Formula One regulations

The numerous Formula One regulations, made and enforced by the FIA , have changed dramatically since the first Formula One World Championship in 1950. There are two main types of regulations; technical and sporting. Technical regulations are related to car specifications, such as the chassis or the engine. Meanwhile, sporting regulations involve race procedures and set rules that pertain to the sport as a whole. This article covers the current state of F1 technical and sporting regulations, as w...

An F1 car can be no more than 200 cm wide and 95 cm tall. [ 1 ] Though there is no maximum length, other rules set indirect limits on these dimensions, and nearly every aspect of the car carries size regulations; consequently the various cars tend to be very close to the same size. The car and driver must together weigh at least 800 kg as of 2025. [ 2 ]

The car must only have four wheels mounted externally of the body work with only the front 2 steered and only the back 2 driven. The maximum distance allowed between the front and rear wheels (the wheelbase ) is 360 cm.

There are also mandatory crash test standards. There is a 30 mph (48 km/h) head-on impact into a steel barrier; "average deceleration must not exceed 25g", with a maximum 60g for a minimum 3 milliseconds, with no damage to the chassis beyond the nose section. [ 3 ] The same chassis must then sustain a rear impact from a sled travelling at 30 mph (48 km/h), with no damage in front of the rear axle. [ 3 ] The roll hoop is not permitted to crush beyond 50 mm (2.0 in), and structural failure is only...

In addition, there are "squeeze tests" on the cockpit sides, fuel tank, and nosebox. The cockpit must survive a 25 kN (5,600 lb f ) force with no failure; for the fuel tank, 12.5 kN (2,800 lb f ) is applied. A maximum 3 mm (0.12 in) deformation is allowed. [ 4 ] For the cockpit rim, the figures are 10 kN (2,200 lb f ) and 20 mm (0.79 in). [ 4 ] The nosebox must withstand 40 kN (9,000 lb f ) for 30 seconds without failing. [ 4 ]

Onboard electrical and computer systems, once inspected at the start of the season, may not be changed without prior approval. Electronic starters and launch control are forbidden. [ citation needed ] The computers must contain a telemetric accident data reporting system.

Continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) have been banned since 1994, two weeks after very successful tests in the Williams FW15C in 1993 that proved CVTs had the potential to keep other teams at a competitive disadvantage for a long time due to the difficulties of designing sufficiently strong belts for use in CVTs. It was speculated that the use of a CVT alone led to an advantage of several seconds per lap. CVTs have never been used in Formula 1 races. A rule was added in 1994 that stated th...

Since 2014, transmissions with 8 gear ratios and 1 reverse gear ratio are required in Formula 1 cars.

For the 2017 season , the fuel limit per race was increased to 105 kg. [ 12 ] For the 2019 season , the limit was again increased to 110 kg. [ 13 ] The power outputs of F1 engines have not been disclosed since the 1990s, however, the consensus is that the 1.6 L turbocharged V-6 engines produce 750 to 850 bhp , depending on trims and mappings. Another radical change in 2014 was the introduction of the ERS (Energy Recovery System). This system works similarly to KERS , with drivers getting a full-...

Devices designed to inject any substance into the cylinders other than air and fuel (petrol) are forbidden, as are variable-length intake and exhaust systems . The crankshaft and camshafts must be made of steel or cast iron . The use of carbon composite materials for the cylinder block, cylinder head and pistons is not allowed. Separate starting devices may be used to start engines in the pits and on the grid. If the engine is fitted with an anti-stall device , this must be set to cut the engine...

*Note : The density of fuel here varies, but is approximately between 0.7 – 0.77 g/mL. *( Figures above reflect that range. )* [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ]

Competitors are allowed only a limited number of tyre sets during a race event: 13 dry, 4 intermediate, 3 wet. Each tyre must be marked with a unique identifier for tracking and scrutinising during a race event. During the practice sessions drivers are limited to the use of 3 sets of dry tyres, and certain sets must be returned to the supplier before the second and third sessions. From 2014 to 2021, if qualifying and starting the race on dry tyres, drivers who completed a lap during the third pe...

After weighing during each qualifying session, teams are required to take their cars to a place in the paddock, sectioned off by the FIA, known as parc fermé ; they may not do work on the cars, other than routine maintenance, until they are released from parc fermé for the race the next morning.

If a team must do other significant work, body work or suspension adjustments, the car will start from the pit lane .

The pit lane opens forty minutes before the start of a race (t−40:00), during which time drivers may drive around the track as much as they like, driving through the pit lane each time around in order to avoid the grid. Drivers must be in their cars and in place on the grid by time the pit lane closes at t−30:00; otherwise they must start the race from the pits. Meanwhile, teams may work on their cars on the grid.

At t−10:00 the grid is cleared of everyone except team mechanics, race marshals, and drivers. A team will generally want to keep its tyres off their cars and heated in their tyre-warmers for as long as possible, but they must be attached to the cars by t−3:00.

Gearboxes must be used for five consecutive events (counted as P3, the qualifying practice session and the race). A 5-place grid penalty will be incurred if a replacement gearbox is used (Pole position becomes 6th).

The race is started by ten red lights in two rows of five (i.e. 5 columns of 2). [ 20 ] The red lights in each column operate as a pair i.e. both go on and off together. The lights illuminate one pair at a time, left to right, in one-second intervals, and then go out simultaneously after a random interval (i.e. 4–7 seconds). [ 21 ] When the lights go out, the race officially begins. Should the start need to be aborted for any reason, all 5 pairs of red lights will come on as normal, but instead ...

The Drivers' and Constructors' Championships are decided by points, which are awarded according to the place in which a driver classifies at each Grand Prix. To receive points a racer need not finish the race, but at least 90% of the winner's race distance must be completed. Therefore, it is possible for a driver to receive some points even though they retired before the end of the race. In that case the scoring is based on the distance completed in comparison to other drivers. It is also possib...

Drivers finishing lower than tenth place receive no points.

From 2010 until the end of 2021 championship , if the race had to be abandoned for any reason before 75% of the planned distance (but after a minimum of two completed laps), then the points awarded were halved: 12.5, 9, 7.5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.5. The rules regarding the awarding of points were reviewed by FIA, teams and Formula One following criticism after the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix , during which the race was red flagged on lap 3 after two laps behind the safety car , with no laps having bee...

Following this, the point allocation for suspended races was changed for the 2022 season. The points awarded follow a gradual scale system as follows:

If more than 75% of the scheduled race distance is completed, full points will be awarded. [ 26 ] However, these rules do not apply and full points will be awarded when a race is suspended and then resumed, even if the whole race distance cannot be completed in the 3 hour race window. [ 27 ] However, this was changed for 2023 thereby satisfying the original intent of the gradual scale system. [ 28 ]

Points are awarded equally to the driver and their constructor; for example, if a driver for one team comes second, eighteen points are added to their season total; if their teammate finished third in the same race, they add fifteen to their total and the team adds 33 (the sum of the drivers' points) to its total. The championships are awarded to whichever driver and constructor have the most points at the end of the season. In case of a tie, the FIA compares the number of times each driver has ...

A red flag indicates that the race, practice session, or qualifying session has been suspended. All marshal stations will signal this. Drivers may not leave the pits. All drivers on the track must proceed cautiously to the pit lane and stop. There they will be reordered in their correct racing order. Sessions may be resumed or abandoned as the race director indicates. If the safety car is deployed, the racing cars should follow it and provisions allow for the safety car to divert the field into ...

A time penalty is the most common type of penalty, and can last either five or ten seconds. It may be served during the next pit stop. After the driver stops in their pit box, mechanics must wait for 5 or 10 seconds before touching the car. Touching the car while the penalty is still in effect will result in another being added for serving the penalty incorrectly. If the driver did not serve their penalty in the pit lane, the time penalty will be added to their time at the end of the race. [ 31 ...

A drive-through penalty requires the driver to enter the pit lane, drive through it while obeying its speed limit, and exit without stopping. As a drive-through penalty does not require the driver to stop, it is less costly than a stop-go penalty.

A ten-second stop-go penalty requires the driver to enter the pit lane, stop at their pit for ten seconds, and exit again. As the stop is designed to punish the driver for an offence, team mechanics are forbidden to work on the offending car at any time while the driver is serving the penalty. Stop-go penalty is the harshest penalty short of disqualification and is given for serious offences such as endangering other drivers. The most recent occurrence of this was at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix , ...

A grid penalty may be given for the next race, which may increase depending on the severity of a penalty. Grid penalties have also been given due to exceeding the quota of an engine component. For example, a 5-place grid penalty means if the driver qualified first, they would start the race from sixth position. [ 35 ]

The most extreme punishment of all (used for seriously endangering the life of another driver or trying to gain an unfair advantage in the championship) is to be excluded from the drivers' world championship that year. Such cases may be taken to judicial court. The only time that this has happened was in 1997 , where Michael Schumacher , at the final race , deliberately [ 36 ] turned in on Jacques Villeneuve , damaging both cars and taking himself out of the race, though inflicting enough damage...

There is no restriction on what information can be given to the driver, except during the formation lap. [ 38 ] [ 39 ]

Previously, to ensure that drivers drive the car 'alone and unaided' and are not being 'coached' from the pit wall, stricter rules were in place to govern what information could and could not be given to a driver over team radio. For example, it was not allowed for a driver to be given information about driving lines or how to adjust their car to make it faster whilst out on the track. These restrictions were removed at the 2016 German Grand Prix . [ 40 ]

The primary reasons behind rule changes have traditionally been to do with safety [ 41 ] and (mostly since 2000) to limit the cost of the sport. [ 42 ]