There comes a moment in the life of every new Formula 1 fan when the question becomes unavoidable: why did that driver pit if he was leading? It is the moment when the fastest sport in the world also turns out to be one of the hardest to understand. This guide gathers the questions many people have and few dare to ask, with answers updated for the 2026 season.

Updated September 2026.

In short, this is how Formula 1 works: 11 teams and 22 drivers compete in a championship of Grands Prix of around 305 km, preceded by qualifying sessions that set the starting grid; the top ten in each race score points, which count towards both the drivers’ and the constructors’ championships. Since 2026 the cars have been lighter and more compact, run hybrid power units in which electric power matters almost as much as the combustion engine, and use active aerodynamics instead of the old DRS. The rest, as always, is in the details.

Who owns Formula 1?

Since January 2017 the commercial rights to Formula 1 have belonged to the American group Liberty Media, while the sporting and technical rules are written by the FIA, the international automobile federation. The President and CEO of Formula 1 is Stefano Domenicali, in office since 2021 and confirmed until 2029. The audience is huge: according to F1, the global fanbase counts 827 million people, and in 2025 the cumulative TV audience reached 1.83 billion, with an average of 76.1 million viewers per Grand Prix.

How many drivers and teams are there in Formula 1?

In 2026 the grid grew to 11 teams and 22 drivers, with Cadillac arriving as the eleventh team and Audi making its debut after taking over Sauber. These are the regular line-ups: Mercedes (George Russell, Kimi Antonelli), Ferrari (Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton), McLaren (Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri), Red Bull (Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar), Racing Bulls (Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad), Aston Martin (Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll), Audi (Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto), Alpine (Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto), Williams (Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz), Haas (Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman) and Cadillac (Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas). From Zandvoort to Madrid, with Hadjar sidelined by a wrist injury, Lawson replaced him at Red Bull and Yuki Tsunoda raced for Racing Bulls.

How many races are there in an F1 season?

The 2026 calendar originally had 24 Grands Prix, but it changed during the year: in March the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were cancelled because of the situation in the Middle East, and in July the Bahrain Grand Prix was reinstated, to be held however at Sepang, in Malaysia, on 4 October. Today there are 23 races on the calendar, subject to further changes. The season started in Melbourne on 8 March and ends in Abu Dhabi on 6 December. The main novelty is the Madring, the semi-street circuit in Madrid that has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix since 2026. All the dates are in our 2026 F1 calendar.

How long is a Formula 1 race?

A Grand Prix runs over the minimum number of laps needed to exceed 305 kilometres, with the exception of Monaco, where the distance is around 260 kilometres. The number of laps therefore depends on the length of the track: 78 at Monaco, just 44 at Spa-Francorchamps. The race cannot last more than two hours, extended to a maximum of three if red-flag stoppages are included. Things will change soon: on 21 September 2026 the F1 Commission approved reducing Grand Prix distance to 290 kilometres from 2027, together with scrapping the three-hour limit, which will be replaced by a fixed finishing time; the changes still have to be ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

How do points work in Formula 1?

In every Grand Prix the top ten finishers score points on the scale 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1. The extra point for the fastest lap, introduced in 2019, has been abolished since 2025. In Sprint races, six of them in 2026, the top eight score points, from 8 down to 1. The drivers’ championship adds up each driver’s points, the constructors’ championship the points of both cars of a team. We cover the topic in depth in our guide to the Formula 1 points system.

How does F1 qualifying work?

Qualifying is split into three knockout sessions. With 22 cars, the six slowest drivers are eliminated in Q1, another six in Q2, and the remaining ten fight for pole position in Q3. Whoever sets the best time in Q3 starts at the front on Sunday. All the details are in our guide on how Formula 1 qualifying works.

What is a pit stop in Formula 1?

It is the stop in the pit lane during the race, when the mechanics change the tyres and, if needed, adjust the front wing or replace damaged parts. Refuelling has been banned since 2010, and in a dry race every driver must use at least two different compounds, which makes at least one stop compulsory. The record belongs to McLaren: 1.80 seconds for Lando Norris’s car in Qatar, in October 2023. For 2026, on the other hand, the two-stop requirement introduced at Monaco in 2025 has been scrapped.

Are Formula 1 cars four-wheel drive?

No. Formula 1 cars are rear-wheel drive, and the 2026 FIA technical regulations say so plainly in article C9.1.1: the transmission may only drive the two rear wheels. Four-wheel drive was tried in the past by eight cars from seven constructors, with disappointing results, and it has been banned since 1983.

Are Formula 1 cars hybrid?

Yes, and since 2026 more than ever. The power unit pairs a 1,600 cc V6 turbo engine with an electrical system whose motor-generator, the MGU-K, delivers up to 350 kW: electric power now weighs almost as much as combustion power. The MGU-H, which recovered energy from the exhaust gases, has gone, and the fuel is 100% sustainable. The cars are smaller and lighter (minimum weight of around 768 kg including tyres, maximum wheelbase 3,400 mm, maximum width 1,900 mm) and use active aerodynamics with two configurations, Straight Mode on the straights and Corner Mode through the bends. In place of DRS there is Overtake Mode, which gives extra electrical energy to a driver following closely.

Who is the current Formula 1 champion?

The reigning world champion is Lando Norris, who won his first title on 7 December 2025 in Abu Dhabi with 423 points, two more than Max Verstappen. In 2026 the story is different: after the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid on 13 September, the championship is led by Italy’s Kimi Antonelli with Mercedes, on 292 points and eight wins, ahead of George Russell (211), Lewis Hamilton (191) and Norris himself (186). It is a season that has opened a rare window for Italian brands, as we explained when discussing Kimi Antonelli sponsorship.

Who has won the most in F1 history?

Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record of seven world titles. Hamilton also holds the record for wins: 106, including his first with Ferrari, which came in Barcelona on 14 June 2026 in his second season in red.

Is Formula 1 faster than NASCAR?

Yes. The most frequently cited benchmark for race speed is Valtteri Bottas’s 372.5 km/h in Mexico in 2016, with Williams; the 2026 cars reach a maximum of around 360 km/h. A Formula 1 car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in about 2.6 seconds, while a NASCAR Cup Series car approaches 320 km/h in top speed on the superspeedways and takes about 3.4 seconds to reach 96 km/h. The real difference, though, is in the corners: thanks to aerodynamics, a single-seater takes them at speeds unthinkable for any other racing car.

How much does a Formula 1 car cost?

There is no price list, and the figures in circulation are estimates without verifiable sources: every car is a unique prototype, designed and built by the team. The certain figure is the cost cap: in 2026 each team can spend a maximum of 215 million dollars a year. The increase from the 135 million of previous years is largely an accounting change, because the cap now includes items that used to be excluded. Even a single component says a lot, as our guide on how a Formula 1 steering wheel works explains.

Who sponsors Formula 1?

At championship level Formula 1 has ten Global Partners: Aramco, AWS, DHL, Heineken, Lenovo, LVMH, MSC, Pirelli, Qatar Airways and Salesforce. Official Partners include TAG Heuer, official timekeeper since 2025 in place of Rolex, and Crypto.com. On top of these come hundreds of team and driver sponsors. Anyone who wants to understand how to enter this world can start from our page on Formula 1 sponsorship or from our piece on what Formula 1 is for.

The beginner’s paradox

Formula 1 is a sport that seems designed to discourage newcomers: acronyms, compounds, aerodynamic modes, strategies that change every lap. And yet it is precisely this complexity that holds on to those who get past the first wall, because every rule hides a story and every strategy call is a gamble. Those who know the rules watch a race; those who do not watch cars going round in circles. For a brand, the difference between those two viewers is everything: the first is a fan who remembers who was there, the second a passing spectator.

Sources: Formula 1, the new 2026 rules; FIA, 2026 F1 technical regulations; Formula 1, the Bahrain GP at Sepang; FIA, F1 Commission of 21 September 2026; Formula 1, Norris’s 2025 title; Formula 1, the 2026 cost cap; Formula 1, official partners; Guinness World Records, fastest pit stop.