Formula 1 Racing with Ara: Supercharged Obsession

It’s Sunday morning and I’m up before the rest of my family to watch my latest obsession, Formula 1 – the high-speed single person auto-racing sport from Europe.

 It consists of 10 different teams–Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, Williams, Alfa Romeo Racing, and Haas–with two cars per team, for a total of 20 drivers. These drivers drive a car provided by their team at speeds that can reach 300 kilometers per hour (approximately 186 miles per hour).

What does the name “Formula 1” mean?

 The “formula” part of the name comes from the very extensive list of rules that the constructors of the car, mechanics, and drivers have to follow. The “one” part of the name comes from the Grade One ranking that tracks have to be given from the FIA (Federation Internationale De L’Automobile) for the track to be used for races during the season.

How can I watch it?

There are several different airing options for different countries and personally, I believe that the best option for the United States is ESPN, which can be part of a cable network or ESPN +, which requires a subscription. 

Future issues

Throughout this new series, I plan on writing about: why the car is shaped the way it is, how the sport and its rules have changed since it began in 1950, specific drivers and their teams, and the different tracks that are used.