone drove lap times down; after seven Michelin-shod teams withdrew from the 2005 United States Grand Prix on safety grounds, Bridgestone became sole supplier.

In 2008–2009, Honda, BMW, and Toyota all withdrew amid the economic recession. The Honda team became Brawn GP through a management buyout led by Ross Brawn and won both 2009 titles; BMW's team returned to founder Peter Sauber. Mercedes re-entered as a manufacturer in 2010 after purchasing Brawn GP and splitting from McLaren. The 2009 FIA–FOTA dispute over budget caps nearly produced a breakaway series before a new Concorde Agreement was signed in August 2009. Four new teams joined for 2010, though the proposed cost cap was repealed and all eventually collapsed: HRT (2012), Caterham (2014), and Manor (2016).

A major 2014 rule change replaced 2.4-litre V8s with 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid power units, prompting Honda's return in 2015. Mercedes became dominant, with Lewis Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg trading titles and the team winning 16 of 19 races in 2014 and a record 19 in 2016. After revised aerodynamic rules, 2017–2018 featured a Mercedes–Ferrari battle; in 2021 the Honda-powered Red Bull Racing seriously challenged Mercedes, with Max Verstappen beating Hamilton after a season-long fight. A major 2022 overhaul reintroduced ground effects and redesigned aerodynamics to promote closer racing; Red Bull and Verstappen won the 2022 and 2023 titles with races to spare. From 2024, Sauber raced as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber ahead of becoming the Audi works team in 2026, and Cadillac received approval to join as an eleventh team for 2026.

A Grand Prix event spans a weekend, typically beginning with two free practice sessions on Friday and a third on Saturday, followed by qualifying that sets the starting order for Sunday's race. Each driver is allotted thirteen sets of dry-weather tyres, three sets of wet-weather, and four sets of intermediate tyres per weekend; all unused tyres must be returned.

Qualifying. The current "knock-out" format, introduced in 2006, is divided into Q1, Q2, and Q3, with the slowest drivers eliminated at the end of each round. As of 2026, with 22 cars, Q1 runs 18 minutes and eliminates six; any driver slower than 107% of the fastest Q1 time needs stewards' permission to start. Q2 (15 minutes) cuts the field to ten, and Q3 (12 minutes) sets the front ten grid positions.

Sprints. Sprint qualifying was trialled in 2021 across three weekends. From 2023, sprints no longer affect the main race grid and carry their own "sprint shootout" session, with mediums required for SQ1 and SQ2 and softs for SQ3.

The race. After a formation lap, cars assemble on the grid; five red lights illuminate at one-second intervals and are extinguished simultaneously to start the race. Drivers must make at least one pit stop and use two different dry compounds. The race finishes when the leader completes the predetermined distance — a total of 305 km (190 mi); cars completing at least 90% of the distance are classified. Races may be paused or ended early in unsafe conditions.

Race control. The race director manages logistics and enforces FIA rules, referring incidents to the stewards, who may impose drive-through or stop-and-go penalties, grid demotions, disqualifications, and fines. As of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix the race director is Rui Marques, with Herbie Blash as permanent advisor. The safety car neutralises the race at reduced speed with no overtaking; Mercedes-Benz has supplied it since 1996, joined by Aston Martin from 2021, with Bernd Mayländer the main driver since 2000. The Virtual Safety Car, recommended after the Bianchi accident panel, requires drivers to hold a minimum delta and was first used at the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix.

Points. The system in place since 2010 awards the top ten finishers points, with 25 for a win. A driver must complete at least 90% of the distance to score. A half-points rule for races under 75% distance, used from the late 1970s to 2021, was replaced by a distance-dependent gradual scale for 2022.

A constructor is the entity credited with designing the chassis and engine; where both come from one company it receives sole credit (e.g., Ferrari), otherwise both are named with the chassis designer first (e.g., McLaren-Mercedes). Since 1981 teams must build the chassis in which they compete, distinguishing F1 from spec series such as Formula 2. Loopholes exploited in 2007 by Super Aguri and Scuderia Toro Rosso were closed for 2010 by regulations requiring each constructor to own its chassis intellectual property. Entering a new team requires a $450 million up-front payment to the FIA, shared among existing teams. Ten of eleven teams have a base in England's "Motorsport Valley"; Ferrari is the only team without an English presence, building chassis and engines in Maranello.

Every team runs two cars in each session and may use up to four drivers per season. Each competitor must hold an FIA Super Licence, issued on junior-category success plus 300 km of F1 running over two days. Drivers choose an unassigned number from 2 to 99 (number 17 was retired after Bianchi's death) and keep it for their career; number 1 is reserved for the reigning champion. Permanent numbers were introduced for 1974; a champion-led system ran from 1996 to 2013.

As of 2025, 35 drivers have won the Drivers' Championship, with Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton sharing the record at seven each. Jochen Rindt is the only posthumous champion, his 1970 points total never surpassed after his fatal accident at the Italian Grand Prix. British drivers have been the most successful, with 21 championships among 11 drivers.

Driving F1 is highly demanding: drivers burn around 1,000 calories per hour and can lose up to 5% of body weight per race, enduring up to 6.5 g in cornering, 6 g braking, and 2 g accelerating, in cockpit temperatures as high as 60 °C (140 °F). Before power steering arrived in the 2000s, steering forces reached 40–50 N·m, and maximum braking requires around 150 kg of pedal force. A minimum driver-plus-seat weight of 82 kg is enforced "in the interests of well-being", and race heart rates can exceed 170 bpm.

Most drivers begin in kart racing before progressing through entry-level single-seaters such as Formula Ford, Formula Renault, and Formula 4, then Formula Three-level regional championships, and finally the FIA Formula 2 Championship — successor to GP2 (2005–2016), International Formula 3000 (1985–2004), and Formula Two (1948–1984). Drivers need not climb every rung: British F3 sent Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, and Mika Häkkinen straight to F1, Max Verstappen arrived after one European F3 season, and 2007 champion Kimi Räikkönen went straight from Formula Renault. American open-wheel racing has also contributed, with CART champions Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve becoming F1 World Champions.

The number of Grands Prix has grown from seven in 1950 to a record 24 in 2024. Six of the original seven were in Europe; the only non-European counter in 1950 was the Indianapolis 500, run to different regulations. The championship later spread worldwide — Argentina (1953), Morocco (1958), Japan (1976), Australia (1985), the Middle East (2004). The British and Italian Grands Prix are the only events held every season; the Monaco Grand Prix, first run in 1929 and continuously since 1955 (except 2020), is considered among the most prestigious races in the world. The first F1 night race was the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008.

Races are held on Grade A tracks, each Grand Prix covering 305 km (190 mi); most run clockwise, a handful anticlockwise. Most circuits are purpose-built, but the calendar also features street circuits including Monaco, Melbourne, Singapore, Baku, Miami, Jeddah, and Las Vegas — three-time champion Nelson Piquet likened racing at Monaco to "riding a bicycle around your living room". Newer circuits, especially those designed by Hermann Tilke, have been criticised for lacking the "flow" of classics such as Spa-Francorchamps and Imola while better meeting modern safety standards.

Modern F1 cars are mid-engined, hybrid, semi-open-cockpit, open-wheel single-seaters with a carbon-fibre composite chassis. The car including driver but not fuel weighs a minimum 800 kg (1,800 lb); teams add ballast low in the chassis to lower the centre of gravity. Aerodynamic downforce from front and rear wings plus ground effect can reach 2.5 times the car's weight, with up to 3.5 g of lateral force in cornering. Grooved tyres were used 1998–2008 to limit cornering speed; slicks returned in 2009 and are exclusively supplied by Pirelli. From 2022 the wheel diameter increased from 13 to 18 inches with standardised covers.

The 2014 switch to turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 hybrid power units replaced the 2.4-litre V8; the 2006-generation engines had revved to 20,000 rpm and produced over 580 kW (780 bhp) before development freezes and rev limits. Despite banned technologies such as active suspension, current cars exceed 350 km/h (220 mph) at some circuits; Juan Pablo Montoya set a Grand Prix top speed of 372.6 km/h at the 2005 Italian Grand Prix, and Valtteri Bottas reached 378 km/h in 2016 European Grand Prix qualifying. Each driver is limited to a set number of engines, gearboxes, and power units per season, with grid penalties beyond the allocation.

Engine costs once varied widely — in 2006 several manufacturers spent an estimated $200 million while Cosworth developed its V8 for $15 million — before performance-related engine development was banned from 2007. The estimated cost of running a team was about £193 million as of 2018. Teams pay entry fees plus per-point charges; drivers pay a Super Licence fee. Smaller teams have long complained that profits are shared unfavourably toward established teams; in 2015 Force India and Sauber lodged an EU complaint over revenue division.

To curb the advantage of wealthier teams — Mercedes spent $420 million in 2019 versus Williams's $125 million — the FIA banned unlimited private testing and introduced a cost cap of $175 million in 2021, reduced to $145 million and then settling at $135 million. Critics note the cap excludes driver salaries, the three highest-paid staff, and marketing, but in practice it appears to have fostered efficiency: McLaren went from the slowest car in early 2023 to Constructors' Champions in 2024. In Q2 2020, F1 revenues fell to $24 million (from $620 million) with a $122 million operating loss owing to the COVID-19 delay.

Following its 2017 purchase, Liberty Media set out a vision emphasising streamlined governance, cost-effectiveness, road relevance, and new manufacturers; a new Concorde Agreement effective from 2021 changed prize-money and TV-revenue distribution. F1 plans to be carbon neutral by 2030, with all events "sustainable" by 2025; a 2019 report estimated 256,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, 45% from logistics and only 0.7% from the cars. From 2021 cars used E10 fuel, and the FIA has developed a 100% sustainable fuel for the new engine regulations.

Five women have competed in a Grand Prix since 1950. Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first, at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix; Lella Lombardi is the only woman to score, taking half a point at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix; Giovanna Amati was the last to attempt qualification, in 1992. F1 launched the all-female F1 Academy in 2022, its inaugural title won by Marta García. Monisha Kaltenborn became the sport's first female team principal at Sauber in 2010. The #WeRaceAsOne initiative launched in 2020 amid wider scrutiny of racism and inequality, with all twenty drivers taking part in anti-racism displays.

Formula One is broadcast in almost every country and draws one of the largest global television audiences; the cumulative 2001 audience was calculated at 54 billion across 200 territories, since falling to 1.55 billion. All broadcasters receive an identical world feed produced by Formula One Management. An over-the-top platform, F1 TV, launched in 2018, and a free ad-supported channel in the US in 2024. A new logo replaced the 1993 "flying one" in November 2017. Broadcast rights vary by territory — Sky Sports F1 in the UK, beIN Sports across the Middle East and North Africa, and, from a five-year deal announced ahead of the 2025 United States Grand Prix, Apple Inc. holding the US rights.

This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.