25 CRAZY F1 FACTS you DIDN’T KNOW!

This article gathers 25 of the weirdest, most intriguing facts I’ve seen around Formula 1 paddocks and circuits. If you follow F1 closely you’ll already know some of these, but there are plenty that still surprise even the die-hards. I’ve grouped them into themes — paddock life, car tech, race procedure, human endurance, logistics and oddball trivia — so you can jump to the bits that interest you most.

Paddock life: food, ceremonies and tiny traditions

There’s a strange mix of glamour and obsession in the paddock. Drivers have incredibly strict diets, especially over race weekends, so it’s not unusual to see their trainers carrying fully plated meals from the team’s caterers into high-end restaurants near the track.

Another small but persistent tradition is the podium champagne. Those big Jeroboams of Moët (and bottles from regional sponsors) get opened and placed on the podium minutes before the finish, but they’re not chilled. They’re intentionally at podium temperature — more suitable for spraying over the crowd and each other than for sipping. If you’re hoping for a cold celebratory glass, don’t hold your breath.

Car capabilities and astonishing engineering

Some of the things F1 cars are capable of make your jaw drop. The theoretical downforce of a modern F1 car at speed is so high that, in principle, it could run upside down — if you could build a corkscrew section of track big enough to keep the wheels from grounding out. This isn’t practical in regular competition: the engine and fuel system aren’t designed to run inverted without significant modifications.

McMurtry Automotive went a step further and demonstrated a fan-assisted car that could stick to a rotating rig, which proves the principle in a controlled environment. It’s cool engineering, but not a rule-change candidate.

Then there’s the scale of complexity: a Formula 1 car contains roughly 80,000 different parts when you count every bolt, bracket and sensor. That’s an insane level of detail to manage, which helps explain why every team runs a swarm of technicians and engineers weekend after weekend.

The steering wheel is a miniature command centre — more computer than wheel. Prices range from about $50,000 to $100,000. It’s loaded with around 25 buttons and switches, configurable to driver preference, and drivers have to operate it while doing 300+ km/h. Each team designs and fits their own wheel shape and function layout; drivers can reassign functions to different buttons if something’s awkward in the heat of battle.

Modern F1 cars also have power steering, which wasn’t always the case. The switch happened in the 1990s — before that drivers physically wrestled the wheel. The weight and physical demand of older-spec machines are a big part of why junior categories like F2 and F3 still put a premium on physical strength.

Race procedure and on-track rules: what you don’t see on TV

There are a lot of small, official protocols that fans seldom notice. For instance, teammates can’t talk directly to each other once the race starts; any communication goes through their race engineers. That keeps radio channels structured and prevents confusion.

At the finishline you’ll see two checkered flags waved. One is the official flag from the starter’s raised box, and another — often bearing the names of people who’ve paid for the privilege — is waved by a celebrity or guest from the pit wall. That second flag was once waved from the starter’s box too, but less-than-enthusiastic guest flag-wavers resulted in the practice shifting to the pit wall.

Getting an F1 car lined up perfectly on the starting grid is surprisingly tricky because the driver sits so low. Drivers use personalised tricks: Lando Norris has a mechanic place a piece of gaffer tape on the pit straight wall for alignment; Lewis Hamilton uses a mark on the yellow strip to line up his mirror. Those tiny marks make all the difference when you’ve got fractions of a second to nail the start.

Pit stops today are a ballet of speed and precision. In 1950 a pit stop could take more than a minute — refuelling and a handful of crew members made them slow. Now, with specialist equipment and choreography, a tyre change can be under two seconds. The record at the time I recorded this was 1.83 seconds by McLaren at Qatar 2022. Timing methods evolved from sensors in the tarmac to high-mounted cameras that measure from above.

Another procedural note: all drivers must attend a drivers’ briefing, typically 90 minutes after FP2. For sprint weekends there’s a different schedule — the briefing runs online after sprint qualifying. The FIA runs these briefings to keep everyone aligned on safety and procedural matters.

Human limits, heat and the small horror stories of a race weekend

Racing an F1 car repeatedly pushes the human body to the limit. Drivers can lose up to 4 kg (9 lb) during a single race through sweat alone, particularly at hot, high-humidity venues such as Singapore or Qatar. There have been alarming moments: at the 2022 Qatar GP, Lance Stroll needed help getting out of his car, and Logan Sargeant retired after 40 laps fearing he might black out.

Because there’s no bathroom break in a Grand Prix, drivers sometimes relieve themselves inside their race suits during the race. It’s done discreetly and usually communicated to the crew to avoid surprises during post-race checks. It’s an awkward reality of the job that underlines how extreme the conditions can be.

Tyre management is another part of the human and team challenge. Pirelli, the official tyre supplier, brings an enormous stock — roughly 1,600 tyres to each race — and the company deliberately designs compounds that can degrade to create strategy variability. That wear-and-tear is a central tactical tool: making the tyres last versus pushing for lap times creates the chess match teams live with all race long.

Logistics, costs and the hidden economy of F1

Running a modern F1 team is incredibly expensive off-track as well as on. Air freight is one of those hidden but massive costs: shipping equipment to flyaway races runs at about $400 per kilogram across a season, and each team typically moves around 35 tonnes. Do the math and you’re looking at roughly $14,000,000 in air freight per team per year just to get boxes, spare parts and machinery from A to B.

Regulations also shape costs and strategy: teams are limited to four engines per car before penalties kick in, and since 2010 in-race refuelling has been banned for safety and to standardise strategy. That means teams have to balance outright pace with reliability across the season.

Records, curiosities and a touch of history

There are a few historical oddities that keep the sport colourful. Over the last 30 years only one driver in his 40s won a full-length F1 race: Nigel Mansell, who won the 1994 Australian Grand Prix at age 41. There are sprint races these days where older drivers have tasted victory (Lewis Hamilton won a sprint in China aged 40), but Mansell’s feature race win remains notable.

The Monaco Grand Prix continues to be the most prestigious on the calendar, but it’s also the slowest in average speed because of tight corners and a lack of runoff. It’s also the shortest track in lap distance, which is great for fans — you see cars pass a lot more often: about 78 times in a race compared with longer circuits like Spa, where you get around 44 passes during a race.

One small paddock trivia item I always notice: the trainer I see carrying meals most often is Aleix Casanovas, who works with George Russell. It’s a tiny detail but it’s one of those repeated images that give the paddock its personality.

FAQ — Quick answers to common questions

• Can an F1 car drive upside down? Theoretically yes: downforce at speed could hold it to an inverted surface, but engine, fuel and other systems aren’t designed for inverted running, and building a track to test it is impractical.
• Why isn’t the podium champagne cold? It’s left at podium temperature because it’s primarily used for spraying. Chilling it would take more time and logistics that aren’t a priority for the celebratory splash.
• How many tyres does Pirelli bring to a race? Around 1,600 tyres are transported to each event to cover practice, qualifying and the race for all teams and contingencies.
• How fast are pit stops? World-class teams can change tyres in well under two seconds; the record around the time of my video was 1.83 seconds.
• Do drivers get bathroom breaks? No. If necessary, they will urinate in their suits and usually inform the crew afterwards.
• Are teams allowed to refuel during the race? No. In-race refuelling has been banned since 2010.
• How many engines are allowed per season? Teams are permitted four engines per car without incurring penalties.
• How much does air freight cost for a team? Roughly $400 per kilogram across the flyaway races, with teams typically shipping about 35,000 kg, equating to around $14,000,000 per team annually.

Conclusion

F1 is as much about the tiny rituals and hidden costs as it is about bleeding-edge technology and on-track drama. From plated meals escorted into restaurants to $100,000 steering wheels and sub-two-second pit stops, the sport is a fascinating mix of human endeavour, brutal engineering and theatrical ceremony. I’ve pulled together these facts from years of paddock walks, conversations with engineers and pitlane observations — and there are always more oddities to find. If one thing stands out, it’s how many small details add up to make Formula 1 the compelling spectacle it is.