The race

From the formation lap to the chequered flag: starts, pit stops, safety cars, red flags and the rules of racing.

• The race startHow an F1 race gets under way, from the reconnaissance laps and formation lap to the five red lights, plus what happens after a jump start or an aborted start.
• Race distance and time limitsGrands Prix run to just over 305 km, or 260 km at Monaco, with a 2-hour limit on racing and a 3-hour cap including any red flag stoppages.
• Pit stops and the pit laneWhat happens in a pit stop, the pit lane speed limit, unsafe releases and the other rules that apply once a car turns into the pit entry.
• The safety carWhen the safety car comes out, what drivers must do behind it, how lapped cars are allowed to unlap themselves and how the race restarts.
• The virtual safety carThe virtual safety car slows every driver to a set pace without bunching up the field, so marshals can clear a minor problem while the gaps between cars stay roughly the same.
• Red flags and suspended racesWhen a race is stopped with a red flag, the cars wait in the pit lane, teams can change tyres and fix damage, and the race restarts behind the safety car.
• The rules of wheel-to-wheel racingHow the stewards decide who is entitled to room in a corner, what defenders may and may not do, and why leaving the track to gain an advantage gets punished.
• Racing in the wetHow rain changes an F1 race, from starts behind the safety car and compulsory wet tyres to spray, visibility, low grip rules for the 2026 cars and the occasional race that can't go ahead.
• After the chequered flagWhat happens once the race is over, from the cool-down lap and parc fermé to weighing, the podium and the checks that can still change the result hours later.