Editing Formula One (section)

===Race===
The race begins with a warm-up lap, after which the cars assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified. This lap is often referred to as the formation lap, as the cars lap in formation with no overtaking (although a driver who makes a mistake may regain lost ground). The warm-up lap allows drivers to check the condition of the track and their car, gives the tyres a chance to warm up to increase traction and grip, and also gives the pit crews time to clear themselves and their equipment from the grid for the race start.
[[File:Jacques Villeneuve (Sauber) qualifying at US Grand Prix 2005.jpg|thumb|[[Jacques Villeneuve]] qualifying at the [[2005 United States Grand Prix]] in his [[Sauber C24]]]]

Once all the cars have formed on the grid, after the medical car positions itself behind the pack,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baxter-Priest |first=Matthew |date=2 March 2023 |title=What is the car at the back of the F1 grid? {{!}} Esquire Middle East – The Region's Best Men's Magazine |url=https://www.esquireme.com/sports/what-is-the-car-at-the-back-of-the-f1-grid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103153821/https://www.esquireme.com/sports/what-is-the-car-at-the-back-of-the-f1-grid |archive-date=3 November 2023 |access-date=3 November 2023 |website=Esquire Middle East – The Region's Best Men's Magazine}}</ref> a light system above the track indicates the start of the race: five red lights are illuminated at intervals of one second; they are all then extinguished simultaneously after an unspecified time (typically less than 3 seconds) to signal the start of the race. The start procedure may be abandoned if a driver stalls on the grid or on the track in an unsafe position, signalled by raising their arm. If this happens, the procedure restarts: a new formation lap begins with the offending car removed from the grid. The race may also be restarted in the event of a serious accident or dangerous conditions, with the original start voided. The race may be started from behind the Safety Car if race control feels a racing start would be excessively dangerous, such as extremely heavy rainfall. As of the {{F1|2019}} season, there will always be a standing restart. If due to heavy rainfall a start behind the safety car is necessary, then after the track has dried sufficiently, drivers will form up for a standing start. There is no formation lap when races start behind the Safety Car.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8691/ |title=Race start procedure |website=Formula1.com |access-date=16 October 2010 |archive-date=4 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704181035/http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8691/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Under normal circumstances, the winner of the race is the first driver to cross the finish line having completed a set number of laps. Race officials may end the race early (putting out a red flag) due to unsafe conditions such as extreme rainfall, and it must finish within two hours, although races are only likely to last this long in the case of extreme weather or if the safety car is deployed during the race. When a situation justifies pausing the race without terminating it, [[List of red-flagged Formula One races|the red flag is deployed]]; since 2005, a ten-minute warning is given before the race is resumed behind the safety car, which leads the field for a lap before it returns to the pit lane (before then the race resumed in race order from the penultimate lap before the red flag was shown).

In the 1950s, race distances varied from {{convert|300|km|mi|abbr=on}} to {{convert|600|km|mi|abbr=on}}. The maximum race length was reduced to {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}} in 1966 and {{convert|325|km|mi|abbr=on}} in 1971. The race length was standardized to the current {{convert|305|km|mi|abbr=on}} in 1989, with the exception of the [[Monaco Grand Prix]], which has a shorter distance due to its slower speeds and the need to keep the race under two hours.

Drivers may overtake one another for position over the course of the race. If a leader comes across a backmarker (slower car) who has completed fewer laps, the back marker is shown a blue flag<ref>{{cite web|title=Flags |website=Formula1.com |date=21 June 2003 |url=http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/5282.html |access-date=3 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702120809/http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/5282.html |archive-date=2 July 2008 }}</ref> telling them that they are obliged to allow the leader to overtake them. The slower car is said to be "lapped". Drivers who are about to be lapped are supposed to literally go out of their way and let the "lapping" driver pass easily. Research documents that drivers - despite being supposed to - often do not defer to the lapping driver and engage in resistance.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Durand |first=Rodolphe |last2=Piezunka |first2=Henning |last3=Reineke |first3=Philipp |date=March 2025 |title=Difference in Deference: When Competitors Do Not Give in Despite Having Lost |url=https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/orsc.2023.17474 |journal=Organization Science |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=940–966 |doi=10.1287/orsc.2023.17474 |issn=1047-7039|doi-access=free }}</ref> Once the leader finishes the race, is classified as finishing the race "one lap down". A driver can be lapped numerous times, by any car in front of them. A driver who fails to complete more than 90% of the race distance is shown as "not classified" in the results.

Throughout the race, drivers may make [[pit stop]]s to change tyres and repair damage (from 1994 to 2009 inclusive, they could also refuel). Different teams and drivers employ different pit stop strategies in order to maximise their car's potential. Three dry tyre compounds, with different durability and adhesion characteristics, are available to drivers. Over the course of a race, drivers must use two of the three available compounds. The different compounds have different levels of performance and choosing when to use which compound is a key tactical decision to make. Different tyres have [[Formula One tyres#Tyre summary|different colours on their sidewalls]]; this allows spectators to understand the strategies.

Under wet conditions, drivers may switch to one of two specialised wet weather tyres with additional grooves (one "intermediate", for mild wet conditions, such as after recent rain, one "full wet", for racing in or immediately after rain). A driver must make at least one stop to use two tyre compounds; up to three stops are typically made, although further stops may be necessary to fix damage or if weather conditions change. If rain tyres are used, drivers are no longer obliged to use two types of dry tyres.

====Race director====
{{Main|Race director#Formula One}}

This role involves managing the logistics of each F1 Grand Prix, inspecting cars in [[parc fermé]] before a race, enforcing FIA rules, and controlling the lights which start each race. As the head of the race officials, the race director also plays a large role in resolving disputes among teams and drivers. The race director may also refer incidents to the race stewards, who may give penalties, such as drive-through penalties (or stop-and-go penalties), demotions on a pre-race start grid, race disqualifications and fines should parties break regulations. As of the [[2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix]], the race director is [[Rui Marques (Formula One)|Rui Marques]], with [[Herbie Blash]] as a permanent advisor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://the-race.com/formula-1/fia-abandons-rotation-of-f1-race-director-for-rest-of-2022/|title=FIA abandons rotation of F1 race director for rest of 2022|website=The-Race.com|date=21 October 2022|access-date=21 October 2022|archive-date=4 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204151300/https://the-race.com/formula-1/fia-abandons-rotation-of-f1-race-director-for-rest-of-2022/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=F1 Race Director Niels Wittich to step down |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f1-race-director-niels-wittich-to-step-down.16N8MAvayeUNcM2mw2pXEv |date=12 November 2024 |access-date=15 November 2024 |website=Formula1.com |language=en |url-status=live |archive-date=12 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250112054445/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f1-race-director-niels-wittich-to-step-down.16N8MAvayeUNcM2mw2pXEv}}</ref>

====Safety car====
{{Main|Safety car#Formula One}}
In the event of an incident that risks the safety of competitors or trackside [[Motorsport marshal|race marshals]], race officials may choose to deploy the [[safety car]]. This in effect suspends the race, with drivers following the safety car around the track at its speed in race order, with no overtaking permitted. Cars that have been lapped may, during the safety car period and depending on circumstances permitted by the race director, be allowed to un-lap themselves in order to ensure a smoother restart and to avoid blue flags being immediately thrown upon the resumption of the race with many of the cars in very close proximity to each other. The safety car circulates until the danger is cleared; after it comes in, the race restarts with a [[rolling start]]. Pit stops under a safety car are permitted, and in many cases can offer a great advantage to teams who are able to pit and change tyres prior to the end of the safety car period.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Coleman |first=Madeline |date=22 March 2023 |title=F1 safety cars explained: How caution laps shaped the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4331763/2023/03/22/f1-safety-cars-explained-saudi-arabian-grand-prix/ |access-date=13 September 2024 |work=[[The Athletic]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127044400/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4331763/2023/03/22/f1-safety-cars-explained-saudi-arabian-grand-prix/ |archive-date=27 November 2024 |quote=But there are benefits to teams, too. During actual safety car periods, teams practice fuel saving and make cheap pit stops. Drivers typically flood the pitlane to capitalize on the reduced time for a better pit stop as they swap for fresh tires. Tires tend to lose grip and temperature during this period, which makes the restart challenging.}}</ref> On the lap in which the safety car returns to the pit lane, the leading car takes over the role of the safety car until the timing line. After crossing this line, drivers are allowed to start racing for track position once more.

[[Mercedes-Benz]] has supplied a variety of its [[Mercedes-AMG|AMG]] models to Formula One to use as the safety car since 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bart-Williams |first=Nadim |date=17 June 2023 |title=Timeline: The 50-year history of the Safety Car's evolution in Formula 1 |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/timeline-the-50-year-history-of-the-safety-cars-evolution-in-formula-1.3pYd8T6uM4dVWnp1VQ30Vz |access-date=14 September 2024 |website=Formula1.com |language=en |quote=However, that all changed midway through the [[1996 Formula One World Championship|1996 season]], thanks to an agreement that has lasted until this day. Formula 1 and Mercedes joined forces, giving the German manufacturer the responsibility of supplying the Official Safety Car for all races. |url-status=live |archive-date=14 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114131435/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/timeline-the-50-year-history-of-the-safety-cars-evolution-in-formula-1.3pYd8T6uM4dVWnp1VQ30Vz}}</ref> From 2021 onwards, [[Aston Martin]] has supplied the [[Aston Martin Vantage (2018)|Vantage]] to share duties with Mercedes-AMGs.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 March 2021 |title=Check out the new Mercedes and Aston Martin Safety Cars that'll be used in F1 in 2021 |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.check-out-the-new-mercedes-and-aston-martin-f1-safety-cars-2021.6oPIsF0xEkmJXmwkvrp3Tu.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308170924/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.check-out-the-new-mercedes-and-aston-martin-f1-safety-cars-2021.6oPIsF0xEkmJXmwkvrp3Tu.html |archive-date=8 March 2021 |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=Formula1.com}}</ref>[[File:Formula 1 Safety Car Mercedes-AMG GT R.jpg|thumb|The [[Mercedes-AMG GT R]] safety car at the [[2019 Hungarian Grand Prix]]]]
[[File:Aston Martin Safety Car F1 2022.jpg|alt=An Aston Martin Safety Car during the 2022 Formula One World Championship|thumb|An [[Aston Martin Vantage (2018)#F1 Safety Car|Aston Martin Safety Car]] during the [[2022 Formula One World Championship]]]]
Since 2000, the main safety car driver has been German ex-racing driver [[Bernd Mayländer]].<ref>{{cite news |date=8 March 2000 |title=New safety car driver announced |url=http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2713/new-safety-car-driver-announced/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529171909/http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/2713/new-safety-car-driver-announced/ |archive-date=29 May 2016 |access-date=30 January 2011 |publisher=GPUpdate.net}}</ref> He is usually joined by FIA technical assistant Richard Darker, who relays information between the safety car and race control.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradley |first=Charles |date=13 May 2023 |title=Why Bernd Maylander is the safest pair of hands in F1 |url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/bernd-maylander-f1-safety-car-interview/10468948/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527143733/https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/bernd-maylander-f1-safety-car-interview/10468948/ |archive-date=27 May 2023 |access-date=13 September 2024 |website=[[Motorsport.com]]}}</ref>

===== Virtual Safety Car =====
{{Main|Safety car#Virtual safety car (VSC)}}
Following an accident at the [[2014 Japanese Grand Prix]], which saw driver [[Jules Bianchi]] suffer a serious head injury that led to his death, the FIA established an "accident panel" to investigate the dynamics of the accident and ways to minimise the risk of a crash during similar circumstances that do not warrant the deployment of a safety car and cannot be simply managed with [[Racing flags#Yellow flag|yellow flags]]. When the virtual safety car is deployed, the virtual marshal panels around the track display "VSC". All drivers receive a "VSC" notice on their steering wheels, and they must all keep their lap times above a pre-determined minimum, also known as keeping a positive delta.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 January 2015 |title=FIA clarifies new virtual safety car procedures |url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2015/1/FIA-clarifies-new-virtual-safety-car-procedures.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422185038/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2015/1/FIA-clarifies-new-virtual-safety-car-procedures.html |archive-date=22 April 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=14 September 2024 |website=Formula1.com |language=en}}</ref> The system was first implemented during the [[2015 Monaco Grand Prix]], before being upgraded to a full safety car, following a collision between [[Max Verstappen]] and [[Romain Grosjean]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Adam |date=22 May 2023 |orig-date=24 May 2021 |title=When Mercedes "screwed up" Hamilton's race in Monaco |url=https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mercedes-hamilton-monaco-screwed-rosberg/4795991/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021093557/https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mercedes-hamilton-monaco-screwed-rosberg/4795991/ |archive-date=21 October 2021 |access-date=13 September 2024 |website=[[Motorsport.com]] |quote=The reigning champion didn't simply consolidate his lead, he extended it, and by lap 63 he was 19.6s ahead of his teammate. But at Monaco you are always in the hands of the gods, and it was while Hamilton was on his 64th lap that Verstappen collided with Romain Grosjean at Ste Devote, and F1's first ever Virtual Safety Car was called for.}}</ref>