What is Formula One?

Formula One is the most restrictive class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and is also known widely as Formula 1 or F1. Each year, Formula One teams take part in the FIA Formula One World Championship where all participants must comply with a specific set of rules (known as the formula).

Each F1 season consists of a series of Grands Prix (races); which are held on various circuits around the world and teams compete for both the Driver's World Championship and the Constructor's World Championship.

F1 cars are designed to race at very high speeds peaking at around 221 mph or 360 kph and capable of hitting 5 g as they go around corners. The specification of each car is strictly controlled by the formula to ensure that the sport remains competitive, for example: engine performance is limited to a maximum of 18,000 rpm and technologies such as traction control have been banned since 2008.

Formula One is a very popular sport and the 2010 F1 World Championship was watched by a total global TV audience of 527 million people. The commercial rights of Formula One are held by The Formula One Group with annual spending totalling billions of US dollars.