Through a tight race for the World Championship between two teammates, Formula One (F1), the extremely popular European motorsport, creates an exciting year for fans of many different teams and drivers.
In the sport of F1, there are 10 different teams, each with two drivers that race on the grid. These teams can come from a variety of European countries, but are owned by car brands such as Ferrari.
F1 is different from some American motorsports like NASCAR and IndyCar because the teams each create their own car and their own engine.
According to senior Jack Ross, F1 differs from motorsports like NASCAR because there are so many “aspects of the sport” that can appeal to different people.
“If you’re into the drivers and their personal lives, then you could be that; if you’re into the off-track drama, there’s room for that, and there’s also a whole technical side of [F1] that someone could get really into,” Ross said.
For French teacher Madame Cushmore, the more engineering-based side of F1 is what got her interested in the sport.
“I really like how [the teams] develop the cars each season, and they go through so much time and effort to make them faster and lighter,” Cushmore said, “but I also like the technical aspects like the pit crews who are highly trained and know exactly what they are doing.”
According to Souderton alumna Hannah Nguyen, the excitement of Formula One is simular to that of American Football. “Every lap feels like a two-minute drive, the pressure is always on, and they have to perform perfectly,” Nguyen said. “If the driver is even a centimeter too close to the wall, their whole race could be over.”
The F1 World Championship is determined by a point system that changes with every race. For example, first place at a Grand Prix earns the driver 25 points, second 18 points, third 15 points, and so on.
For the past three years, Max Verstappen, who races for Redbull, has run away with the championship, and there has not been a competitor to challenge him.
This year, however, McLaren has engineered the best car on the grid, and their two drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have a sizable advantage in the championship, with Piastri having the lead.
According to Ross, this year of F1 has been a lot more interesting without Verstappen dominating every race.
“It was really boring seeing him win every race,” Ross said. “It was a little interesting watching the other teams fight, but it was just him winning all of the races.”
After the Singapore Grand Prix, McLaren won the Constructors’ Championship, which is the championship that is given to the team that has the most points between their two drivers.
After this win, Nguyen believes that McLaren is now going to let the two drivers race because there is now no fear of losing the Constructors’.
With this ability to fully race each other, Nguyen said that Piastri will now race much more aggressively.
“Oscar now knows that the gloves are off, and I think that he’s going to do everything that he can to beat Lando,” Nguyen said. “He doesn’t necessarily have to win every race, and if he takes Lando out, then that’s a win for him.”
As of the United States Grand Prix Oscar is in the lead with ___ points Lando is in second with ___ points and Verstappen is still in the running with ___points.