If you follow racing, you know F1 for its high-level and difficulty. F1 or Formula One racing is the highest level of open-wheeled single-seater racing in the world, with a movie recently made about it. The F1 movie was released in theaters on June 27, 2025.
Formula One Racing consists of a single driver in an open-wheeled car racing against multiple other drivers. An open wheel car is one where the wheels are exposed outside of the main body of the car. They go around the track at around 230 miles per hour and race about 305 kilometers, which is 189.518 miles. The teams have to design and build their cars. In Formula One, there are 10 teams with 2 drivers on each team. Each team consists of 300 to 1,200 people. Each team is so big because they need to engineer and design the cars. The pit crews are a group of 12 people who change the tires on the cars during the race in less than 2 seconds! There are three people per wheel putting in new wheels. You can get as many pit changes as you want, but you have to make at least 1 stop during the Grand Prix events.
The design of F1 racing cars needs to be careful and perfect to prevent accidents and to make sure drivers can race the best they possibly can. Designing F1 cars includes a science called aerodynamics. According to a NASA article, “Aerodynamics is the way objects move through air.” Aerodynamics is important in the design of an F1 car to make sure the cars go as fast as possible and slice through the air. 3D car models are almost crucial in designing an F1 car. 3D models show how the car will look and even how it might work! Some things a basic F1 car design includes are single-seater, open-wheel, and open-cockpit. Requirements are that the car cannot be more than 200 centimeters (78.7402 inches) wide and 95 centimeters (37.4016 inches) tall. The group that makes the regulations for F1 is called FIA, which stands for Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. They make rules like drivers must have an FIA Super License and that teams have a budget of 135 billion dollars, which will change in 2026 to 215 million dollars.
In F1, there are 24 racing events that take place every year. These events happen on a few different continents. These continents include: Asia, North America, Australia, the Middle East, and a few events held in Africa! Each event is called a Grand Prix.
In F1 racing, there are ten teams and two drivers per team. The teams this year are: McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Williams, Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Kick Sauber, Haas, and Alpine. The drivers are: Alexander Albon, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Kimi Antonelli, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda, Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Max Verstappen. The team in the lead is McLaren with 623 points. The drivers on McLaren are Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
F1 generally is said to be harder, more popular, and higher-level than NASCAR. While racing, NASCAR racers only go a little over 200 miles per hour, while F1 racers go 230 miles per hour. NASCAR racing has different racing series with races in them, while F1 races are known as the Grand Prix. The NASCAR series are the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In NASCAR, there are 36 teams with a limit of four drivers and cars per team. F1 teams do not have as many teams or drivers per team, with 10 teams and two drivers per team. Overall, both NASCAR and F1 racing take the best drivers with courage, skill, and respect for the sport.
The movie F1 stars Brad Pitt, where he plays the main character, Sonny Hayes. The movie was released in theaters on June 27, 2025. The movie is about how Sonny Hayes is racing in Formula One and had a career-ending accident. Thirty years later, F1 is struggling and asks Sonny to rejoin the team.
F1 only takes the best drivers in the world while also being the most highly valued motorsport in the world! Next time a race is on, turn it on the TV or even go see it in person. F1 racing is the most prestigious racing in the world, so why miss watching it?
