The most exciting motorsport is back. Formula 1’s season will begin in Melbourne, Australia, on March 13. For people who are unfamiliar with the sport, here’s how it works.
Twenty drivers from ten different teams compete for the prize of being Drivers’ World Champion at the end of the season. Drivers earn points every time they are in the top 10 with a proportional amount of points handed out to the top 10 drivers who finish the race. First place gets 25 points, second place gets 18, third gets 15, fourth gets 12, fifth gets 10, sixth gets seven, seventh gets six points, eighth gets four points, ninth gets two points, and tenth gets you one point. The driver with the most points by the end of the season wins the championship.
Weekends typically begin with two free practice sessions on Friday (at some races, Thursday) and a practice session on Saturday. Teams are allowed to change their setup during this time, and are allowed to change parts of their car as they see fit, so long as they haven’t used the number of parts that have a quota, lest they risk receiving a penalty. Qualifying is an unlimited number of attempts to get a time on the board within the time frame given. The five slowest drivers are eliminated and will start in the position qualified. In the second session, the next five slowest drivers are eliminated, and will start in the position they qualified. The top 10 then move on to the last session, where the person who qualifies the fastest gets to start first.
Ten drivers moved teams or will debut for new teams this year. The most compelling move is seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari after an unprecedented run of success at Mercedes. He will partner Charles Leclerc.
Also, McLaren looks to take the next step and win a Drivers’ Championship after winning the Constructors’ Championship as it tried to mount a challenge to Max Verstappen this year.
The first race will be held on Sunday, March 16, at Albert Park in Melbourne. You can watch the proceedings live on ESPN at around midnight EST.
