Formula 1 is a sport that moves pretty fast. While you’re focusing all your energy on watching your favorite driver zip around a circuit at top speed, there’s no time to consider some of the questions that you might have about it. With the long list of rules, massive prizes and physical feats, both recently converted and veteran fans of F1 alike can always learn something new about professional driving. Over four seasons, with a fifth coming soon, Formula 1: Drive to Survive aims to inform viewers about everything from the basics of the race weekend to the on-track rules that have to be reviewed in real time by the F1 stewards. For anyone who still has questions about F1, we’ve done our best to answer some of the most popular F1AQs.

What does “Formula 1” mean?

The history of Formula 1 as we know it begins with the creation of a set of rules, or formula, determined by the organization now known as the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in 1946. With the new racing category established, the first Formula 1 championship race took place in 1950 in Silverstone, England. While the rules and regulations have certainly changed over the years, the FIA continues to govern Formula 1 to this day.

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Who’s not on Formula 1: Drive to Survive?

With 10 teams, 20 drivers and more than 20 races taking place around the world each season, there’s a lot to keep tabs on. Not everything or everyone will get a lot of screen time in each of the show’s 10 episodes. “We need to do some more with Aston Martin,” executive producer James Gay-Rees tells Tudum. “We’ve tried and it’s just one of those things. It’s not planned, but it just hasn’t quite clicked, like maybe the days that we film with them doesn’t go quite according to plan.”

Of Max Verstappen’s not participating in Season 4, executive producer Paul Martin says, “These are very difficult shows to make, and sometimes people are unhappy because they feel like they’ve given you a lot and it hasn’t quite made it into the cut. Or they feel like, ‘Oh, you’ve misinterpreted what I said there.’ That goes with the territory, we’ll always front up to that stuff.” He says that he stayed in regular contact with both Christian Horner and Verstappen’s management team, and the driver will be returning in Season 5. “If people have criticisms of how you’re doing things, the only way to deal with them is head on,” Martin explains.

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How fast is a car in Formula 1?

In a nutshell: very, very fast. Formula 1 is a sport with a mind-boggling amount of stats and records to keep track of, which makes it difficult to find the ultimate apex of potential F1 speed. There are records for the highest speed during a qualifying session, during a race, over the course of a race weekend and so on. That being said, Valtteri Bottas holds the record for fastest speed during a race, hitting 231.5 miles per hour during the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix while driving for the Williams team. 

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Why do Formula 1 drivers work out their necks?

Because of the incredible speeds that F1 cars can reach, acceleration, deceleration and direction changes result in g-forces that could cause whiplash. In order to lessen this risk, F1 drivers’ training regimens include neck strengthening exercises so that they can keep their heads straight — literally — as they make their way through race circuits week after week.

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What’s the deal with F1 car steering wheels?

With their array of buttons, gears and knobs, F1 steering wheels look like an incredibly involved video game controller — but unlike those of us who get through our favorite games by simply smashing one button over and over again, F1 drivers have to know exactly how to interact with all of them. From opening up radio communication to setting a mode for their power unit, the steering wheel allows drivers to maximize the potential of the incredible machinery, all while traveling hundreds of miles per hour.

Is F1 capped at 10 teams only? What does it take to create a new team?

Earlier this year, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem expressed support for expanding the F1 grid beyond its current lineup of 10 teams. Andretti Global — a US-based company known for its endeavors in other realms of motorsport and led by racing legend Michael Andretti — has teamed up with General Motors’ Cadillac brand to make a bid to join the grid. In order to join F1, new teams are required to pay $200 million in order to make up the money that the other teams would lose from the prize pot.

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Can drivers practice driving the car outside of pre-season testing and free practices?

Due to cost-cutting, there is a pretty limited amount of testing permitted in F1, so simulators end up becoming invaluable tools for drivers looking to increase their familiarity with their machine ahead of a race.

Why are F1 straws so long?

For F1 drivers, drinking too much water can be just as much of a concern as drinking too little of it. Those team-branded water bottles that drivers carry around after races feature a particularly lengthy straw that seems convenient, but it also has an important function. The straw is twisted so that only so much water can pass through at one time, ensuring that they don’t ingest too much too quickly.

Do F1 drivers pee in their suits? Do they wear diapers?

Different drivers have given different answers to this question throughout the years. “I can’t do it. I’ve never done it,” Lewis Hamilton told Ellen DeGeneres in 2016. Similarly, Daniel Ricciardo claims that he waits until after the race to go. “It stings [...] You do want to race on an empty bladder,” he said during a Q&A session ahead of the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix. “But it’s hard because you’re hydrating so much to try and be in good condition for the race.” The maximum duration of a Formula 1 race is two hours, but with additional preparations and an all-encompassing racing suit, drivers can be kept from relieving themselves for much longer. Former F1 drivers Mark Webber and David Coulthard, however, have admitted to doing it at least once.

How do drivers handle constant time zone changes and jet lag while needing to achieve peak performance week after week?

“Drivers must have a very complicated plan of supplements and whatever they do to combat jet lag — very strict sleeping patterns and programs, I would imagine,” says Gay-Rees. In fact, Carlos Sainz’s physio told The New York Times in 2022 that there is no definitive way to beat the effects of an abrupt time change. Sleeping in transit is one way to get a head start on acclimating to the new time zone, along with caffeine, natural light and exercise. Says Gay-Rees, “I remember Christian Horner just saying — we were boarding a plane to somewhere a long way away… he’s like, ‘Just sleep. Whenever you can, just sleep. Grab it when you can get it.’ ”

What do drivers do with all their helmets?

It seems as though F1 drivers are always sporting new helmet designs. There are helmets emblazoned with their own personal branding, helmets that pay homage to the country where they’re racing (like Hamilton’s Takashi Murakami design that he wore during the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix), helmets that benefit charities and many more. While a number of these designs certainly make their way into drivers’ personal collections, they also sometimes end up at team headquarters, in museums or auctioned off to a lucky bidder. On occasion, drivers swap helmets amongst each other as a sign of respect, like when a driver leaves the sport.

How has life changed for drivers since the success of Formula 1: Drive to Survive?

Judging by the number F1 drivers showing up on an increasing amount of magazine covers, red carpets and television shows, Formula 1: Drive to Survive has elevated the profile of drivers (not to mention the sport as a whole) up and down the grid. “I think they’re pretty grateful, but at the same time, it’s easy for me to say that,” says Gay-Rees. “I’m not the one that’s having to invite them over to film my Christmas… but they do it for the greater good.” Martin is grateful for the ways it’s changed his life as well: “I’ve slowly come to realize that this show will probably define my life forever. Fair enough — we’re pretty proud of it.”