Motorsport, explained.
Formula 1, IndyCar and endurance racing: aerodynamics, tyre strategy, the regulations, and what the timing screens really show.
29 articlesGuideExplainerAnalysisEconomicsTacticsHistory
- GuideWorld Rally Championship explained: stages and points18 minHow the WRC works: special stages against the clock, pace notes and the road book, running order on gravel, service park rules, Rally1 cars and the points.
- GuideNASCAR rules explained: stages, the Chase and charters18 minHow NASCAR works now: the spec Next Gen car, stage points, the Chase that replaced the elimination playoffs, overtime restarts, inspection and charters.
- GuideIndyCar explained: how the series differs from Formula 118 minHow IndyCar works: one spec chassis with two engine makers, ovals and road courses in one season, the aeroscreen, push-to-pass and Indy 500 qualifying.
- GuideFormula E explained: energy limits, Attack Mode and duels18 minFormula E races are decided by a fixed energy allowance, not outright speed. How the kilowatt-hour budget, Attack Mode, Pit Boost and qualifying duels work.
- GuideFormula 2 and Formula 3 explained: the ladder to F118 minHow Formula 2 and Formula 3 work: the spec cars, the sprint and feature race weekend, reversed grids, superlicence points and what a season costs.
- ExplainerF1 track limits rules, and why the white line decides16 minHow F1 track limits rules work: the white line as the boundary, why some corners use sensors and others marshals, lap deletion, and the advantage test.
- ExplainerF1 testing restrictions: the rules that ration track time18 minHow F1 testing restrictions work: the in-season ban, pre-season days, previous-car testing, filming day mileage and the wind tunnel sliding scale.
- AnalysisF1 telemetry data explained: what the car actually logs18 minWhat an F1 car measures, how fast it samples, what reaches the pit wall live, the rule against sending data back, and how engineers read a lap trace.
- ExplainerF1 sprint race format explained, and how it has changed18 minThe F1 sprint race format in full: the running order, sprint qualifying, the 100km distance, the points, and every revision made to it since 2021.
- AnalysisF1 setup explained: every lever a team can actually pull18 minWhat a Formula 1 team can change on a car, from wing angle and ride height to anti-roll bars, camber and brake bias, and why setup is a compromise.
- ExplainerF1 safety car rules: VSC, restarts and red flags explained18 minHow the safety car, virtual safety car and red flag procedures work in Formula 1, what the delta demands, who unlaps, and what changed after Abu Dhabi 2021.
- ExplainerF1 points system explained: races, sprints and ties18 minThe F1 points system explained in full: the 25-point scale, sprint points, the reduced scales for shortened races, and how ties are broken.
- ExplainerF1 pit stop rules: what the regulations actually allow18 minThe rules behind an F1 pit stop: the two-compound requirement, the 80km/h limit, unsafe release, the refuelling ban, crew limits and wheel retention tests.
- ExplainerF1 penalties explained: five seconds to a stop-and-go18 minWhat each in-race F1 penalty costs, how a driver serves it, how penalty points reach a race ban, and how the stewards reach a decision you can predict.
- ExplainerF1 parc fermé rules: what teams can and cannot touch18 minHow F1 parc fermé works: when the car is locked, the permitted works list in full, the front wing exception, pit lane starts, and the post-race impound.
- AnalysisF1 ground effect explained: the floor that makes the car18 minHow F1 ground effect works, what a venturi tunnel does, why the floor has to stay sealed, what caused porpoising in 2022, and why the concept was banned.
- ExplainerF1 grid penalties explained: how a penalised grid is built18 minHow F1 grid penalties accumulate, why ten places rarely costs ten, what the fifteen-place threshold does, and why teams choose which weekend to take the hit.
- ExplainerF1 gearbox and engine penalties: the component allowance18 minHow F1 gearbox and engine penalties work: what counts as a power unit element, the season allowance, the ten and five place ladder, and why teams stack.
- ExplainerF1 fuel and energy rules: flow limits, ERS and the sample18 minHow F1 fuel and energy rules work: the fuel flow ceiling, the race allowance, the post-race sample, per-lap ERS limits and the sustainable fuel switch.
- AnalysisF1 downforce and drag explained: choosing a wing level18 minWhy every F1 setup is a bargain between cornering speed and straight-line speed, how lift-to-drag ratio ranks a part, and how a circuit decides the wing.
- GuideLe Mans Hypercar explained: two rulebooks, one grid22 minLe Mans Hypercar explained properly: the two routes into the top class, how balance of performance works, energy rules, traffic, stints and the 2026 changes.
- EconomicsThe F1 cost cap explained, and what it does not cover27 minHow Formula 1's cost cap works: what counts as relevant cost, the exclusions, the audit and certificate, the breach categories and the sanctions available.
- TacticsF1 tyre strategy explained: the arithmetic of a pit stop21 minF1 tyre strategy explained from the sum it all rests on: pit lane time lost against lap time gained, plus graining, degradation, undercuts and safety cars.
- HistoryF1 safety history: how the halo went from mocked to vital21 minF1 safety history behind the halo: why the sport only changed after losses, what the survival cell, HANS and tethers really do, and what is still unsolved.
- ExplainerF1 qualifying format explained: how the grid is set24 minHow the F1 qualifying format works: the three-segment knockout, why the out-lap decides the lap, what parc ferme locks, and how grid penalties land.
- ExplainerF1 flags explained: what every signal actually demands21 minEvery Formula 1 flag, what it obliges a driver to do, and why a piece of cloth still beats a radio message when a car is covering 83 metres a second.
- ExplainerF1 engine power unit explained: how the hybrid works25 minHow an F1 power unit works: the V6 and its thermal efficiency, the split turbo, the MGU-K, the energy rules, and what the 2026 regulations changed.
- ExplainerF1 aerodynamics explained: why downforce is the whole sport26 minHow F1 aerodynamics work: how a wing makes downforce, why the floor beats the wings, what dirty air does to a chasing car, and why speed squares it.
- ExplainerDRS in F1 explained: the fix that admitted the problem23 minHow DRS worked in F1: the flap, the detection point, the one-second gap, why zone placement decides overtaking, and why the 2026 rules deleted it.