Interlude – Terms to Know & Records

Introduction

Because there was no race this week, I’ve decided to create a list of terms that are commonly used in Formula One in case there’s anyone reading this that doesn’t know what those terms mean. I probably should’ve done this for my first entry, but for some reason I didn’t think about it. I’m also probably going to throw in some records and cool stats as well. 

Terms to Know

• The grid – used colloquially to refer to all of the drivers. Also refers to where the drivers line up before the race starts 
• The paddock – where drivers spend most of their time during the race weekend. Includes music, food, and each team’s building and garages. 
• Qualifying – also called quali. Takes place the day before a race. Drivers qualify in order to see where they start on the grid for race day. Qualifying is made up of three sessions—Q1 is eighteen minutes, Q2 is fifteen minutes, and Q3 is twelve minutes. The six slowest drivers are eliminated at the end of each qualifying session. Q1 is all 22 drivers, Q2 is the remaining sixteen, and Q3 is the remaining ten. The fastest driver in Q3 takes pole for the race the next day.
• Pole/pole position – the very first spot on the grid. This is what the drivers are competing for during qualifying. If a driver is starting on/from pole, they are called the polesitter. The current record for most pole positions is held by Lewis Hamilton with 104.
• World Driver’s Championship (WDC) – everyone is competing for this. It is an every man for himself competition; only one driver can win it. Drivers that win the WDC have the opportunity to change their car number to 1, if they so choose. (ex. McLaren’s Lando Norris, who usually drives with the number 4, changed his number to 1 after winning the WDC last season.) The WDC can be won before the season ends and has been won before the season ends before; it’s more common now for the WDC to be won before the season is over rather than at the end. 
• World Constructor’s Championship (WCC) – in addition to the WDC, each team is also competing for the Constructor’s Championship. The WCC is an every team for themselves competition. The winning constructor receives the most sponsor money at the end of the season. The WCC can technically be won before the season is over if the points gap is too big, but the teams not in first are still competing, so it’s not over until the season is. Whoever wins the WDC typically wins the WCC, but sometimes they don’t. (ex. In 2024, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the WDC but McLaren won the WCC.)
• Safety car (SC) – the car that’s brought out if there’s a crash on track. All drivers must slow down and follow the safety car, and no overtaking is allowed until the safety car returns to the pitlane. The safety car is always accompanied by yellow flags. 
• Virtual safety car (VSC) – the same as above, except virtual. VSCs are brought out when the crash is not serious and won’t take too long of a time to clear up. 
• Yellow flag – a driver’s signal to slow down. Usually caused by debris on track, but can also be caused by a stopped or crashed car, which will then trigger either an SC or a VSC. 
• Red flag – every driver must return to the pitlane and the race will resume if/when race control gives the okay. Usually caused by bad crashes, bad track conditions, or bad weather. 
• Formation lap – before lining up on the grid for the start of the race, drivers do one (sometimes more, depending on track conditions) slower lap of the track to warm up their tires. It’s very common to see the cars weaving back and forth across the track during the formation lap; that’s how the drivers warm their tires
• Podium/podium finish – a driver finished either first, second, or third. The current record for most podium finishes is held by Lewis Hamilton with 208. 
• Grand slam – a driver takes pole position, leads every lap of the race, wins the race, and gets the fastest lap of the race in the same weekend. The current record for most grand slams is held by Jim Clark with 8. 
• DNF – did not finish
• DNS – did not start
• DSQ – disqualified
• DNQ – did not qualify

Records

• Youngest driver to start a race: Max Verstappen (17 years, 166 days)
• Most race starts: Fernando Alonso (442)
• Most consecutive race starts: Lewis Hamilton (265 – 2007-2020)
• Most races with the same team: Lewis Hamilton (246, Mercedes)
• Most wins: Lewis Hamilton (106)
• Most wins with the same team: Lewis Hamilton (84, Mercedes)
• Most wins in a season: Max Verstappen (19 out of 22, 2023)
• Most consecutive wins: Max Verstappen (10)
• Most consecutive wins from the first race of the season: Nigel Mansell & Michael Schumacher (5)
• Youngest race winner: Max Verstappen (18 years, 228 days)
• Win from farthest back on the grid: John Watson (22nd)
• Most wins at the same Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton (9 times at the British Grand Prix)
• Most consecutive wins at the same Grand Prix: Aryton Senna & Lewis Hamilton (5 times at the Monaco Grand Prix & 5 times at the Spanish Grand Prix)
• Most consecutive seasons with a win: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (15)
• Most pole positions in a season: Sebastian Vettel (15 out of 19 races)
• Most championships: Michael Schumacher & Lewis Hamilton (7)
• Most consecutive championships: Michael Schumacher (5)