Beginners Guide To Formula one

Over 55 million people all over the world travel to watch Formula 1 Racing events (or F1 Racing, as it is also called). This figure represents how many people watch the races live—millions more fans view the races on television. In fact, the series of races—known as the Grand Prix—is watched by enthusiasts in over 200 countries.

Each Grand Prix event spans over the course of an entire weekend. Two free practice sessions are allowed on Fridays (except for the Grand Prix in Monaco, where practice sessions are on Thursdays). Another practice session is held on Saturday, followed by a qualifying session. The actual Grand Prix race is held on Sunday.

Luckily, the millions of people who travel to these racing events are not stuck waiting an entire weekend for the racing excitement to begin. Typically, other races (such as the GP2 Series) are held throughout each Grand Prix racing weekend. These are serious races—winners soon graduate to racing in the F1 series.

The true cost of Formula One

F1 Racing is widely reported to be the world’s most expensive sports. It’s easy to see how this sport could gain that distinction—after all, each Grand Prix is an event that spans a few days, which can certainly take a toll on the racing vehicles. And, of course, much money is likely spent on mechanics, car maintenance, and car and engine parts.

Figures were published in F1 Racing magazine to give fans an idea of just how expensive this sport really is—and indeed, these figures are rather high. For example, it was estimated that all eleven Grand Prix racing teams spent about $2.9 million dollars during one recent year. The magazine noted that costs varied from between teams—Toyota spent over $418 million, whereas Super Aguri spent only $57 million.

Looking at these figures, one this is apparent—F1 racing is rather expensive. Whether is it the world’s most expensive sport, though, may still be up for debate.

New countries in F1 2008

F1 racing is truly a global sport. Grand Prix races have, over the years, been held in numerous countries throughout the world, including the United States and many in Europe. Europe is really the center of F1 racing, but more and more countries are getting involved, wanting to host their own Grand Prix races.

In fact, some countries are participating for the first time in 2008. Bahrain, China, Malaysia, and Turkey are holding Grand Prix races in their countries during the year of 2008. Singapore is scheduled to hold a Grand Prix event in 2010. Now, these are not additional races to the F1 series; instead, these events have replaced other Grand Prix races. In order for these new events to take place, F1 organizers decided to drop certain races in Europe and in North and South America.

Many fans are excited about these new Grand Prix races. Others aren’t too happy about certain races being canceled. But, fans will certainly be there, watching these exciting races.

Your Guide to Formula One Flags

When watching an F1 race, there may be flags of various colors waving at any given time. Spectators might get confused if they are not knowledgeable about the meanings of the different colors of the flags. So, here’s a quick rundown of some of the most common flags.

Yellow flags usually indicate trouble ahead on the track or road, such as crash-related debris. Green flags mean that this debris or trouble has been cleared up and drivers are free to proceed. Red flags indicate that the race or session has been suspended.

A blue flag waved at a driver means that he needs to allow a faster driver to pass. White flags indicate that there is a slow-moving vehicle on the track, such as an ambulance or tow truck.

Of course, all race fans know the meaning of the black-and-white checkered flag—that signals the end of the race, and is shown first to the winner. This is the flag all drivers want to see first!