Fast Masters was a made-for-television auto racing series, broadcast on ESPN in 1993, featuring notable drivers over the age of 50, most of whom were retired from professional racing at the time. The Fast Masters series was a summer-long elimination competition, with identically-prepared, $ 750,000, TWR , Jaguar XJ220s racing on Bridgestone RE71 high-performance street tires. The races took place under-the-lights at Indianapolis Raceway Park , in conjunction with ESPN's Saturday Night Thunder . The cars carried the sponsorship of Havoline , and the series was officially sanctioned by USAC .
103-508: Close and intense racing ruled each night as championship winning veterans from Formula One , IndyCar , NASCAR , NHRA , Endurance racing and more, including some who were well into their 70s, fought hard for every position. The series quickly gained a reputation for unabashed hard driving, and multiple heavy crashes that severely damaged, or even totaled, multiple machines. Despite the many crashes, often resulting in costly repairs, no drivers suffered any serious injuries. Considerable attention
206-483: A rev limiter . The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) believed that allowing some teams to have such technical freedom would have created a 'two-tier' championship, and thus requested urgent talks with the FIA. But talks broke down and FOTA teams announced, with the exception of Williams and Force India , that 'they had no choice' but to form a breakaway championship series . On 24 June, Formula One's governing body and
309-619: A ban on ground-effect aerodynamics during 1983 . But by then, turbocharged engines, which Renault had pioneered in 1977 , were producing over 520 kW (700 bhp) and were essential to be competitive. By 1986 , a BMW turbocharged engine achieved a flash reading of 5.5 bar (80 psi) pressure, estimated to be over 970 kW (1,300 bhp) in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix . The next year, power in race trim reached around 820 kW (1,100 bhp), with boost pressure limited to only 4.0 bar. These cars were
412-469: A driver's fastest lap in that period (barring infractions) counts. Any timed lap started before the end of that period may be completed and will count toward that driver's placement. The number of cars eliminated in each period is dependent on the total number of cars entered into the championship. Currently, with 20 cars, Q1 runs for 18 minutes, and eliminates the slowest five drivers. During this period, any driver whose best lap takes longer than 107% of
515-479: A guerrilla war with a very long-term aim in view". FOCA threatened to establish a rival series and boycotted a Grand Prix, and FISA withdrew its sanction from races. The result was the 1981 Concorde Agreement , which guaranteed technical stability, as teams were to be given reasonable notice of new regulations. Although FISA asserted its right to the TV revenues, it gave FOCA the administration of those rights. FISA imposed
618-486: A higher line for improved handling, and this may have left him vulnerable to debris on the outside of the racing line. As Donohue went past into the lead, Grant overshot his pit and stopped at his teammate Bobby Unser 's. His mechanics changed the tire in Unser's pit, and also refueled the car—from Unser's pit tank. Grant returned to the track and finished second to Donohue. The team of third-place finisher Al Unser filed
721-447: A lap. In addition to the controversial finish at Indianapolis in 1972, Grant suffered another famous stroke of bad luck in 1966, when his Ford GT Mk.II, with co-driver Dan Gurney behind the wheel, suffered an engine failure while leading two minutes from the end of the 12 Hours of Sebring. As at Indy, Gurney and Grant would have been awarded second place had they simply left the car where it came to rest. Instead, Gurney attempted to push
824-404: A management buyout to become Brawn GP , with Ross Brawn and Nick Fry running and owning the majority of the organisation. Brawn GP laid off hundreds of employees, but won the year's world championships. BMW F1 was bought out by the original founder of the team, Peter Sauber . The Lotus F1 Team was another, formerly manufacturer-owned team that reverted to "privateer" ownership, together with
927-468: A new Concorde Agreement committing them to the sport until 2025, including a $ 145 million budget cap for car development to support equal competition and sustainable development. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the sport to adapt to budgetary and logistical limitations. A significant overhaul of the technical regulations intended to be introduced in the 2021 season was pushed back to 2022, with constructors instead using their 2020 chassis for two seasons and
1030-521: A number of Grand Prix racing organisations made suggestions for a new championship to replace the European Championship, but due to the suspension of racing during the conflict, the new International Formula for cars did not become formalised until 1946, to become effective in 1947. The new World Championship was instituted to commence in 1950 . The first world championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix , took place at Silverstone Circuit in
1133-404: A partnership with Lego , with the first new sets releasing in 2025. The regulations governing Formula One are set to be revised for the 2026 season, with big changes planned to help encourage closer and more competitive racing. Changes include: In November 2024, General Motors reached an agreement to enter Formula 1 in 2026 with its Cadillac brand. A Formula One Grand Prix event spans
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#17328722397091236-466: A press release stating it had been informed it was not entered for the 2010 season, and an FIA press release said the FOTA representatives had walked out of the meeting. On 1 August, it was announced FIA and FOTA had signed a new Concorde Agreement, bringing an end to the crisis and securing the sport's future until 2012. To compensate for the loss of manufacturer teams, four new teams were accepted entry into
1339-521: A protest, saying that Grant had used fuel from another driver's supply. The protest was upheld and Grant's final 12 laps were not counted, dropping him from 2nd to 12th. Grant was the first USAC driver to break 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). He accomplished the feat in qualifying at the Ontario Motor Speedway on September 3, 1972, completing a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) lap in 44.7 seconds. however on raceday Grant's Eagle failed to complete
1442-508: A reason to impose rule changes that otherwise, under the Concorde Agreement, would have had to be agreed upon by all the teams—most notably the changes introduced for 1998 . This so-called 'narrow track' era resulted in cars with smaller rear tyres, a narrower track overall, and the introduction of grooved tyres to reduce mechanical grip. The objective was to reduce cornering speeds and produce racing similar to rainy conditions by enforcing
1545-412: A restart on lap 5. Unser and Follmer battled 1st-2nd, while Jones tried to hold off David Pearson for third. The second yellow for debris set up a restart on lap 9. As the cars were going through turn 3 anticipating a green flag, 6th place David Hobbs jumped the restart, passing two cars and went three wide with Follmer and Jones. The scuffle sent Jones into the outside wall in turn four. Follmer's car
1648-434: A season (13, since beaten by Max Verstappen ), and most Drivers' Championships (seven, tied with Lewis Hamilton as of 2021). Schumacher's championship streak ended on 25 September 2005, when Renault driver Fernando Alonso became Formula One's youngest champion at that time (until Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and followed by Sebastian Vettel in 2010 ). During 2006, Renault and Alonso won both titles again. Schumacher retired at
1751-413: A series of races, known as Grands Prix . Grands Prix take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed roads. A point-system is used at Grands Prix to determine two annual World Championships: one for the drivers , and one for the constructors (the teams). Each driver must hold a valid Super Licence , the highest class of racing licence the FIA issues, and
1854-478: A single "feature" main event, both on the road course layout. The first preliminary round was held Saturday June 19. The nine drivers conducted a blind draw for the starting positions, with Bob Akin drawing the pole. A tenth driver, Gary Bettenhausen , withdrew after hitting the wall during practice on Friday afternoon. In the interest of safety and cost-savings, a rule had been put in place that stated that any driver who had wall contact of any kind during practice,
1957-445: A small bobble in the dog-leg section, and Felton was able to get his nose underneath. Felton nudged Rutherford and the two cars went side-by-side coming out of the dog-leg. Rutherford took him into the next turn, the two cars came together, and Felton spun a complete 360 in oval turn two. Unser went on to win comfortably, and Rutherford held on to second, with those two drivers advancing to the finals. The final championship round
2060-442: A smaller contact patch between tyre and track. According to the FIA, this was to reduce cornering speeds in the interest of safety. Results were mixed, as the lack of mechanical grip resulted in the more ingenious designers clawing back the deficit with aerodynamic grip. This resulted in pushing more force onto the tyres through wings and aerodynamic devices, which in turn resulted in less overtaking, as these devices tended to make
2163-427: A token system limiting which parts could be modified introduced. The start of the 2020 season was delayed by several months, and both it and 2021 seasons were subject to several postponements, cancellations, and rescheduling of races due to shifting restrictions on international travel. Many races took place behind closed doors and with only essential personnel present to maintain social distancing . In 2022,
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#17328722397092266-403: A weekend. It typically begins with two free practice sessions on Friday, and one free practice session on Saturday. Additional drivers (commonly known as third drivers ) are allowed to run on Fridays, but only two cars may be used per team, requiring a race driver to give up their seat. A qualifying session is held after the last free practice session. This session determines the starting order for
2369-399: A world championship race. It entered the 1961 British Grand Prix , the only front-engined car to compete that year. During 1962 , Lotus introduced a car with an aluminium-sheet monocoque chassis instead of the traditional space-frame design. This proved to be the greatest technological breakthrough since the introduction of mid-engined cars. In 1968 , sponsorship was introduced to
2472-550: Is allocated one set of the softest tyres for use in Q3. The cars that qualify for Q3 must return them after Q3; the cars that do not qualify for Q3 can use them during the race. As of 2022, all drivers are given a free choice of tyre to use at the start of the Grand Prix, whereas in previous years only the drivers that did not participate in Q3 had free tyre choice for the start of the race. Any penalties that affect grid position are applied at
2575-494: Is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the world's premier forms of racing since its inaugural running in 1950 . The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules all participants' cars must follow. A Formula One season consists of
2678-434: The 1955 Le Mans disaster . The first major technological development in the sport was Bugatti 's introduction of mid-engined cars. Jack Brabham , the world champion in 1959 , 1960 , and 1966 , soon proved the mid-engine's superiority over all other engine positions. By 1961 all teams had switched to mid-engined cars. The Ferguson P99 , a four-wheel drive design, was the last front-engined Formula One car to enter
2781-457: The 2002 Austrian Grand Prix . Other changes included the qualifying format, the point-scoring system, the technical regulations, and rules specifying how long engines and tyres must last. A 'tyre war' between suppliers Michelin and Bridgestone saw lap times fall, although, at the 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, seven out of ten teams did not race when their Michelin tyres were deemed unsafe for use, leading to Bridgestone becoming
2884-403: The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix , where Jules Bianchi collided with a recovery vehicle after aquaplaning off the circuit, dying nine months later from his injuries. Since 1994, three track marshals have died, one at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix , one at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix and one at the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix . Since Senna's and Ratzenberger's deaths, the FIA has used safety as
2987-425: The 2017 and 2018 seasons featured a title battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. Mercedes ultimately won the titles with multiple races to spare and continued to dominate in the next two years, eventually winning seven consecutive Drivers' Championships from 2014 to 2020 and eight consecutive Constructors' titles from 2014 to 2021. During this eight-year period between 2014 and 2021, a Mercedes driver won 111 of
3090-593: The Alfa Romeo name, Sauber introduced a title partnership with the online casino Stake.com , resulting in the team's new identity as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber . Sauber will hold Stake's sponsorship name until the end of 2025, after which it will become the Audi works team for the 2026 season onwards. Scuderia AlphaTauri , Red Bull's junior team, dropped its name and took on sponsors from Hugo Boss and Cash App, becoming Visa Cash App RB, or VCARB for 2024. Formula One announced
3193-486: The Grand Prix Manufacturers Association (GPMA), the manufacturers negotiated a larger share of Formula One's commercial profit and a greater say in the running of the sport. In 2008 and 2009, Honda , BMW , and Toyota all withdrew from Formula One racing within a year, blaming the economic recession . This resulted in the end of manufacturer dominance of the sport. The Honda F1 team went through
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3296-697: The Imperial Tobacco 's Gold Leaf livery at the 1968 Spanish Grand Prix . Aerodynamic downforce slowly gained importance in car design with the appearance of aerofoils during the 1968 season. The wings were introduced by Lotus's owner Colin Chapman who installed modest front wings and a rear spoiler on his Lotus 49 B at the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix . In the late 1970s, Lotus introduced ground-effect aerodynamics, previously used on Jim Hall 's Chaparral 2J in 1970, that provided enormous downforce and greatly increased cornering speeds. The aerodynamic forces pressing
3399-501: The Indianapolis 500 in 1965-1968, 1970 and 1972-1976. He finished in the top ten 13 times, with his best finish in 3rd position in 1974 at Ontario. Grant is best remembered for his bad luck at the 1972 Indianapolis 500 that cost him first victory and then second place. He was leading the race comfortably over Mark Donohue when a punctured tire forced him to pit with 12 laps to go. In later interviews, Grant said that he had adopted
3502-518: The Jaguar Racing team, new manufacturer-owned teams entered Formula One for the first time since Alfa Romeo's and Renault's departures in 1985. By 2006, the manufacturer teams—Renault, BMW , Toyota , Honda, and Ferrari—dominated the championship, taking five of the first six places in the Constructors' Championship. The exception was McLaren, which at the time was part-owned by Mercedes-Benz. Through
3605-496: The World Manufacturers' Championship ( 1925 – 1930 ) and European Drivers' Championship ( 1931 – 1939 ). The formula is a set of rules that all participants' cars must follow. Formula One was a formula agreed upon in 1946 to officially become effective in 1947 . The first Grand Prix in accordance with the new regulations was the 1946 Turin Grand Prix , anticipating the formula's official start. Before World War II ,
3708-409: The 'sprint shootout'; such a system made its debut at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and is set to be used throughout all sprint sessions in place of the traditional second free practice session. Sprint qualifying sessions are run much shorter than traditional qualifying, and each session required teams to fit new tyres – mediums for SQ1 and SQ2, and softs for SQ3 – otherwise they cannot participate in
3811-570: The 160 races, with Hamilton winning 81 of these and taking six Drivers' Championships during this period to equal Schumacher's record of seven titles. In 2021 , the Honda-powered Red Bull team began to seriously challenge Mercedes, with Verstappen beating Hamilton to the Drivers' Championship after a season-long battle that saw the pair exchange the championship lead multiple times. This era has seen an increase in car manufacturer presence in
3914-528: The 2010 season ahead of a much anticipated 'cost-cap'. Entrants included a reborn Team Lotus —led by a Malaysian consortium including Tony Fernandes , the boss of Air Asia ; Hispania Racing —the first Spanish Formula One team; and Virgin Racing — Richard Branson 's entry into the series following a successful partnership with Brawn the year before. They were also joined by the US F1 Team , which planned to run out of
4017-561: The 2010 season, Mercedes-Benz reentered the sport as a manufacturer after it purchased Brawn GP and split with McLaren after 15 seasons with the team. During the 2009 season, Formula One was gripped by the FIA–FOTA dispute . FIA President Max Mosley proposed numerous cost-cutting measures for the next season, including an optional budget cap for the teams; teams electing to take the budget cap would be granted greater technical freedom, adjustable front and rear wings, and an engine not subject to
4120-491: The F1 governing body announced a major rule and car design change intended to promote closer racing through the use of ground effects , new aerodynamics, larger wheels with low-profile tyres, and redesigned nose and wing regulations. Red Bull emerged as the dominant force after the rule shakeup. The 2022 and 2023 Constructors' and Drivers' Championships were won by Red Bull and Verstappen, with multiple races to spare. In 2023
4223-475: The FIA opened applications for new teams to enter Formula 1 in the then near future. Of the teams that applied, only Andretti were approved by the FIA, with them then being rejected by Formula One Management , though they have launched an appeal. In early 2024, the Formula One landscape underwent a significant change in the sphere of team sponsorships and collaborations. Having competed for five seasons under
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4326-647: The UK in the 1960s and 1970s. Promoters held non-championship Formula One events for many years. Due to the increasing cost of competition, the last of these was held in 1983. This era featured teams managed by road-car manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati . The first seasons featured prewar cars like Alfa Romeo's 158 , which were front-engined , with narrow tyres and 1.5-litre supercharged or 4.5-litre naturally aspirated engines. The 1952 and 1953 seasons were run to Formula Two regulations, for smaller, less powerful cars, due to concerns over
4429-517: The United Kingdom on 13 May 1950. Giuseppe Farina , competing for Alfa Romeo , won the first Drivers' World Championship, narrowly defeating his teammate Juan Manuel Fangio . Fangio won the championship in 1951 , 1954 , 1955 , 1956 , and 1957 . This set the record for the most World Championships won by a single driver, a record that stood for 46 years until Michael Schumacher won his sixth championship in 2003. A Constructors' Championship
4532-550: The United States as the only non-European-based team in the sport. Financial issues befell the squad before they even made the grid. Despite the entry of these new teams, the proposed cost-cap was repealed and these teams—which did not have the budgets of the midfield and top-order teams—ran around at the back of the field until they collapsed; HRT in 2012, Caterham (formerly Lotus) in 2014 and Manor (formerly Virgin, then Marussia), having survived falling into administration in 2014, at
4635-406: The average annual cost of running a team—designing, building, and maintaining cars, pay, transport—at approximately £220,000,000 (or $ 265,000,000), Formula One's financial and political battles are widely reported. The Formula One Group is owned by Liberty Media , which acquired it in 2017 from private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners for £6.4 billion ($ 8 billion). Formula One originated from
4738-409: The backstretch, and led the first lap. The first of many crashes that would happen during Fast Masters came as the cars were completing the second lap. Jim McElreath tried to go three-wide coming out of turn four, but lost control, collecting Dick Trickle . On lap 3, Troy Ruttman attempted a diving move passing two cars in turn three, however, he spun and crashed. McColluch led wire-to-wire, and took
4841-858: The ban on driver aids was in name only, as they "proved difficult to police effectively". The teams signed a second Concorde Agreement in 1992 and a third in 1997. On the track, the McLaren and Williams teams dominated the 1980s and 1990s. Brabham was also competitive during the early 1980s, winning two Drivers' Championships with Nelson Piquet . Powered by Porsche , Honda , and Mercedes-Benz , McLaren won 16 championships (seven constructors' and nine drivers') in that period, while Williams used engines from Ford , Honda, and Renault to also win 16 titles (nine constructors' and seven drivers'). The rivalry between racers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost became F1's central focus during 1988 and continued until Prost retired at
4944-425: The biggest American racing legends of the second half of the 20th century, some of whom had not raced professionally in many years, and introduced them to a new generation of fans. The series was described in retrospect as "one of the most delightfully unhinged racing concepts to become a reality." Formula One This is an accepted version of this page Formula One , commonly known as Formula 1 or F1 ,
5047-472: The brakes and missed turn one, handing over third place to George Snider . Bobby Unser was the fastest qualifier, and started on the pole for the Feature. Unser took the lead into turn one, while Gene Felton quickly moved up to third place by lap 2. Unser pulled out to a large lead. The battle of the race was for second, with Felton all over the back bumper of Johnny Rutherford . On the final lap, Rutherford had
5150-622: The buy-out of the Renault team by Genii Capital investors. But a link with its previous owners still survived, with its car continuing to be powered by a Renault engine until 2014. McLaren also announced that it was to reacquire the shares in its team from Mercedes-Benz (McLaren's partnership with Mercedes was reported to have started to sour with the McLaren Mercedes SLR road car project and tough F1 championships, which included McLaren being found guilty of spying on Ferrari ). Hence, during
5253-472: The car over the finish line in violation of FIA rules, and the pair were disqualified. Later in his career, Grant was the racing representative for Champion Spark Plugs, years later he was hired by Elton Alderman, then President of Prolong Super Lubricants to be a representative. The arraignment fell apart after Alderman did not follow through as promised. Grant died August 12, 2012, from liver failure and diabetes at an Orange County, California , hospital at
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#17328722397095356-403: The cars to the track were up to five times the car's weight. As a result, extremely stiff springs were needed to maintain a constant ride height , leaving the suspension virtually solid. This meant that the drivers depended entirely on the tyres for any small amount of cushioning of the car and driver from irregularities of the road surface. Beginning in the 1970s, Bernie Ecclestone rearranged
5459-421: The cars, "attempted mutiny" after the carnage of the first weekend. Hagerty said the series "brought anything other than sheer misery to Jaguar , ESPN , and series sponsor Havoline ," and was "one of the most bizarre efforts in the annals of single-make auto racing." Despite its pejorative perception as a " demolition derby ", no drivers were seriously injured. The races were praised for attracting some of
5562-456: The dearth of Formula One cars. When a new Formula One formula for engines limited to 2.5 litres was reinstated for the 1954 world championship, Mercedes-Benz introduced its W196 , which featured things never seen on Formula One cars before, such as desmodromic valves , fuel injection , and enclosed streamlined bodywork. Mercedes drivers won the championship for the next two years, before the team withdrew from all motorsport competitions due to
5665-409: The end of 1993 . Senna died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix after crashing into a wall on the exit of the notorious curve Tamburello . The FIA worked to improve the sport's safety standards since that weekend, during which Roland Ratzenberger also died in an accident during Saturday qualifying. No driver died of injuries sustained on the track at the wheel of a Formula One car for 20 years until
5768-541: The end of 2006 after 16 years in Formula One, but came out of retirement for the 2010 season, racing for the newly formed Mercedes works team, following the rebrand of Brawn GP . During this period, FIA frequently changed the championship rules with the intention of improving the on-track action and cutting costs. Team orders , legal since the championship started during 1950, were banned during 2002, after several incidents in which teams openly manipulated race results, generating negative publicity, most famously by Ferrari at
5871-439: The end of 2016. A major rule shakeup in 2014 saw the 2.4-litre naturally aspirated V8 engines replaced by 1.6-litre turbocharged hybrid power units. This prompted Honda to return to the sport in 2015 as the championship's fourth power unit manufacturer. Mercedes emerged as the dominant force after the rule shakeup, with Lewis Hamilton winning the championship closely followed by his main rival and teammate, Nico Rosberg , with
5974-485: The end of qualifying. Grid penalties can be applied for driving infractions in the previous or current Grand Prix, or for changing a gearbox or engine component. If a car fails scrutineering, the driver will be excluded from qualifying but will be allowed to start the race from the back of the grid at the race stewards' discretion. 2021 saw the trialling of a 'sprint qualifying' race on the Saturday of three race weekends, with
6077-466: The fastest getting first place on the grid, referred to as pole position . From 1996 to 2002, the format was a one-hour shootout. This approach lasted until the end of 2002 before the rules were changed again because the teams were not running in the early part of the session to take advantage of better track conditions later on. Grids were generally limited to 26 cars – if the race had more entries, qualification would also decide which drivers would start
6180-505: The fastest time in Q1 will not be allowed to start the race without permission from the stewards. Otherwise, all drivers proceed to the race albeit in the worst starting positions. This rule does not affect drivers in Q2 or Q3. In Q2, the 15 remaining drivers have 15 minutes to set one of the ten fastest times and proceed to the next period. Finally, Q3 lasts 12 minutes and sees the remaining ten drivers decide
6283-420: The finish line to win the heat and advance to the "Feature" event. During the 8-lap Feature, David Hobbs jumped the start passing two cars before the start/finish line, and officials waved off the green flag. On the ensuing start, Harry Gant took the lead into turn one, but missed a shift in the dog-leg, and fell to 3rd. Brian Redman slipped by to take the lead going down the backstretch. On lap 2, Gant missed
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#17328722397096386-412: The first heat would be determined by a blind draw. The finishing order for the first heat was reverted to set the lineup for the second heat. The drivers were to earn points based on their finishing position in each heat: The top two drivers based on points from each round would advance to the final championship round. In all heats, caution laps did not count. A $ 1,000 bonus was given to the driver who led
6489-439: The first heat. The second heat lined up with only six cars. McElreath, Trickle, and Ruttman all were out due to crashes during the first heat. Dick Greer lined up on the pole. The modified "road course" layout was used, and the race was scheduled for 10 laps. Going into the road course dog-leg for the first time, Greer led, but Jerry Grant locked up the brakes and ran into the back of Bobby Allison . Both cars spun out, and Grant
6592-483: The first ten grid positions. At the beginning of the 2016 Formula 1 season, the FIA introduced a new qualifying format, whereby drivers were knocked out every 90 seconds after a certain amount of time had passed in each session. The aim was to mix up grid positions for the race, but due to unpopularity, the FIA reverted to the above qualifying format for the Chinese GP, after running the format for only two races. Each car
6695-475: The intention of testing the new approach to qualifying. The traditional qualifying would determine the starting order for the sprint, and the result of the sprint would then determine the start order for the Grand Prix. The system returned for the 2022 season, now titled the 'sprint'. From 2023, sprint races no longer impacted the start order for the main race, which would be determined by traditional qualifying. Sprints would have their own qualifying session, titled
6798-532: The mainstretch, divert off the oval to the infield "road course" section, consisting of consecutive 90-degree left-right-left corners. The cars would come back on to the oval in turn two, and complete the rest of the lap. The program was scheduled for six weeks – five preliminaries culminating with the final round. The Fast Master races were held in between heats of the weekly Saturday night sprint car races. The original plan called for each round to have two ten-lap heats amongst ten drivers. The starting lineup for
6901-550: The management of Formula One's commercial rights; he is widely credited with transforming the sport into the multibillion-dollar business it now is. When Ecclestone bought the Brabham team during 1971, he gained a seat on the Formula One Constructors' Association , and in 1978, he became its president. Previously, the circuit owners controlled the income of the teams and negotiated with each individually; Ecclestone persuaded
7004-425: The most laps each week. The original plans had called for three heats per week. The first 10-lap heat would utilize the full oval track and the second 10-lap heat used the "road course" layout. The third heat was to be a 12-lap finale that included six laps on the oval and six laps on the road course. However, those plans were scrapped after the very first weekend when several cars were wrecked in high-speed crashes on
7107-505: The most powerful open-wheel circuit racing cars ever. To reduce engine power output and thus speeds, the FIA limited fuel tank capacity in 1984 , and boost pressures in 1988 , before banning turbocharged engines completely in 1989 . The development of electronic driver aids began in the 1980s. Lotus began to develop a system of active suspension , which first appeared during 1983 on the Lotus 92 . By 1987, this system had been perfected and
7210-480: The only season contested for the Fast Masters. In a December 2018 feature, Road & Track said the series was "an amazing farce from the start." The numerous costly accidents, of which all 12 machines incurred some sort of damage, tallied tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, and earned the series the nickname "Crash Masters". Tom Walkinshaw Racing , which was tasked with preparing, maintaining, and repairing
7313-411: The outside coming out of turn four. At the checkered flag, Follmer, Jones, and Pearson advanced to the main championship feature. In Heat Race #2, Bobby Unser (33.284 seconds) started on the pole and took the lead into turn one and led wire-to-wire, with Brian Redman taking second. The attention focused on third place David Hobbs , in the final transfer spot. On lap 6, fourth place Johnny Rutherford
7416-411: The oval. The resulting damage to the cars created costly repair work, and at least two machines were said to be totaled. On opening night, the third heat was cancelled outright due to lateness and damage incurred during the earlier heats. Starting in week 2 a retooled format was introduced, dropping the oval race and the points structure. Instead, each week would feature smaller fields, one "heat race," and
7519-574: The pit crews time to clear themselves and their equipment from the grid for the race start. Jerry Grant Gerald Wayne "Jerry" Grant (January 23, 1935 – August 12, 2012) was a driver in the USAC Championship Car series. Born in Seattle , he began racing sports cars in Northern California in the early 1960s. He raced in the 1965-1977 seasons, with 54 career starts, including
7622-425: The points system was scrapped. Instead of a blind draw to set the lineup, time trials were held, and the field would line up in single-file to take the green flag. The top four qualifiers were locked-in, and automatically advanced to the eight-lap "Feature" event. A last-chance, five-lap, "Heat Race" was held between the other four drivers, with the winner alone advancing to the Feature. During time trials, Harry Gant
7725-482: The pole and took the lead into turn one. On lap 2, David Pearson made a daring move for third place on the outside in turn 1, but had to back off. On lap 4, Ed McCulloch locked up the brakes at the end of the mainstretch, and missed turn 1. He re-joined the race, but dropped from contention. With Follmer leading, and Parnelli Jones comfortably in second, the battle of the race was for third between Bob Akin and David Pearson. With two laps to go, Pearson passed Akin on
7828-605: The pole position with a time of 33.443 seconds. Eddie Hill won the Heat race and advanced to the feature. Jones led all 8 laps of the feature to claim the victory. Hill finished second in the feature and advanced to the finals along with Jones. Hershel McGriff blew through the turn one chicane when he attempted to pass Jones, but he rebounded for a third place finish. On the final lap, Bob Bondurant and Lloyd Ruby were battling for second when they made contact, and dropped to 4th and 5th, respectively. The fourth preliminary round
7931-496: The pole, and Bobby Unser second. At the start, Follmer and Unser went side-by-side into turn one, and battled into the dog-leg. Unser slipped by in the right-hander, and led going into the oval segment. Parnelli Jones went to the outside in turn four to try to pass Follmer. Down the frontstretch the two went side-by-side, and Jones locked up the brakes as he tried to make the pass into the dogleg. Follmer held on, and Jones stayed in third. A yellow came out for debris, which set up
8034-426: The race on Sunday. Each driver may use no more than thirteen sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of intermediate tyres, and three sets of wet-weather tyres during a race weekend. For much of the sport's history, qualifying sessions differed little from practice sessions; drivers would have one or more sessions in which to set their fastest time, with the grid order determined by each driver's best single lap, with
8137-461: The race. During the early 1990s, the number of entries was so high that the worst-performing teams had to enter a pre-qualifying session, with the fastest cars allowed through to the main qualifying session. The qualifying format began to change in the early 2000s, with the FIA experimenting with limiting the number of laps, determining the aggregate time over two sessions, and allowing each driver only one qualifying lap. The current qualifying system
8240-662: The races must be held on grade one tracks , the highest grade rating the FIA issues for tracks. Formula One cars are the world's fastest regulated road-course racing cars , owing to very high cornering speeds achieved by generating large amounts of aerodynamic downforce , much of which is generated by front and rear wings. The cars depend on electronics, aerodynamics , suspension , and tyres . Traction control , launch control , and automatic shifting , and other electronic driving aids were first banned in 1994 . They were briefly reintroduced in 2001 , and have more recently been banned since 2004 and 2008 , respectively. With
8343-459: The session. The race begins with a warm-up lap, after which the cars assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified. This lap is often referred to as the formation lap, as the cars lap in formation with no overtaking (although a driver who makes a mistake may regain lost ground). The warm-up lap allows drivers to check the condition of the track and their car, gives the tyres a chance to warm up to increase traction and grip, and also gives
8446-406: The sole tyre supplier to Formula One for the 2007 season by default. On 20 December 2007 Bridgestone signed a contract that officially made it the exclusive tyre supplier for the next three seasons. During 2006, Max Mosley outlined a 'green' future for Formula One, in which efficient use of energy would be an important factor. Starting in 2000, with Ford's purchase of Stewart Grand Prix to form
8549-482: The sport . Team Gunston became the first team to run cigarette sponsorship on its Brabham cars, which privately entered in orange, brown and gold colours of Gunston cigarettes in the 1968 South African Grand Prix on 1 January 1968. Five months later, the first works team , Lotus, initially using the British racing green , followed this example when it entered its cars painted in the red, gold, and white colours of
8652-646: The sport. After Honda's return as an engine manufacturer in 2015, Renault came back as a team in 2016 after buying back the Lotus F1 team. In 2018, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo became Red Bull and Sauber's title sponsors, respectively. Sauber was rebranded as Alfa Romeo Racing for the 2019 season, while Racing Point part-owner Lawrence Stroll bought a stake in Aston Martin to rebrand the Racing Point team as Aston Martin for 2021. In August 2020, all ten F1 teams signed
8755-532: The team winning 16 out of the 19 races that season. The team continued this form in the next two seasons, again winning 16 races in 2015 before taking a record 19 wins in 2016 , with Hamilton claiming the title in the former year and Rosberg winning it in the latter by five points. The 2016 season also saw a new team, Haas , join the grid, while Max Verstappen became the youngest-ever race winner at age 18 in Spain . After revised aerodynamic regulations were introduced,
8858-502: The teams reached an agreement to prevent a breakaway series. It was agreed teams must cut spending to the level of the early 1990s within two years; exact figures were not specified, and Max Mosley agreed he would not stand for reelection to the FIA presidency in October. Following further disagreements, after Mosley suggested he would stand for reelection, FOTA made it clear that breakaway plans were still being pursued. On 8 July, FOTA issued
8961-600: The teams to "hunt as a pack" through FOCA. He offered Formula One to circuit owners as a package they could take or leave. In return for the package, almost all that was required was to surrender trackside advertising. The formation of the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) in 1979 set off the FISA–FOCA war , during which FISA and its president Jean-Marie Balestre argued repeatedly with FOCA over television revenues and technical regulations. The Guardian said that Ecclestone and Max Mosley "used [FOCA] to wage
9064-672: The technological advances of the 1990s, the cost of competing in Formula One increased dramatically, thus increasing financial burdens. This, combined with the dominance of four teams (largely funded by big car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz), caused the poorer independent teams to struggle not only to remain competitive but to stay in business. This effectively forced several teams to withdraw. Michael Schumacher and Ferrari won five consecutive Drivers' Championships (2000–2004) and six consecutive Constructors' Championships (1999–2004). Schumacher set many new records, including those for Grand Prix wins (91, since beaten by Lewis Hamilton ), wins in
9167-478: The track as well. Drivers from McLaren , Williams , Renault (formerly Benetton ), and Ferrari , dubbed the "Big Four", won every World Championship from 1984 to 2008 . The teams won every Constructors' Championship from 1979 to 2008 , as well as placing themselves as the top four teams in the Constructors' Championship in every season between 1989 and 1997 , and winning every race but one (the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix ) between 1988 and 1997 . Due to
9270-472: The turn into the dog-leg, slid sideways, and dropped out. Redman pulled out to a large lead, with Hamilton second, and Hobbs third at the white flag. On the final lap, Hamilton overshot his braking point, and spun out in turn 1. Hobbs slipped by to take second place as Redman won the Feature. Redman and Hobbs advanced to the Finals. The third preliminary round was held Saturday July 10. Parnelli Jones won
9373-425: The wake behind the car turbulent or 'dirty'. This prevented other cars from following closely due to their dependence on 'clean' air to make the car stick to the track. The grooved tyres also had the unfortunate side effect of initially being of a harder compound to be able to hold the grooved tread blocks, which resulted in spectacular accidents in times of aerodynamic grip failure, as the harder compound could not grip
9476-526: Was added in the 1958 season . Stirling Moss , despite being regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the 1950s and 1960s, never won the Formula One championship. Between 1955 and 1961, Moss finished second in the championship four times and third the other three times. Fangio won 24 of the 52 races he entered—still the record for the highest Formula One winning percentage by an individual driver. National championships existed in South Africa and
9579-525: Was adopted in the 2006 season. Known as "knock-out" qualifying, it is split into three periods, known as Q1, Q2, and Q3. In each period, drivers run qualifying laps to attempt to advance to the next period, with the slowest drivers being "knocked out" of qualification (but not necessarily the race) at the end of the period and their grid positions set within the rearmost five based on their best lap times. Drivers are allowed as many laps as they wish within each period. After each period, all times are reset, and only
9682-443: Was also damaged and he retired from the race. The ensuing restart saw Unser leading, and Pearson in second with four laps to go. Redman and Hobbs battled for third. Unser pulled out to a comfortable lead, and wrapped up the championship in dominating fashion. With Unser winning, Pearson second, and Redman third, the top three were an Indycar veteran, a NASCAR veteran, and a road racing veteran. The 1993 championship would end up being
9785-537: Was driven to victory by Ayrton Senna in the Monaco Grand Prix that year. In the early 1990s, other teams followed suit and semi-automatic gearboxes and traction control were a natural progression. The FIA, due to complaints that technology was determining races' outcomes more than driver skill, banned many such aids for the 1994 season. This resulted in cars that previously depended on electronic aids becoming very "twitchy" and difficult to drive. Observers felt
9888-404: Was focused on the event, as many came out to witness the impressive and unprecedented lineup of legendary drivers. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser won the championship, claiming the $ 100,000 top prize. The races took place at the 5/8 mile paved oval at Indianapolis Raceway Park . The course was modified to include a dog-leg chicane in place of turn one. The car would go down
9991-450: Was held Saturday August 21. The ten drivers who advanced to the finals participated in time trials, which set the field for two 8-lap heat races. The odd qualifiers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) participated in Heat #1. The even qualifiers (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) participated in heat #2. The top three finishers from each heat would advance to the 12-lap main event, and race for the overall championship. In Heat Race #1, George Follmer (33.233 seconds) started on
10094-410: Was held Saturday July 17. George Follmer won the pole position with a time of 33.955 seconds. Follmer led all 8 laps and won the feature. David Pearson finished second and also advanced to the finals. The final preliminary round was held July 24. The last-chance heat race saw Gene Felton started first and lead all five laps to advance to the Feature. On the final lap, Bill Simpson locked up
10197-399: Was on Hobbs' back bumper exiting the dog-leg when he spun out in the transition to the oval. Hobbs held on to third, and Unser, Redman, and Hobbs advanced to the main championship feature. The championship main event feature was scheduled for 12 laps, and would decide the $ 100,000 Fast Masters championship. The six qualifiers lined up double file for the start, with George Follmer on
10300-416: Was out with damage to the front end. The race became a three-way battle between Greer, Akin, and McCullcoch. Bobby Allison was charging in fourth. With three laps to go, Greer suddenly spun out in turn one, handing the lead to Akin. On the restart, Akin held the lead, but drag racer McCulloch shocked the establishment by taking the lead with two laps to go and sweeping both heats for the night. Ed McCulloch
10403-418: Was prohibited from racing on Saturday night. The race marked the return of Bobby Allison to a race car, exactly five years to the day he suffered his career-ending injuries at Pocono. The first heat consisted of ten laps on the oval, starting double-file. At the start, polesitter Bob Akin missed a shift, and precariously shuffled to the back of the pack. Ed McCulloch took the lead from Fred Lorenzen down
10506-508: Was the fastest qualifier, turning in a lap of 33.33 seconds. Brian Redman , Donnie Allison , and Pete Hamilton also qualified for the Feature. Gant won a $ 1,000 bonus for winning the pole. In the Heat Race, pole-sitter Elmo Langley took the lead going into turn one. Langley drove side-by-side with David Hobbs for two laps, and Benny Parsons was close behind in third. Hobbs took the lead going into turn one on lap 3, and held off Parsons at
10609-424: Was the winner in points for the night with 20 total. Bob Akin also advanced to the finals. A retooled format was introduced starting with the second week of competition. After major crashes in the first week (which totaled two of the $ 750,000 machines), the heat on the oval track was dropped. The racing moved exclusively to the modified "road course," the number of participants for the week was reduced to eight, and
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