I started watching Formula 1 when Jacques Villeneuve was crowned World Champion with Williams in 1997. Before that, I vividly remember the terrible crash in which Ayrton Senna lost his life at a cursed corner of the Imola circuit. I followed with intensity from the home television those early 2000s tinged red by Ferrari where Michael Schumacher always stood on the podium (sometimes, elevated by his teammate Barrichello and the controversies of team orders that forced him to ease off the throttle of his car). I vibrated from the sofa with each victory of Fernando Alonso and cheered him on trackside at Hungaroring. And I cursed not a few times, perhaps out of chauvinism, Lewis Hamilton. Later, the roar of the engines faded to a mere background hum in the living room. But Formula 1 always remained there, lit in the background.
If you ask me today, I wouldn’t consider myself a regular follower of races. Those years of waking up at dawn to watch the Australian Grand Prix or spending Sundays in front of the television traveling to Singapore or the U.S. are now only memories of the past. But I admit that, from the corner of my eye, I still watch how the drivers fly around the track in a line that seems almost supernatural. Perhaps the arrival in Madrid of the Spanish Grand Prix, which is held at the new Madring circuit from September 11 to 13, will rekindle that teenage passion. So if this weekend curiosity pulls you toward your first Formula 1 race, these key details will help you understand what is happening on the track.
1. A Grand Prix lasts three days
Don’t think that a Formula 1 Grand Prix lasts just the two hours of the race. In reality, the official schedule for each is three days: on Friday the teams carry out free practice to test the car and tires; on Saturday the qualifying is held (the “qualy”), where drivers fight for a single fast lap to define the starting grid order, and on Sunday is the race, the crucible where points are awarded toward the World Championship standings.
2. How many races are in the F1 World Championship
In 2026, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) established a calendar of 24 events, but it was ultimately reduced to 23 races after the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which had been scheduled for April 19. The World Championship this year opened on March 8 at the legendary Albert Park in Melbourne with the Australian GP and will end at the striking Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on December 6. In Spain, two races are held: the Catalonia GP at Montmeló (June 14) and, from September 11 to 13, the Spain GP on the new Madring urban circuit.
3. Who wins the F1 World Championship
To win the World Championship you don’t need to win more races, but accumulate more points across a greater number of events and thus reach the end of the season with the highest total score. This distribution is done as follows: at each Grand Prix the top 10 finishers (driver and car) crossing the finish line on Sunday score, with 25 for the winner, 18 for second, 15 for third and so on down to 1 point for tenth. Previously, one extra point was awarded to the driver who set the fastest lap of the race (provided they finished in the top 10), but this rule has been removed in 2026. The sum of these points over the season determines the World Champion Driver and the Constructors’ Champion, which are not always the same, since two drivers compete for each team.
4. How the starting grid is decided
The qualifying on Saturday, or “qualy,” is divided into three knockout rounds. This year 2026, with the number of drivers raised to 22, it is organized as follows: In Q1 it lasts 18 minutes, all cars run and the six slowest are eliminated. In Q2 (15 minutes) the times reset with the remaining 16 and another six are eliminated. In Q3, the 10 fastest compete for 12 minutes to become the fastest and seize pole position, the first spot on the starting grid for Sunday’s race.
5. The basic technical aspects to monitor in the race: tyres and DRS
Tires are key to winning races and, also, to ensuring the safety of the drivers during the event. The supplier is Pirelli and their grip on the asphalt is determined by their hardness and, also, by whether they are designed for dry or wet surfaces. Thus, we have soft tires (red), very fast but that wear out quickly and are ideal for qualifying; mediums (yellow), a good balance between speed and durability; and hards (white), the slowest, but also the most resistant to laps and wear. Additionally, if it rains, Intermediate tires (green, light rain) or full wet tires (blue) are used.
Moreover, the DRS (Drag Reduction System) is also key, a «magic» button for overtaking. It is a movable rear wing that opens in designated high-speed zones on the circuit, reduces air resistance and gives the pursuing car between 10 and 12 km/h extra. It may only be activated if the driver is less than 1 second behind the car in front at the detection point.
6. The meaning of the flags
Throughout the race we can see flags of different colors, each with a very specific meaning. The most common are the white-and-black checkered flag indicating the end of the event; the red flag, which stops the race immediately due to a serious accident or bad weather; the yellow flag, which warns of danger on the track and prohibits overtaking in that zone; the green flag, indicating that the track is clear and the race resumes; and the black flag, which disqualifies and ejects the driver from the race.
Additionally, you can see the blue flag to order a slower driver to let a faster one pass to lap; the white flag to warn of a very slow vehicle on the track; the black-and-white diagonal flag, which officially warns a driver for unsportsmanlike conduct; the black flag with an orange circle, which alerts that a car has mechanical damage and must go to the pits; and the flag with red and yellow stripes that warns of a slippery surface.
7. Why Madring is special
The layout of the new Madring where the Spain Grand Prix is held is hybrid, as it combines sections of an urban circuit (in the IFEMA and Valdebebas areas) with sections built specifically for the race. Its defining feature is La Monumental, a spectacular banked turn with a 24% incline, 550 meters in length and semi-circular in shape in which the cars will experience a huge lateral force for the roughly 6 seconds they are in it, making it the longest in the World Championship calendar. Additionally, the circuit has very twisty sectors between walls, one of them beside a 10-meter-high wall, where any off-track excursion could be fatal.
