F1 Terminology Reference Table

Turbulent airflow coming off the car ahead that reduces downforce for the following car.

Secure area and regulation period when cars are under FIA custody and only limited setup changes are allowed.

Reduced aerodynamic drag experienced by a following car when it sits in the wake of the car ahead.

The innermost point of a corner that drivers aim to clip for the fastest racing line.

The fastest path through a corner or sequence that balances entry, apex, and exit speed.

Regulation boundary defined by the painted white lines that cars must keep within while racing.

Signal shown to slower cars instructing them to let faster traffic lap without obstruction.

Warning signal indicating danger ahead; drivers must slow down and be prepared to change direction.

Official car that neutralises the race and leads the field at reduced speed during major incidents.

Electronic race neutralisation that enforces a minimum sector time without bunching the field behind a safety car.

Handling trait where the front tyres lose grip first, causing the car to run wide through a corner.

Handling trait where the rear tyres lose grip first, rotating the car more than intended.

Moment when a tyre stops rotating under braking, causing a skid and often creating a flat spot.

Lap immediately after leaving the pits before starting a flying lap or race stint.

High-speed timed lap set after a build-up lap, used in qualifying to record the fastest possible time.

Lap run at reduced speed after a push lap or race finish to cool tyres, brakes, and power unit.

Lap before the race start where the field leaves the grid, warms tyres, and re-forms on the starting positions.

Lap or laps completed from the pit lane to the grid before the formation lap to check systems and track conditions.

Opening practice session of the weekend, often used to gather baseline data and run rookie drivers.

Second practice session, typically run in representative conditions for race simulations.

Final practice session before qualifying, focused on short runs and setup fine-tuning.

Timed session that determines the starting grid through a three-phase knockout format.

Opening segment of qualifying where the slowest five cars are eliminated.

Middle segment of qualifying that decides the top ten shootout and eliminates five more drivers.

Final qualifying shootout where the remaining ten cars fight for pole position.

Short race held on selected weekends that awards points and sets a separate result from the Grand Prix.

Short qualifying format held on sprint weekends to set the sprint starting order.

Strategy where a driver pits earlier to use fresh tyres and gain time over a rival who stays out.

Strategy of staying on track longer to benefit from clear air or tyre offset once rivals have pitted.

Radio instruction telling the driver to enter the pit lane at the end of the current lap.

Minimum lap time reference a driver must adhere to during Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car conditions.

Planned lap range during which a team intends to pit based on tyre life, fuel load, and traffic.

Plan to run a different tyre compound sequence from rivals to create pace or life advantages at alternate phases.

Approach where a team runs its two cars on different race plans to hedge against uncertainty.

Race plan involving a single pit stop, relying on tyre management to stretch each stint.

Race approach using two pit stops to keep tyres in a faster temperature and wear window.

Pit stop taken while the safety car is deployed, costing less time relative to rivals who stay out.

Using the mandatory second compound early to unlock strategic flexibility later in the race.

Pirelli designations for the five dry tyre constructions, from hardest C1 to softest C5.

White-marked slick tyre that is the most durable option but offers the least peak grip.

Yellow-marked slick that balances endurance with performance and is often the default race tyre.

Red-marked slick that offers the highest grip but degrades faster than the harder options.

Tyres without grooves designed for dry conditions to maximise the contact patch and grip.

Surface wear pattern where rubber rolls into small pellets, reducing grip until the tyre cleans up.

Damage where the tyre surface overheats and bubbles, tearing away chunks of rubber.

Patch worn flat on a tyre after a lock-up, creating vibration and reducing performance.

Bits of rubber torn from tyres that accumulate off the racing line and reduce grip if collected.

Process of bringing a tyre up to temperature and letting it cool, which can change its characteristics for later use.

Tyres that have been lightly used to remove the release agent and stabilise pressures before serious running.

Electric heating covers that pre-warm tyres to the mandated temperature before fitting on the car.

Motor generator unit - kinetic; harvests energy under braking and deploys electric power to the drivetrain.

Motor generator unit - heat; connected to the turbocharger to recover exhaust energy and manage turbo speed.

Collective term for the hybrid components that harvest and deploy electrical energy on an F1 car.

High-voltage battery pack that stores harvested electrical energy for later deployment.

Six-cylinder 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that forms the combustion core of the power unit.

Device driven by exhaust gases that compresses intake air to increase engine power.

Standardised electronic hardware that manages the hybrid systems, engine settings, and data logging.

Electronic control system that manages rear brake pressure and energy recovery balance instead of a direct hydraulic link.

Primary aerodynamic structure at the nose that generates downforce and directs airflow around the car.

Large aerodynamic wing mounted above the gearbox that provides the majority of rear downforce.

Secondary rear wing element mounted low between the endplates to seal the diffuser and add stability.

Upswept section of the floor that accelerates airflow to create low pressure and rear downforce.

Large aerodynamic surface under the car that generates ground-effect downforce through venturi tunnels.

Bodywork on either side of the cockpit housing radiators, cooling ducting, and aerodynamic surfaces.

Titanium structure surrounding the cockpit opening that deflects debris and protects the driver's head.

Central carbon-fibre monocoque that houses the driver and fuel tank, designed to withstand extreme impacts.

Suspension design where a rod connected to the wheel hub pushes inboard springs and dampers mounted high in the chassis.

Suspension layout where the rod pulls downward on inboard elements mounted low in the chassis for a lower centre of gravity.

Aerodynamic intake around the wheel that channels air to cool the brakes and condition airflow to the tyres.

Sector time coloured purple on timing screens to indicate the fastest split of the entire field.

Timing colour indicating a driver's personal-best sector that is not the overall fastest.

Timing colour that shows a sector slower than the driver's best, often due to traffic or mistakes.

Technique where the driver releases the throttle earlier and coasts before braking to save fuel or manage temperatures.

Mercedes term for an extreme brake bias and energy harvest mode used to warm front brakes and tyres on formation laps.

Continuous transmission of sensor data from the car to the pit wall for monitoring in real time.

Graph showing throttle pedal position over time, used to analyse driving style and car response.

Plot of brake pressure applied through a lap to study modulation, trail braking, and balance.

Preset engine and hybrid deployment maps selected from the steering wheel to adjust power output and efficiency.

Penalty requiring the driver to enter pit lane without stopping, losing significant time relative to rivals.

Penalty where the driver stops at their pit box for a timed hold before rejoining the race.

Pre-race sanction that moves a driver back a set number of grid places, often for power unit component usage.

Fixed number of seconds added to a driver's race time or served at the next pit stop.

Formal warning issued by the stewards that can contribute to further penalties if accumulated.

Points added to a driver's FIA Super Licence for incidents; reaching twelve within twelve months triggers a race ban.

Flag shown as a final warning for unsportsmanlike behaviour before further penalties are applied.

Signal that disqualifies a driver from the race and orders immediate return to the pits.

Progressive build-up of rubber and temperature on the racing line that increases grip over a session or weekend.

Green-marked wet-weather tyre designed for light rain and drying conditions with shallow grooves.

Blue-marked wet tyre with deep grooves that can disperse large amounts of standing water.

Moment when a drying track becomes quicker on slick tyres than on intermediates or wets.

Loss of contact between tyre and track when a layer of water lifts the car, causing loss of control.

Lingering wet area on the circuit that dries slower than the racing line and can catch drivers out.

Temperature of the asphalt surface, crucial for tyre performance and degradation.

Temperature of the surrounding air, affecting engine cooling and tyre warm-up.

Orientation of the wind across the circuit, influencing braking points and cornering balance.