F1 Glossary

Term	Description
Aerodynamics	The study of the air passing over and around the car. Aerodynamicists study this and optimise the shape of the car to improve grip, speed or cooling.
Apex	The point on the corner at which the drivers aim their cars to achieve the best racing line.
Appeal	All teams have the right to appeal to the FIA against any judgement they feel has been unfairly made.
Blistering	When a tyre gets too hot and too worn, the rubber begins to degrade and break away in large pieces, creating the appearance of blisters.
Bottoming	Formula One cars run so low to the ground, their undersides can often touch the floor or ‘bottom out’
Brake Balance	Drivers can alter the percentage of brake force begin applied to the front and rear from inside the cockpit. Generally, more brake force is pushed to the front of the car, although this has to be evened out in the wet.
Camber	Look closely at the wheels of a Formula One car and you will see that they are not exactly vertical. The angle at which they sit is the ‘camber’ and can be adjusted to suit the weather, the circuit and the driver.
Car Livery	Teams must run their two cars with essentially the same race livery throughout the season and must seek prior approval for any major changes. In addition there are a number of requirements that apply to liveries for all cars and teams. Every car must carry its driver’s race number, which must be clearly visible from the front of the car, and the driver’s name must appear on the external bodywork of the car. The team’s name or emblem must also appear on the nose of the car.
Chicane	A tight corner or sequence of alternating corners often designed to slow the cars down.
Classification	A commonly asked question is how drivers can be given a placing in the official race results even though they retired before the end of the race. The explanation can be found within the FIA regulations regarding classification. These state that any driver who completed at least 90 per cent of the race distance will be classified, whether or not he was running when the winner took the chequered flag.
Cockpit	The part of the car in which the driver sits. (see ‘survival cell’).
Constructor	Often referred to as a ‘manufacturer’, this is another word for the team.
Diffuser	This sits close to the floor below the rear wing. It funnels the air to slow it down, lowers the pressure and accelerates it out of the back of the car.
Downforce	The vertical force exerted on the car by the air passing over the car’s wings located at the front and rear. The amount of downforce can be adjusted by altering their angles.
Drive Through Penalty	As penalty for an offence on track, a driver can be made to pass through the pit lane at a strict speed limit to rejoin the race.
Engine	All Formula One engines are 2.4lt V8 specification. As a cost saving activity, the FIA brought in a new regulation from 2007 which essentially ‘freezes’ engine design for the next three years and restricts the revs to 19,000 rpm. This means that Shell fuel and lubricants will be even more important in the equation of how to get more performance, as they are amongst only a few variables that the teams can change within the new regulation.
F1 Stewards	The stewards run the race weekend at a Grand Prix. They make all the decisions with regard to rules, penalties and incidents. Stewards differ to marshals in that they control the event from race control as opposed to trackside.
Ferrari (Scuderi F1)	Italy’s most famous racing team. Formed in the 1940’s the Scuderia Ferrari has become one of the world’s most famous marques and is the most successful Formula One team of all time.
FIA	Féderation Internationale De L’Automobile, Formula One’s governing body.
Flags	Blue: Held: Warning - competitor close behind Waved: Warning – competitor trying to overtake Yellow: Held: Danger ahead, no overtaking Waved: Danger directly ahead, no overtaking Double Waved: Be prepared to stop, danger ahead, track may be blocked Green Flag: Track clear / open Red and Yellow Striped Flag: Slippery track ahead (this may be rain or oil on the track ahead) Red Flag: Race, qualifying or practice stopped immediately. Return to pits slowly White Flag: Slow moving vehicle ahead (this may be a car returning to the pits or a safety car or ambulance) Black and White Flag (divided diagonally - held up with competitors number): Caution for unsportsmanlike behaviour Black Flag (held up with competitors number): Disqualification of driver. Return immediately to the pits Black Flag with Orange Spot (held up with competitors number): Dangerous fault with your car. Return immediately to the pits Chequered Flag: End of race, qualifying or practice
FOM	Formula One Management – Bernie Ecclestone’s company that manages Formula One. The commercial right holder and negotiator of race promoter fees and major sponsor deals. NOT affiliated with F1Corporate or its associated companies worldwide.
Formation lap	After forming the grid, the drivers complete one formation lap of the circuit to warm up their cars before arriving on the grid for the start proper.
Free Practice	The drivers do not have to pay for the first lap of this session...Free practice is the first session of a Grand Prix weekend, the teams use the time to set up the cars to suit the circuit
Fuel	The F2007 Ferrari could run on Shell V-Power as the rules state that the fuel must be 99% the same as commercially available fuel. The shell scientists and chemical engineers work to develop the fuel within the parameters of the rules to give the Ferrari engine more power or efficiency.
G-Force	This is most noticeable as a driver goes round a fast corner, his head can be seen tilting away from the direction of the corner. This is the centrifugal effect, G-force, pulling the drivers body away from the corner.
Gear Box	A Formula One car now has a semi-automatic gearbox. This is not a gearbox as in a normal road car. There is no clutch pedal and gears are changed using paddles on the steering wheel.
Hairpin	A tight corner turning 180 degrees in a tight radius.
Intermediate Tyres	‘Inters’ as they are often known are more heavily grooved than the dry weather tyres and are used in light rain or when the track is damp.
Jump Start	Leaving the grid before the starting procedure has finished. Jumping the start is generally penalised with a 10 second stop and go penalty.
KERS	One of the major additions to the Formula One technology portfolio is the optional use of a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). KERS recovers the heat energy generated from braking and stores it for use as a boost of up to 80 horsepower for up to 6.67 seconds per lap. The driver has control over this and can operate the system via a boost button on the steering wheel.
Lollipop	The sign held on the nose of the car during a pit stop to remind the driver to brake. It is then lifted when the stop is finished and the pit lane is clear for the driver to leave.
Marshals	Marshals are positioned at many places around the race circuit, their job is to look after safety. This includes moving cars from unsafe positions and alerting drivers to on track hazards by waving various coloured flags.
Monocoque	A modern F1 chassis is known as a monocoque, this construction of carbon fibre composite means is a one-piece construction designed around the driver. In affect the driver sits in the car much like he does in a bath.
Oversteer	This is when the rear of the car pushes wide, and the front stays ‘on-line’. The car will appear to be travelling sideways.
Paddles	Formula One drivers today use paddles on the back of his steering wheel to change gear.
Paddock	The paddock is the area behind the pit lane, this is where you will find the team motorhomes. It is also where the drivers will go to relax and talk to the media during the Grand Prix weekend.
Parc Fermé	Between qualifying and race day the cars are held in Parc Fermé to prevent the teams making any changes against regulations. Once the race is over the cars return to Parc Fermé and are inspected to ensure they comply with the Formula One rules.
Pit Board	A driver communicates with the pits using a radio, however the team also keeps the driver informed of his competitors’ progress by holding a pit board with simple information over the pit wall.
Pit Garages	The team will work on the car throughout the weekend from the pit garages, this is where the cars ‘disappear’ whenever mechanical, or set up changes are required.
Pit Lane	This is where the teams operate the cars from during the race weekend; it is also where the pit stops take place.
Pit Wall	The teams house much of their communication equipment on the pit wall so as they can talk to the driver and monitor his performance over the Grand Prix weekend.
Plank	Formula One regulations state that all cars must have a wooden plank under the car to prevent the ride height being set too low, this plank must be a specified depth at the end of the race.
Pole Position	Drivers compete for grid position in qualifying, the fastest time in qualifying wins the driver pole position at the front of the grid. This is the most advantageous place from which to start the race.
Practice	Un-timed sessions early in the weekend to allow the teams a chance to learn the circuit and make basic set up changes and refinements to the car.
Qualifying	At each race one hour allotted for knock-out qualifying begins at 14:00 local time Saturday: Q1 – All race entrants use this 15-minute session to run as many laps as they wish, each measured on one ‘hot lap’. At the end of this session, the slowest six cars are eliminated and assigned the bottom spots on the starting grid, 17 – 22. Q2 – Another 15-minute qualifying session. Again, cars can run as many laps as they wish and each is measured on a single fast lap. The six slowest cars of this session also drop out; filling grid places 11-16. Q3 – The fastest lap of this session wins pole position. As in the previous sessions, each car can run as many laps as desired within this final 15-minute window. However, each car must start with the fuel load it will run in the next day’s race and the cars are immediately taken to parc ferme so that no changes can be made.
Racing Line	This is the optimum line around a race circuit and in theory it is the fastest way around the track
Retirement	Retirement is usually the result of an accident or mechanical failure on the car, either way it means the car and driver are out of the race and will not be scoring any points for the team.
Ride height	The distance between the bottom of the car and the ground is called the ride height, this is controlled in the regulations by the use of the ‘plank’.
Safety Car	In the event of an accident or blockage on the race circuit the safety car will be deployed in front of the lead car to slow down and control the cars still on track until it is safe to proceed.
Scrutineering	All cars must undergo scrutineering at every Grand Prix. Scrutineering is the process that determines that the cars are safe to race and also adhere to the strict technical rules of Formula One.
Scuderia Ferrari	Scuderia is the Italian word used by Ferrari to describe a racing team.
Shake Down	Teams complete these ‘shakedown’ runs to make sure all the components on the car are ready and working to their full potential.
Shell F1 Fuels	Ferrari’s technical partner for fuels and oils. The two first worked together in the 1930’s and Ferrari’s first ever Formula One win was powered by Shell in 1951. After a brief period apart, Ferrari and Shell re-signed their partnership in 1996.
Sidepods	The sidepods on modern Formula One car are very complex as they house the radiators and also play an integral part in the aerodynamics of the car. They are the large air scoops on the side of each car.
Slick Tyre	In recent seasons the Formula One cars have been using ‘grooved’ tyres, however for most of the modern era of Formula One the slick tyre was used for optimum grip in dry conditions. A slick is made using very soft rubber and has no tread on its surface to promote maximum possible grip.
Slipstreaming	Every car creates a hole in the air, this hole gets longer the faster the car is travelling. Any car that travels in this hole will benefit from reduced air resistance and will therefore be able to travel faster using less engine power. A skilled Formula One driver can use this hole to ‘slipstream’ to set up an overtaking manoeuvre at the end of a straight.
Spectrometry	The X-ray method used by Shell to analyse the quantity and type of wear metal present in Ferrari gearbox and engine oil samples. Using a database of information built up since 1996, this enables Shell to inform Ferrari as to the condition of the engine or gearbox.
Splash and Dash	With the return of pit stops teams need to be accurate with fuel measurement and economy is very important. In the event of a miscalculation a car may need to stop near the end of a race for a small amount of fuel, this is known as a ‘splash and dash’. Literally splashing a drop of fuel in the tank before dashing off to finish the race.
Stop and go penalty	During a race, if a driver breaks any rules he can be called in for a stop and go penalty. He must come in to the pit lane and stop for 10 seconds before rejoining the race. A penalty can be given for speeding in the pit lane and jumping the start amongst other reasons.
Survival cell	Safety is paramount in Formula One, one feature of a modern Formula One car is the survival cell. Every component attached to the cell is designed to break off an absorb some of the energy of the accident. However, the survival cell is designed to cocoon the driver and prevent serious injury by never breaking up.
Suspension	The purpose of suspension is to ride over imperfections on the race circuit to provide the best possible grip and traction, as well as cushion the driver from the bumps which can become very pronounced at top speed.
Tear-off strips	Because a Formula One driver does not have a windscreen, his crash helmet visor can get very dirty during the race. Instead of windscreen wipers the driver has a number of tear-off strips on his visor, these thin clear strips cover the visor and are removed to give the driver a clear view.
Telemetry	A Formula One car is constantly sending information to the pit garage. From the hundreds of sensors on the car, the team has an excellent view as to the condition of the car and the driver’s movements. Telemetry data provides the team with real-time information such as throttle position, speed, braking forces, temperatures, pressures and steering. Drivers also use telemetry to study their lap times.
Torque	Literally, the turning or twisting force of an engine, torque is generally used as a measure of an engine's flexibility. An engine may be very powerful, but if it has little torque then that power may only be available over a limited rev range, making it of limited use to the driver. An engine with more torque - even if it has less power - may actually prove quicker on many tracks, as the power is available over a far wider rev range and hence more accessible. Good torque is particularly vital on circuits with a number of mid- to slow-speed turns, where acceleration out of the corners is essential to a good lap time.
Traction Control	With all the power a Formula One engine produce the car can never generate enough traction (grip). To prevent wheel spin the teams use an electronic system called traction control to regulate the engines power whenever it detects the rear wheels spinning.
Tyre compound	The type of rubber mix used in the construction of a tyre, ranging from soft through medium to hard, with each offering a different performance and wear characteristic.
Tyre warmer	Tyres operate best a certain temperature - in the case of Formula One tyres, it is around 90°C. Before the car is sent out on the track the tyres are heated up by specially shaped electric blankets known as tyre warmers.
Tyres	With Bridgestone becoming Formula One racing's sole supplier from 2007, each team will receive only two specifications of tyre per event – hard and soft. However, they will get more sets than in previous years - four per driver on the Friday and ten for the remainder of the weekend. Each driver must use both specifications during the race and a large white dot on the sidewall of the softer compound will allow spectators to easily distinguish which tyre a driver is using at any time.
Understeer	This is when the front wheels ‘push’ wide during cornering – the car will appear to be travelling straight on and will not turn for the corner.
Undertray	A Formula One car has an ‘undertray’ to smooth the flow of air under the car and make it more aerodynamic.
Wet weather tyres	A grooved tyre will not work effectively in heavy rain, neither will an intermediate tyre. When heavy rain is falling the teams will select a wet weather tyre, this looks much more like the tyre you will find on a road car.
Wing	The wings on a Formula One car work in the opposite way to an aeroplane’s wing, they are designed to push the car on to the track and provide it with more grip. The faster a car travels the more effect the wings will have on grip.