Questions tagged [auto-racing]

For questions generally related to various automobile racing sports. For questions specifically related to Formula 1 and NASCAR, see the "formula-1" and "nascar" tags respectively.

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1 answer
128 views

How do racing cars use aerodynamic ground effect?

My understanding is that ground effect works when the ground or other surface interrupts the downdraft thereby reducing aerodynamic drag. With cars, it seems that the explanations I've found describe ...
0 votes
1 answer
566 views

Driver with the Most Race Wins in a Single Season

With Max Verstappen currently tearing up the F1 Championship by claiming his 9th race win of the season in Spa (BEL), only needs a handful of races to retain his F1 World Championship. With 8 races ...
2 votes
2 answers
538 views

What are the "Sprint" and "Sprint Shootout" in F1 Grand Prix?

In the above F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023 schedule, I cannot understand what Sprint and Sprint Shootout mean. Is this kind of practice or qualifier?
0 votes
0 answers
103 views

Why do many people consider Max Verstappen comparable to Lewis Hamilton?

I'm one of those Americans who watched DTS and eventually got into F1. This is the first actual season where I watched all the races and I'm still learning the sport. I am not emotionally attached to ...
3 votes
1 answer
312 views

Formula 1: the lowest-ranked driver to win the Drivers' Championship in the final race?

At the start of the 2007 season final at Brazil, Kimi Raikkonen was third in the Drivers' Championship table behind Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. He went on to win the Championship by one point....
1 vote
1 answer
143 views

Formula 1: How does Sprint Qualifying affect the starting grid on race day?

The 2021 F1 season introduced "Sprint Qualifying" (hereby abbreviated as "SQ") in some races as an experimental event during the race weekends (i.e. Monza and Brazil GP). SQ is ...
2 votes
1 answer
951 views

What is the valuation between different starting positions in auto racing?

I see this question broadly discusses the worth of Pole position in NASCAR, but I wondered if any more of a full mathematical analysis had been performed to determine the "marginal gain" of ...
1 vote
1 answer
45 views

Rallye - What happens in a time shootout if an incident blocks the road?

In time shootout races in rallye, they send each car on the track one at a time. But they don't wait until the car before ends to send the next car on the track. So what happens if a car gets into an ...
8 votes
3 answers
2k views

In FIA rules, how do passing rules apply to this situation?

Please examine the following diagram and forgive my crudeness. Please consider both cars to be traveling at relatively equal speed. Under FIA rules, what are the correct decisions that the drivers ...
0 votes
1 answer
607 views

Racing Country colors - what are they and when were they decided?

I often hear about the countries racing colors. Like UK was green, germany was white. So is there a list of what country has what color? And also, why was that color taken by that country (Green ...
4 votes
1 answer
90 views

In Le Mans, what is that second Timer on the timer board?

In Le Mans, there's a board at the entrance to the pits. The first numbers are easy. Its the time remaining in the race. But the second, I can't figure out what it is. Seems like an hour, but it's ...
6 votes
1 answer
3k views

What are the widest tires to be used in F1?

Along with several aerodynamics and chassis weight regulation changes, the 2017 F1 season introduces wider tires. 2016 Front/Rear tire width: 245mm / 325mm 2017 Front/Rear tire width: 305mm / 405mm (+...
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why is there no American team in Formula One?

As far as I remember, even since the 90s, mostly European teams were racing in F1. Is there any specific reason? Or is it just that Americans do not care about F1 because they have IndyCar, drag ...
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Most yellow flags in Indy 500

What is the record for the most yellow flag periods in an Indianapolis 500 race? I can't seem to find any published stats anywhere. Ideally looking for number of caution lap periods rather than total ...
1 vote
0 answers
49 views

Who actually holds a speed record: the driver or the vehicle? [closed]

It seems intuitive to me that the holder of a speed record would be the vehicle. For example, the current land speed record was set using the ThrustSSC. Presumably all the driver needs to do is find a ...
4 votes
2 answers
4k views

Fastest Lap: Qualifying vs Race

Fastest laps are classified as the fastest time set around a particular race track during a Grand Prix, however, due to the new fuel rules in F1 that banned mid-race refueling, some of the fastest ...
3 votes
1 answer
124 views

How does Formula E measure remaining battery energy?

My understanding is that the remaining energy from a battery can be approximated using several different methods e.g. measuring the battery voltage. However, I am yet to find a method that is ...
8 votes
3 answers
11k views

Safety Car vs Virtual Safety Car

In modern F1, race neutralization via Safety Car is done in two variations, the traditional SC Period, where the Safety Car actually goes out on track and collects the entire field to form a slow-...
-1 votes
1 answer
123 views

Why are there so many motorsport/race series?

Apparently, there are many motorsport competitions out there. I understand I can run, say, a cricket league in Russia. As long as I have enough people to compete and a lawn, I don't need much funding, ...
6 votes
2 answers
3k views

F1: Mandatory tyre compounds

My question is pretty straightforward. FIA tyres and wheels regulation states: Pirelli nominate two mandatory sets for each car for the race (which can be of different compounds) and one further ...
2 votes
2 answers
161 views

Highest Formula One WDC ranking without a podium finish?

Last year, with only drivers from Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull finishing on the podium, Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished 7th and 8th in the championship with no podium ...
8 votes
1 answer
377 views

Why did Force India get docked all constructors points?

Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Sahara Force India entered administration and was bought out by the consortium Racing Point UK, renaming themselves Racing Point Force India in the Belgian Grand ...
2 votes
1 answer
453 views

Why are artificial chicanes placed at the run off for long straights?

Why do tracks like Monza, Le Mans and Daytona Road Course feature run off areas that have several foam barriers that drivers need to drive around? I understand that these were placed so that drivers ...
3 votes
1 answer
397 views

Parc Ferme Rules

Parc ferme rules in Formula One dictate that no major changes can no longer be performed on the car until the end of the race after it has gone out of the pits during qualifying (except for major ...
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Who was the first motorsport driver to perform ‘shoey’ - drinking alcohol out of a shoe, on podium?

Drinking beer out of one's own shoe is a ritual sometimes undertaken at parties and events in Australia, where it is referred to as a "shoey". Jack Miller celebrated his maiden MotoGP victory by ...
3 votes
0 answers
233 views

What does a Scandinavian Flick/Pendulum Turn physically achieve?

From what I gathered a Pendulum Turn in the context of rallying helps with inducing oversteer, primarily on low-grip surfaces. Many resources explain the technique, but less so what actually makes it ...
1 vote
0 answers
259 views

Why does the fastest racer typically start at the front of the grid?

I've followed racing (cars and bikes) for years, and taken it for granted that the fastest qualifier would take pole position and start at the front of the grid. A friend asked me why that is, ...
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How do companies get their logos on racing cars?

Do the companies provide parts for free (or with heavy discounts) in exchange for having their logo on the car? Or do they pay to have their logo on the car, and if so, can a car use Pirelli tyres ...
8 votes
2 answers
4k views

How are race stewards selected in F1?

Aside from Charlie Whiting, the FIA Race Director, the race stewards who look at and deliberate on on-track incidents are apparently not the same every weekend. There have been races where I hear the ...
21 votes
2 answers
9k views

Why does safety car start at the end of the racing grid?

During the start of a Formula 1 race, the safety car is positioned behind the cars, and it starts together with them. Why is that (why does the safety car not wait outside the track like it does for ...
1 vote
1 answer
984 views

Spoken languages in team radio

I can recall moments from a few years ago when Fernando Alonso would be communicating with his race engineer Andrea Stella in either Italian or English, or sometimes even a mix of both, and they'd ...
11 votes
2 answers
431 views

Do caution laps count in average speed?

Often, when reporting the results of an automobile race, one will see a driver's average speed given. Does this average speed include caution laps, or are they discounted for the purposes of ...
7 votes
1 answer
164 views

Does the Daytona International Speedway have more crashes than other tracks?

I'm watching the coverage of the delayed Coke Zero 400 on NBC, and as I write this, the race is about to begin. The commentators seemed to suggest that drivers are much more likely to experience ...
-3 votes
1 answer
386 views

Is there any difference between racing driver and formula 1 driver? [closed]

I want to know if is there any difference between a racing car driver and a formula one driver? Have a look at the 2 images I have attached, both from Google. Against the name of Massa there is ...
6 votes
1 answer
223 views

What constitutes the "engine" in the Formula 1 per-season engine replacement limit?

I'm not necessarily talking about the "engine" vs "power unit" debate with the new energy recovery systems and whatnot, though that is part of the problem. I'm more interested in the realm of the ...
2 votes
2 answers
749 views

who should keep the cornering line

In a car race, if 3 cars started the race and are approaching the first corner (Left corner) and almost the 3 cars are arriving the corner equal in distance and almost equal speed, is there any rule ...
9 votes
1 answer
4k views

In NASCAR, how important is pole position?

In NASCAR racing, pole position is determined by speed trials held before the actual race. Is pole positioning necessarily the ideal place in a race that lasts for hours and has numerous pit stops? ...
5 votes
1 answer
640 views

What is the purpose of drafting in nascar races?

Is there any strategy or reason to draft another car in NASCAR races?
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Are there any Oval Track races in Europe? [closed]

In the US we seem to prefer oval races with high-speed banked turns to the street courses that seem to be favored in Europe. Are there any "superspeedway" tracks in europe?