Key words you need to know in Formula 1

Do you need a little refresh of F1 key terms before the season starts? Or are a you a new Formula 1 fan who wants to know what everyone’s referring to? Here is an A-Z of the most important terms and phrases you need to know!

Apex – The apex of a track is the middle point of the inside line of a corner, where drivers aim their cars.

“Box, Box” – This is one of the most simple and obvious terms but if you hear a driver’s engineer saying “Box, Box” over their radio it means that at the next chance the driver has to make their way into the pits.  This is mostly related to a tyre change but sometimes can relate to an issue with the car or a car part needing to be replaced.

Chicane –  A tight sequence of corners going in opposite directions.  These are often added to slow the cars before a high speed corner which in qualifying can either make up or lose time in their lap.

DRS – The Drag Reduction System is a form of adjustable bodywork on an F1 Car, aimed at increasing speed and aids with overtaking. It’s part of the rear wing which you’ll notice open and closes, giving the driver a better opportunity of overtaking the car in front. It can only be enabled when a driver is under 1 second behind the car in front.

DNF – You’ll sometimes see DNF next to a drivers name after the qualifiers or at the end of the race in the final positions.  It stands for Did Not Finish, which simply means the driver didn’t get to the end of the race.  For the teams, a DNF will impact their points in the constructor championship so teams will do their best to keep cars in every race.

ECU – Stands for Electrical Control Unit, which controls all electronical systems in an F1 car, including the gearbox.

FIA – The governing body of motor sports. The people at the top who make all the big decisions for F1.

Halo – You may hear the ‘Drivers Halo’ being mentioned throughout a race weekend.  This relates to the round halo-shaped design surrounding the drivers cockpit.  This is a life saver… literally, and only become mandatory to the cars’ design in 2018.

Installation lap – A single lap completed on arrival at a circuit to check breaks, throttle and steering.

Lock Up – This term refers to when a driver breaks sharply and ‘locks’ one of the tyres while the rest keep spinning.  This usually causes tyre smoke and flat spots on the tyre, giving the drivers behind a great opportunity to overtake.

Marshal – A course official who oversees the safety of the race.  Including: Observing spectators, being a fire marshal, helping to remove stranded cars and waving appropriate flags at the side of the track.

Oversteer – When the back end of the car doesn’t go around a corner with the front end, so the driver has to turn the front wheels into the skid.

Pits/Pit Wall – The Pits are where all team garages are located and where the cars and teams stay when not on the track.  The pit wall is where the team principal and engineers sit during the race, usually looking onto the starting grid and under shelter to protect the monitors.

Pole Position/On Pole – This is the driver starting at the front for the beginning of the race, awarded for being fastest in qualifying.

Retirement – A car dropping out of the race due to a crash or mechanical failure.

Safety Car – This is the vehicle that will run in front of the leading car to slow the drivers down if there has been an incident that doesn’t require the race to stop completely.

Sectors – For timing purposes the track is split into 3 sectors cleverly named, Sector 1, Sector 2 and Sector 3.

Tear Off Strips – Strips of clear plastic strips on drivers’ Helmet visors that they can rip off during wet weather.

Virtual Safety Car – Instead of bringing a physical car onto th track and bunching the cars up after an incident, the Virtual Safety Car gives each driver a speed to stick to, usually limiting their current speed by 30%.

Understeer – When the front end of the car doesn’t turn so slides wide.