Do you remember when you became a fan of Formula One?
You may have been mesmerized by the speed, perplexed by the strategy and innovation or intrigued by the people and paddock dynamics (aka the Piranha Club). You may have heard about the sport from a family member, saw a post on social media or watched the Netflix docuseries “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”
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But ultimately, you may have had plenty of questions. What is DRS? What about the 107 percent rule? How do F1 drivers train for this level?
To the new fans, long-time viewers and everyone in-between, welcome to the pinnacle of motorsport. F1 is a cross between a science fair and chess game but with the competitiveness of any rivalry matchup every grand prix weekend. It’s dubbed a ‘team sport’ where people debate which is the bigger key to success: Driver or machine. (Spoiler alert: It depends on who you ask, but you need both). It’s as much of a physical sport as it is mental with strategy bleeding into every aspect.
F1 is complicated and confusing at times, and is constantly evolving. This is why we decided to create Between the Racing Lines, a guide to help any fan — regardless of how long they’ve watched the sport or how they discovered it — navigate F1.
We’ll be building up our library of explainer stories throughout the year, so if there’s anything you’re eager to know more about, drop us a line here.
Between the Racing Lines
- What is DRS and why does the device raise criticism?
- How F1 drivers train physically and mentally to go from ‘gym fit’ to ‘race fit’
- The life of an F1 reserve driver: Sim time, data crunching — and Candy Crush
- F1’s 2026 engine changes mean less fuel and more horsepower — and not everybody’s happy
- F1’s 107% rule: How it works, and why race stewards don’t always enforce it
- How F1’s sustainable fuel shift powers its carbon neutral ambitions
(Lead image: Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images; Design: Eamonn Dalton/The Athletic)