Formula 1, also known as F1, is a hot topic as of late and one of the world’s most popular sports. Whether it’s topping the box office with a film starring Brad Pitt, or literally building a track smack in the middle of Las Vegas and hosting a race there, there’s a surging interest in the highly popular international motorsport. While on the surface, Formula 1 seems to be another Grand Prix sport in which drivers test their mettle on the track, diving deeper into the sport reveals a highly competitive battle of technical prowess on and off the track. In many ways, Formula 1 is like playing a video game, in which your gear and build matters right down to the very last detail, making it feel unlike any other sport out there. In fact, I’d argue Formula 1 is the sport to check out if you’re into gaming.
Let’s start with the basics, namely: what is Formula 1 and how exactly does it differ from other Grand Prix racing leagues that are fairly common but far less popular? In most other leagues, drivers and teams are required to use the same chassis and vehicle specifications. For example, in NASCAR, every driver uses the same type of vehicle, and the racing advantage comes down to pure skill in the moment-to-moment racing. That’s not the case in Formula 1.
Each F1 team is instead given a series of broad guidelines, specifications, and a budget: a “Formula” for them to follow. Using these guidelines, the teams literally build their race vehicles from scratch, using a fleet of engineers and mechanics. Because every team is able to build their own vehicle, the teams look for every advantage they can in the design and build, right down to the smallest detail. This results in vehicles that have more in common with jets and spacecraft than they do the average car you would see on the street.
