Formula 1 Championship

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Also known as Grand Prix (GR) racing, the Formula 1 season has 17 races scheduled for 2007 and begins March 18 with the Australian GP held at Melbourne and ends Oct. 21 with the Brazilian GP at Sao Paulo.

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The rest of the GP schedule is: April 8, Malaysian GP, Kuala Lampur; April 15, Bahrain GP, Sakhir, Manama; May 13, Spanish GP, Barcelone; May 27, Monaco GP, Monte-Carlo; June 10, Canadian GP, Montreal; June 17, United States GP, Indianapolis, IN.

Also: July 1, French GP, Magny-Cours; July 8, British GP, Silverstone; July 22, German GP, Nurburg; Aug. 5, Hungarian, Budapest; Aug. 26, Turkish GP, Istanbul; Sept 9, Italian GP, Monza; Sept. 16, Belgian, GP, Spa; Sept. 30, Japanese GP, Mount Fuji; and Chinese, GP, Shanghai.

Most of the races are held on tracks purposely built for high-speed racing, but a few of the events are staged on city streets.

The word “formula” refers to a set of rules that must be met by all participants and cars. Modern F1 racecars, that can attain speeds in excess of 190 miles per hour (mph), are single seat, open wheel cars that have wings at the front and the rear of the vehicle. Current FIA regulations specify that racing teams must construct the cars themselves.

The results of the season long races are combined to determine world championships for both drivers and constructors.

Twenty-eight different drivers have won the championship since F1 racing began in 1950. Michael Schumacher holds the record for most titles, seven, including five in a row between 2000 and 2004. Schumacher’s Ferrari team also won the constructors championship during those years.

The current drivers’ champion is Fernando Alonso, who won his second consecutive title in 2006. His Renault team also captured the constructors’ championship. Mika Hakkinen of the McLaren team claimed back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999.

Juan Manuel Fangio has five drivers’ championships to his credit while Alain Prost has four.

It is estimated that millions of people in over 200 countries watch each race via television.

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