An F1 car can be no more than 190 cm wide and 95 cm tall. While there is no maximum length, other rules set indirect limits, and nearly every aspect of the car carries size regulations; consequently the various cars tend to be very close in size. As of 2025, the car and driver together must weigh at least 800 kg. The car must have four wheels mounted externally to the bodywork, with only the front two steered and only the rear two driven. The maximum wheelbase is 340 cm.
The main chassis contains a "safety cell" comprising the cockpit, a structure designed to reduce impact directly in front of the cockpit, and the fuel cell directly behind it. The car must also include roll structures behind and ahead of the driver. The driver must be able to enter and exit the cockpit without adjustments other than removing the steering wheel. Since 2018, the car must include the halo — a curved titanium bar placed above the driver's head to prevent head injuries.
Mandatory crash test standards apply. For a 30 mph (48 km/h) head-on impact into a steel barrier, average deceleration must not exceed 25g, with a maximum of 60g for a minimum of 3 milliseconds, with no damage to the chassis beyond the nose section. The same chassis must then withstand a rear impact from a sled at 30 mph (48 km/h), with no damage in front of the rear axle. The roll hoop may not crush beyond 50 mm (2.0 in), and structural failure is permitted only in the top 100 mm (3.9 in) of the body. Side impacts by a 780 kg (1,720 lb) object at 10 m/s (22 mph) must be decelerated at less than 20g and absorb no less than 15% and no more than 35% of the total energy; 80 kN (18,000 lbf) cannot be exceeded for more than 3 milliseconds. The steering wheel must survive the impact of an 8 kg (18 lb), 165 mm (6.5 in)-diameter object at 7 m/s (16 mph) with no deformation of the wheel or damage to the quick-release mechanism.
"Squeeze tests" are also applied to the cockpit sides, fuel tank, and nosebox. The cockpit must survive a 25 kN (5,600 lbf) force without failure; 12.5 kN (2,800 lbf) is applied to the fuel tank, with a maximum 3 mm (0.12 in) deformation allowed. For the cockpit rim, the figures are 10 kN (2,200 lbf) and 20 mm (0.79 in). The nosebox must withstand 40 kN (9,000 lbf) for 30 seconds without failing.
Onboard electrical and computer systems, once inspected at the start of the season, may not be changed without prior approval. Electronic starters and launch control are forbidden. The computers must contain a telemetric accident data reporting system.
Continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) have been banned since 1994, following successful tests in the Williams FW15C in 1993 that showed CVTs had the potential to place other teams at a lasting competitive disadvantage, owing to the difficulty of designing sufficiently strong belts. It was speculated that use of a CVT alone provided an advantage of several seconds per lap. CVTs have never been used in Formula One races. A rule added in 1994 required gearboxes to have between 2 and 7 discrete gear ratios and explicitly banned CVTs. Active suspensions were also banned in 1994 due to FIA safety concerns about ever-higher speeds. Other driver aids banned that year included 4-wheel steering, which was tested and found to provide negligible reduction in lap times.
Since 2014, transmissions with 8 gear ratios and 1 reverse gear ratio are required.
2.4-litre V8 engines were used in the 2013 season. Engine technology changed significantly from 2014 with the introduction of the 1.6-litre turbocharged V6-hybrid engine. The engine minimum weight is 145 kg.
The fuel limit per race was increased to 105 kg for the 2017 season and again to 110 kg for the 2019 season. Power outputs have not been disclosed since the 1990s; the consensus is that the 1.6 L turbocharged V-6 engines produce between 750 and 850 bhp depending on trim and mapping. The 2014 season also introduced the Energy Recovery System (ERS), which provides a full-time boost of approximately 160 bhp from electric motors used in conjunction with the internal combustion engine, generating around 1,000 bhp in total — replacing the previous 6-second bank of extra power per lap associated with KERS. The combination of these systems led to the term "power unit" replacing "engine."
Devices designed to inject any substance into the cylinders other than air and fuel (petrol) are forbidden, as are variable-length intake and exhaust systems. The crankshaft and camshafts must be made of steel or cast iron. Carbon composite materials are not permitted for the cylinder block, cylinder head, or pistons. Separate starting devices may be used in the pits and on the grid. If an anti-stall device is fitted, it must cut the engine within ten seconds in the event of an accident.
Power units are divided into six components: the internal combustion engine (ICE); turbocharger (TC); Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K), which harvests energy normally wasted under braking; Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H), which collects heat energy expelled through the exhaust; Energy Store (ES), which holds energy gathered by the motor generator units; and Control Electronics (CE), comprising the Electronic Control Unit and software to manage the entire power unit. In 2015, each driver was allowed up to four of each component during a season of up to 20 scheduled races; a fifth could be used without penalty if more than 20 races were scheduled. A ten-place grid penalty applied for using a component beyond the established allocation, and a pit lane start for changing the entire unit beyond the limit. The MGU-H was removed for 2026.
Refuelling during races has been forbidden since 2010, and every car starts with a full fuel load. The 2010 season cars were approximately 22 cm longer than 2009 cars to accommodate the enlarged fuel tanks required.
Formula One has contracted a single tyre supplier since the 2007 season. Pirelli, the supplier since 2011, provides six specifications of slick dry-weather tyres (C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6), of which three compounds are brought to each race, described as "soft," "medium," and "hard." Pirelli introduced a softer C6 compound for the 2025 season. From 2011 to 2015, two types of dry tyre were provided at each race weekend — the Prime and the Option — with teams supplied with more Prime sets. The Prime was typically harder and more durable; the Option offered more grip and faster lap times when fresh. At some events the selection was reversed. From 2016 onward, three dry compounds are brought to each race weekend. Since 2019, one tyre is designated soft, one medium, and one hard regardless of compound. One set of the softest tyre is reserved for Q3, and two sets each of the middle and hardest are kept for the race. Drivers select 10 sets for a race weekend. Compounds are identified by colour-coded bands on the tyre's sidewall: red for soft, yellow for medium, white for hard, green for intermediate, and blue for full wet.
Competitors are allowed a limited number of tyre sets per race event: 13 dry, 4 intermediate, and 3 wet. Each tyre must carry a unique identifier for tracking. During practice sessions drivers are limited to 3 sets of dry tyres, and certain sets must be returned to the supplier before the second and third sessions. From 2014 to 2021, drivers who completed a lap in the third qualifying period (the top ten) on dry tyres were required to start the race on the tyre set used to record their fastest time in the second period; this rule was removed prior to the 2022 season. Cars must race on any two dry compounds during a race unless intermediate or wet tyres have been used.
Prior to qualifying, wet and intermediate tyres may only be used if the track is judged wet by the race director. Starting behind the safety car in heavy rain requires wet tyres until the driver makes a pit stop. Heaters may only be applied to the outside of tyres.
Historically, constructors were able to build Formula One cars around the concept of ground effect. Following the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in the 1994 season, skid blocks were mandated to increase ride height, reduce the impact of ground effect, and slow the cars down. From 2011 to 2025, the drag reduction system — a piece of movable aerodynamics on the car's rear wing — was mandated.
After weighing during each qualifying session, teams must take their cars to a designated, FIA-sectioned area in the paddock known as parc fermé, where no work other than routine maintenance is permitted until the cars are released for the race the following morning. If a team must perform significant work — bodywork or suspension adjustments, or switch to another chassis or setup — the car will start from the pit lane.
The pit lane opens forty minutes before the start of a race (t−40:00). Drivers may complete as many reconnaissance laps as they wish, driving through the pit lane each time to avoid the grid. Drivers must be in their cars and in place on the grid when the pit lane closes at t−30:00; otherwise they must start from the pits. Teams may work on their cars on the grid throughout this period.
At t−10:00 the grid is cleared of everyone except team mechanics, race marshals, and drivers. Tyres must be attached to the cars by t−3:00. Engines must be running by t−1:00; fifteen seconds before the start all personnel must be clear of the track.
Green lights signal the start of the formation lap (also known as the parade lap), during which drivers must remain in order — no passing — unless a car ahead has stopped due to a technical problem or an accident. The cars circle the track once, typically weaving to warm their tyres, then reform in their starting positions. A series of short, controlled burnouts is usually performed as each driver approaches their grid box to maximise rear tyre temperature and clear debris.
If a car cannot start for any reason (engine or suspension failure during qualifying or practice), it may still join the race but will take a 10-position starting penalty. Teams sometimes opt instead to start such cars from the pit lane, accepting last place on the grid in exchange for the freedom to change the engine and start on fresh tyres.
Gearboxes must be used for five consecutive events (counted as P3, the qualifying session, and the race). A 5-place grid penalty applies for a replacement gearbox. Due to the reliability of modern gearboxes, grid penalties for replacement gearboxes were removed in 2025.
The race is started by ten red lights in two rows of five (5 columns of 2), each column operating as a pair. The lights illuminate one pair at a time from left to right at one-second intervals, then go out simultaneously after a random interval of 4–7 seconds; when the lights go out the race begins. If the start must be aborted, all five pairs illuminate as normal but orange lights flash instead of extinguishing; engines are stopped and the start resumes from the 5-minute point. If a single driver raises their hand to signal they cannot start, the marshal for that row waves a yellow flag; after a few seconds the red and orange lights extinguish and green lights indicate another formation lap.
The Drivers' and Constructors' Championships are decided by points awarded according to the position in which a driver classifies at each Grand Prix. To receive points a driver need not finish the race, but must complete at least 90% of the winner's race distance. It is possible to score points after retiring, based on distance completed relative to others. It is also possible for lower points not to be awarded — as at the 2005 United States Grand Prix — if insufficient drivers completed 90% of the winner's distance. The system was revised in 2003 and amended for the 2010 season with the entry of two new teams. From 2019 to 2024, a point was awarded for fastest lap; this was discontinued for 2025.
Drivers finishing lower than tenth receive no points.
From 2010 through the end of the 2021 championship, if a race was abandoned before 75% of the planned distance (but after a minimum of two completed laps), points were halved: 12.5, 9, 7.5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.5. The rules were reviewed following criticism of the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, in which the race was red-flagged on lap 3 after two laps behind the safety car, with no laps completed under green-flag conditions at racing speed, before being abandoned. The race result — a win for Max Verstappen — was taken after the first lap; the FIA considered more than two laps to have been completed by the leader because Verstappen had crossed the control line three times before the abandonment.
For the 2022 season, points for suspended races were changed to a gradual scale system: no points unless a minimum of two laps are completed under green-flag conditions; top 5 on a 6–4–3–2–1 basis if more than two laps are completed but less than 25% of scheduled distance; top 9 on 13–10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 for 25–50% of distance; top 10 on 19–14–12–9–8–6–5–3–2–1 for 50–75%; and full points for more than 75%. These rules do not apply when a race is suspended and then resumed, in which case full points are awarded even if the whole distance cannot be completed in the 3-hour window. This was changed for 2023 to satisfy the original intent of the gradual scale system.
Points are awarded equally to the driver and their constructor. In case of a championship tie, the FIA compares the number of times each driver has finished in each position, proceeding from most wins downward. On 10 December 2013, it was confirmed that double points would be awarded in the final Grand Prix from 2014 onwards; this was abandoned in the weeks following the 2014 season.
Many venues use electronic displays to indicate flags and relay messages to drivers, though race marshals continue to use physical flags as a redundancy mechanism. Marshals are positioned at numerous points around the track during every race. Flags, whose specifications and usage are prescribed by Appendix H of the FIA's International Sporting Code, must measure at least 60 cm by 80 cm, excepting the red and chequered flags, which must measure at least 80 cm by 100 cm.
Penalties may be imposed for numerous offences including jumping the start, speeding in the pit lane, causing an avoidable accident, unsportsmanlike conduct, or ignoring flags. Penalty points may also be issued to the offending driver's superlicense. Four types of on-track penalty exist.
A time penalty — the most common type, lasting either 5 or 10 seconds — may be served during the next pit stop. Mechanics must wait for the penalty duration before touching the car; touching early adds another penalty. If not served in the pit lane, the time is added to the driver's total race time.
A drive-through penalty requires the driver to enter the pit lane, drive through it at the speed limit, and exit without stopping. As no stop is required, it is less costly than a stop-go penalty.
A ten-second stop-go penalty requires the driver to stop at their pit for ten seconds, during which mechanics may not work on the car. It is the harshest penalty short of disqualification and is given for serious offences such as endangering other drivers. The most recent occurrence was at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, where Lando Norris was penalised for failing to slow under double-waved yellow flags caused by debris on the main straight, costing him approximately 35 seconds.
For drive-through and stop-go penalties, a driver has two laps from notification to enter the pits; failure to pit within two laps results in a black flag. If the Safety Car is deployed before the penalty is served, the driver may not serve it until the Safety Car returns to the pits. A penalty incurred within the last five laps need not be served in the pits; instead, 20 seconds are added for a drive-through and 30 seconds for a stop-go.
The black flag — the most severe common penalty — signifies disqualification from the race, with results not counting toward the championship. If insufficient, the driver may be banned for subsequent races. In modern Formula One, most disqualifications arise from post-race scrutineering: Sebastian Vettel was disqualified from the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for an insufficient fuel sample; Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were both disqualified from the 2023 United States Grand Prix for excessive plank wear.
Grid penalties for the next race may be imposed for various offences, including exceeding power unit component quotas; gearboxes are exempt from grid penalties from 2025.
If a driver accumulates twelve unexpired penalty points simultaneously, they are banned from the following race and must be replaced.
The most extreme punishment — exclusion from the drivers' world championship for that year — is reserved for seriously endangering another driver's life or attempting to gain an unfair advantage in the championship. The only occurrence was in 1997, when Michael Schumacher deliberately turned into Jacques Villeneuve at the final race of the season, damaging both cars. Teams may also be excluded from the Constructors' Championship; examples include the Tyrrell team in 1984 for a technical infringement and McLaren for the "Spygate" scandal in 2007.
There is no restriction on information that can be given to the driver, except during the formation lap. Previously, stricter rules governed what could be communicated over team radio to ensure drivers operated the car "alone and unaided" and were not coached from the pit wall. Drivers could not be given information about driving lines or how to adjust their car to go faster while on track. These restrictions were removed at the 2016 German Grand Prix.
The primary reasons behind rule changes have traditionally been safety and, mostly since 2000, limiting the cost of the sport.
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.
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