The Formula One is one of the most anticipated sporting events in the year. Thousands of people from all over the world would be found either lining up to get into the racing track or watch the event at home on their television sets. There are now even different websites that provide live video streaming of the different Formula One races held each year so not only are you able to follow the races. You can also watch previous races to help you relive those favorite moments.
It is not only the race itself that makes watching and following the Formula One that makes it extremely exciting. The Formula One is one of the most preferred sports chosen by people to place their bets on to win huge profits. If you are planning to try your luck on betting on the Formula One, the first thing you would need to do is to understand the basics of the Formula One race.
Generally, there are 26 cars that are entered to join a particular Formula One race. However, only the top 18 of these 26 cars are allowed to compete on the race itself. To know which drivers would be competing, a qualifying race is scheduled prior to the actual race itself. Apart from determining who would go on to compete in the actual race, the qualifying race determines the placing of each of the cars on the starting grid. Those car drivers that have been clocked with the fastest speeds during the qualifying race make up the first 10 grids, while the slower car drivers are those that comprise the last 8 grids behind everyone else.
The actual race proper begins with what is called a warm up lap where each of the 18 competing drivers encircles the course without overtaking each other. The warm up lap is done in order for the teams to determine the overall performance of the car, as well as heating up the tires of the cars, providing it the needed traction to ensure that the cars would be able to handle the turns and curves the drivers need to negotiate at extremely high speeds. This is also called the formation lap because at the end of this lap, each of the competing drivers would then go to their designated grid position on the starting line.
A light system then begins the countdown and signals the start of the actual race. If for some reason that one or more of the cars fail to start, the entire race is halted. The cars are then asked to return to the starting grids. The car or cars that have failed to start are removed from their current position in the starting grid and are placed at the back of the grid, allowing the different cars move one position up.
In normal conditions, the winners are the first three cars that cross the finish line. However, in the event that the weather conditions make it dangerous to precede the race, the officials may choose to end the race prematurely. When this happens, the time and number of laps completed by each of the drivers are tallied to determine the winners of the said race.
