F1 how long is a race

Michael Schumacher is number one with seven titles. Over 1, people have worked on the car to make it even more competitive than last year's model, the W Sebastian Vettel is also looking for his fifth championship in the the Ferrari, having won , , and with Red Bull. He was second to Lewis last season, but there are questions if the car will be as strong as it was last season.

Red Bull ended last season strongly. At just 20 years old, Max Verstappen is already into his third season driving, and is widely considered the future of F1. If Red Bull have a good start then he could be a title contender. Aged 20, Charles Leclerc has been signed up to Sauber having been in the Ferrari development programme. He's the reigning F2 champion and won the championship in his debut season in a dominant manner.

Before that that he was also GP3 champion. He's driving for Sauber who are not expected to challenge for the title but he's certainly one to look out for in the lower grid positions. It's rumoured that if he does well he might be driving for Ferrari in the season.

There are 21 races in the season. Most races are two weeks apart but some are on back-to-back weekends and there's a mid-season break for four weeks in July and August. Formula 1 safety marshals at various points around the circuit are issued with a number of flags to communicate vital messages to the drivers as they race around the track.

Chequered flag : At the end of the race it is shown first to the winner and then to every car that crosses the line behind him. Yellow flag : Indicates danger ahead and warns drivers to slow down. Green flag : The driver has passed the potential danger point and normal race conditions apply. Red flag : The session has been stopped, usually due to an accident or poor track conditions. Blue flag : Warns a driver that he is about to be lapped and to let the faster car overtake. A pit stop needs to be very quick to help the team stay competitive in races.

Up to 20 people work together to change four wheels, make adjustments and change parts if needed, and even scrub a driver's visor to help him see. Usually this all happens in under three seconds but the fastest ever wheel change pitstop was recorded by Williams in at just 1. All drivers must participate in at least one of the three practice sessions to qualify for the race.

There are two minute practice sessions on the Friday and a minute practice session on the Saturday morning. It's split into three rounds of qualifying called Q1, Q2 and Q3. In qualifying, drivers are on track at the same time, and are allowed to do as many laps as they want in this time. All 20 cars take part in Q1 and the slowest five take positions in the race. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Odds update : As the race gets underway, Max Verstappen has moved into the favored status. Formula One is in Austin, Texas this weekend for the latest race. Date : Friday, November 12 Time : 2 p. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Filed under: F1. F1 qualifying start time: What time qualifying begins for Brazilian Grand Prix, how long it lasts on Friday. F1 race tracks vary drastically in length. The longest circuit on the calendar is the Belgian Grand Prix track at more than 7km 4. The shortest circuit on the calendar is the Monaco Grand Prix, at a little more than 3km 1. The length of a racing circuit is not a set requirement, which allows for the large variety of exciting race tracks that are used in Formula 1.

All of the tracks that are used in the sport are of the best quality and very well maintained. The number of laps that the racers execute on each circuit is dependent on how many laps are required to do travel more than km miles.

This means that longer circuits require fewer laps to complete a race, and shorter circuits require more laps. The exception is the Monaco circuit, which, while it is very short and requires 78 laps to complete, the track is so complicated to navigate well that the lap times are significantly longer than any other F1 circuit, which caused the FiA to reduce the total race distance to about km miles.

Formula 1 is deemed to be the pinnacle of motorsport, as the vehicle and drivers that compete in the sport are the best in the world. However, there are other motorsports that have far longer races than F1, which leads many to ask why such an advanced racing platform has such short races? The idea of Formula 1 is to finish the race as quickly as possible. F1 races are more based on a sprint rather than a marathon. The race distance has been set at km miles for decades, but the cars and drivers are completing this distance in less time due to advancements in F1 technology and driver skill.

There are physical limitations that prevent the cars and drivers from competing for longer than the minimum race length. Formula 1 racing cars have a limited amount of fuel, and the cars are not allowed to be refueled during a race. This limits the distance that the car is able to travel before stopping. The physical exertion of an F1 driver during a Grand Prix race is so immense that the drivers often lose as much as 4kg 8.

This is due to the intense stresses that the drivers experience while racing and the G-Forces that they are placed under while cornering at high speeds. These factors, as well as pressures from television networks and spectator engagement, have kept the championship races as short as they are. All Formula 1 races are relatively short when compared to other racing events in motorsport, but which is the shortest F1 race?