Question: In the 90s how many points have been awarded for finishing second in a Grand Prix?
Answer: 6

A Formula One race or Grand Prix is a sporting event which takes place over three days (usually Friday to Sunday), with a series of practice and qualifying sessions prior to a race on Sunday.

Current regulations provide for two free practice sessions on Friday, a morning practice session and an afternoon qualifying session held on Saturday, and the race held on Sunday afternoon or evening, though the structure of the weekend has changed numerous times over the history of the sport.

At most Formula One race weekends, other events such as races in other FIA series (such as the GP2 Series) are staged.

Free practice sessions

Since 2006, three practice sessions are held before the race; the first on Friday morning and the second on Friday afternoon. Both sessions last one and a half hours. The third session is held on Saturday morning and lasts an hour. A third driver is permitted to take part in the Friday free practice sessions in the place of a regular driver. With testing in the middle of the season banned, many teams will nominate their third driver to take part in the first session. The Monaco Grand Prix traditionally begins on a Thursday, with Friday as a day of rest. Practice sessions for the Singapore and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix take place in the evening as these races are run at night. 
  
Qualifying sessions

Traditionally before , qualifying was split into two one-hour sessions; the first was held on Friday (Thursday at Monaco) afternoon from 13:00 to 14:00 local time, with the second held on Saturday afternoon at the same time. The fastest time set by each driver from either session counted towards his final grid position. Each driver was limited to twelve laps per qualifying session.

In 1996 qualifying was amended with the Friday qualifying session abolished in a favour for a single qualifying session held on Saturday afternoon. As previously, each driver was limited to twelve laps with the inclusion of a 107% rule to exclude drivers with slow lap times. This was calculated by using the time of the driver on pole position and adding on 7% to create a cut-off time.  This format remained until the conclusion of the 2002 season.

Between  and , the qualifying session was run as a one-lap session and took place on Friday and Saturday afternoon with the cars running one at a time.

In 2003 the Friday running order was determined with the leader of the Drivers' Championship heading out first. The Saturday running order was determined by times set in Friday afternoon qualifying with the fastest heading out last and the slowest running first. No refuelling was allowed between the start of Saturday qualifying and the start of the race, so drivers qualified on race fuel. The lap times from the Friday afternoon session did not determine the grid order.

In 2004 the Friday session was moved to Saturday.  The running order for the first session was now based on the result of the previous race. At first both sessions were held back-to-back, but the first session was later moved earlier in the day.

At the start of 2005 the sessions were held on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Lap times from both sessions were counted to give the overall aggregate position.  From the 2005 European Grand Prix onwards, the Sunday morning session was dropped for a single run on Saturday afternoon having proved unpopular with drivers, teams and broadcasters. The running order was the reverse of the previous race result.  

Since , qualifying takes place on Saturday afternoon in a three-stage "knockout" system. One hour is dedicated to determining the grid order, divided into three periods with short intermissions between them. 

Currently, the first qualifying period is eighteen minutes long, with all twenty two cars on the circuit. At the end of the period, the six slowest drivers are eliminated, and they fill positions seventeen to twenty two on the grid. Any driver attempting to set a qualifying time when the period ends is permitted to finish his lap, though no new laps may be started once the chequered flag is shown. After a short break, the second period begins, with sixteen cars on the circuit. At the end of the fifteen-minute period, the six slowest drivers are once again eliminated, filling grid positions eleven to sixteen. Finally, the third qualifying period features the ten fastest drivers from the second period. The drivers have twelve minutes to set a qualifying time, which will determine the top ten positions on the grid. The driver who sets the fastest qualifying time is said to be on pole position, the grid position that offers the best physical position from which to start the race. For the first two races of the 2016 season, a modified format was used where drivers were eliminated during the sessions rather than just at the end and only eight drivers progressed to the final session. Qualifying reverted to the previous format from the third race of the season onwards.

Drivers may complete as many laps as they choose. However, the top ten drivers must start the race on the set of tyres they used during their fastest lap time in the second qualifying period. These may only be changed if qualifying and the race are held under different weather conditions, or if a tyre is damaged as a result of an accident. The remaining ten drivers are free to start the race with any tyres they choose.

Generally, a driver will leave the pits and drive around the track in order to get to the start/finish line (the out-lap). Having crossed the line, they will attempt to achieve the quickest time around the circuit that they can in one or more laps (the flying lap or hot lap). This is the lap time which is used in calculating grid position. Finally, the driver will continue back around the track and re-enter the pit-lane (the in-lap). However, this is merely strategy, and no teams are obliged by the rules to follow this formula.

DNQ

As of 2016, eleven teams are entered for the Formula One World Championship, each entering two cars for a total of twenty two cars. The regulations place a limit of twenty-six entries for the championship.  At some periods in the history of Formula One the number of cars entered for each race has exceeded the number permitted, which historically would vary from race to race according to the circuit used. Monaco, for example, for many years allowed only twenty cars to compete because of the restricted space available. The slowest cars excess to the circuit limit would not qualify for the race and would be list as 'Did Not Qualify' (DNQ) in race results. 

Pre-qualifying

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the number of cars attempting to enter each race was as high as thirty-nine for some races. Because of the dangers of having so many cars on the track at the same time, a pre-qualifying session was introduced for the teams with the worst record over the previous six months, including any new teams. Only the four fastest cars from this session were then allowed into the qualifying session proper, where thirty cars competed for twenty-six places on the starting grid for the race. The slowest cars from the pre-qualifying session were listed in race results as 'Did Not Pre-Qualify' (DNPQ). Pre-qualifying was discontinued after 1992 when many small teams withdrew from the sport. 

107% rule

As the number of cars entered in the world championship fell below twenty-six, a situation arose in which any car entered would automatically qualify for the race, no matter how slowly it had been driven. The 107% rule was introduced in  to prevent completely uncompetitive cars being entered in the championship. If a car's qualifying time was not within 107% of the pole sitter's time, that car would not qualify for the race, unless at the discretion of the race stewards for a situation such as a rain affected qualifying session. For example, if the pole-sitter's time was one minute and forty seconds, then all cars must set a time within one minute and forty-seven seconds. 

The 107% rule was removed since the FIA's rules indicated previously that 24 cars can take the start of a Formula One race, and a minimum of twenty cars must enter a race. In , the qualifying procedure changed to a single-lap system, rendering the rule inoperable. However, there were concerns about the pace of the new teams in the 2010 season. As the qualifying procedure had been changed since the 2006 season to a three-part knockout system, the rule could now be reintroduced. As such, the 107% rule has been reintroduced for the 2011 Formula One season. Currently, cars have to be within 107% of the fastest Q1 time in order to qualify for the race. 

Race 

See Formula One regulations for detailed information on the race start procedure.

The race itself is held on Sunday afternoon, with the exception of night races at Singapore since 2008  and Bahrain since 2014. 

Thirty minutes prior to race time, the cars take to the track for any number of warm-up laps (formally known as reconnaissance laps), provided they pass through the pit lane and not the grid, after which they assemble on the starting grid in the order they qualified.  At the hour of the race, a green light signifies the beginning of the relatively slow formation lap during which all cars parade around the course doing a final tire warmup and system checks. The cars then return to their assigned grid spot for the standing race start. The starting light system, which consists of five pairs of lights mounted above the start/finish line, then lights up each pair at one-second intervals. Once all five pairs are illuminated, after a random length of time (one to nine seconds), the red lights are turned off by the race director, at which point the race starts.  The race length is defined as the smallest number of complete laps that exceeds 305 kilometers (the Monaco Grand Prix is the sole exception with a race length of 78 laps / 260.5 km),  though occasionally some races are truncated due to special circumstances. The race can not exceed two hours in length; if this interval is reached the race will be ended at the end of that lap. The only exception is if the race is halted by a Red flag in which case the total time including the red flag stoppage must not exceed 4 hours (since 2012), and the total time excluding the red flag stoppage may not exceed 2 hours. 

Since the 2007, teams are supplied by the sole tyre supplier  (currently Pirelli which replaced Bridgestone in 2011 ), and receive two different types of slick dry tyre compounds: "Prime" tyres (now either the Hard, Medium or Soft compound), and "Option" tyres (either the Medium, Soft or Supersoft compound). The Prime tyres are more durable than the Option tyres, however the Option tyres produce faster lap times than the Prime tyres (the Option tyres are said to be one second per lap quicker than the Prime tyres, though this figure varies between circuits). From 2014, drivers who qualify in the top ten must start the race with the tyres they used in the second qualifying session (previously this had been the tyres they used in the final qualifying session); all other drivers have freedom over which tyres they can start with.  Each driver is also required to use both types of dry compound during a dry race, and so must make a mandatory pit-stop.  Timing pitstops with reference to other cars is crucial - if they are following another car but are unable to pass, the driver may try to stay on the track as long as possible, or pit immediately, as newer tyres are usually faster. Prior to the 2010 season, drivers used to make pitstops for fuel more than once during a race, as the cars on average consumed two kilometres per litre (approximately five miles per gallon)- nowadays this figure is lower, due to changes in engines from 2014. From 2010, refuelling has been forbidden during a race. 

At the end of the race, the first, second and third-placed drivers take their places on a podium, where they stand as the national anthem of the race winner's home country and that of his team is played. Dignitaries from the country hosting the race then present trophies to the drivers and a constructor's trophy to a representative from the winner's team, and the winning drivers spray champagne and are interviewed, often by a former racing driver. The three drivers then go to a media room for a press conference where they answer questions in English and their native languages.

Points system 

Points are awarded to drivers and teams exclusively on where they finish in a race. The winner receives 25 points, the second-place finisher 18 points, with 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points for positions 3 through 10.  If a race has to be abandoned before 75% of the planned distance has been completed all points are halved. In a dead heat, prizes and points are added together and shared equally for all those drivers who tie. The winner of the annual championship is the driver (or team, for the Constructors' Championship) with the most points. If the number of points is the same, priority is given to the driver with more wins. If that is the same it will be decided on the most second places and so on. 

Historically, the races were scored on the basis of a five-place tally:  i.e. via an 8–6–4–3–2 scoring system, with the holder of the fastest race lap also receiving a bonus point. In 1961, the scoring was revised to give the winner nine points instead of eight, and the single point awarded for fastest lap was given for sixth place for the first time the previous year. In 1991, the points system was again revised to give the victor 10 points, with all other scorers recording the same 6–4–3–2–1 result. In 2003, the FIA further revised the scoring system to apportion points to the first eight classified finishers (a classified finisher must complete 90% of race distance) on a 10–8–6–5–4–3–2–1 basis.

At certain periods in Formula One's history, the world champion has been determined by virtue of the "best 7 scores" in each "half" of the world championship, meaning that drivers have had to "discard" lower scores in either half of the season. This was done in order to equalise the footings of teams which may not have had the wherewithal to compete in all events. With the advent of the Concorde Agreements, this practice has been discontinued, though it did feature prominently in several world championships through the 1970s and 1980s.

The change in the awarding of world championship points has rendered the comparison of historical teams and drivers to current ones largely ineffective. For instance, Michael Schumacher is widely credited with being the most successful GP driver of all time. While his statistics are very impressive and easily outstrip those of his nearest competitor, it is worth noting that his points tally vs points available, and winning percentage of grands prix entered, do not significantly exceed those of Juan Manuel Fangio, whom he recently dethroned as winner of the most World Championships. As with most other sports, it is very difficult to compare stars of different eras owing to the changes in the sport and regulations.

Worldwide appeal 

Despite having the highest budget in all of auto racing, Formula One racing has often been accused of being unexciting when compared to less expensive categories.  The differences in driver ability are usually dwarfed when compared to the relative speed of the different makes of cars, and on-track overtaking is very rare due to the aerodynamics of trailing cars being adversely affected by the car in front (making overtaking only possible by very risky and thus rarely taken chances, or a much faster car trailing a slower one).  So, beginning in the 2011 season F1 adopted 2 new innovations to help with passing/overtaking and to bring a little more excitement to the races.  These innovations are "DRS" and the "KERS" systems.  The DRS (Drag Reduction System) allows for one of the horizontal fins/blade on the rear spoiler to be "lifted" open which reduces the downforce and increases the race car speed. This system is only operable on straightaways where rear downforce is not as important.  The system cannot be activated unless the driver is within (1) second or less behind the car he is trying to pass.  The DRS zones on each track are set by the F1 governing body.  And although the system on  is controlled by computers and timers, the driver has to activate it by pushing a button on the steering wheel when he wants to use it.  The "KERS" (kinetic energy recovery system) grabs and stores the energy usually lost during braking (which has always been wasted) and stores the energy into the batteries.  Again, when allowed and the driver wants to use this system it is a matter of pushing a button and the engine gets another 60-80 horse power for a short time. The system will deplete/discharge this stored energy quickly and the driver has to wait until it gets charged back up.  Also the  use of electronic driver aids such as semi-automatic gearboxes and traction control has been widely criticized by F1 fans around the globe. Traction control was banned in the 2008 Formula One season.

The sport is lesser-known in the United States than the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or their mostly domestic open-wheel racing series, the IndyCar Series, but in terms of budgets and global TV audiences F1 is bigger than both combined.

Estimates for Ferrari's racing budget in 1999 were around 240 million USD, and even tailender Minardi reportedly spent 50 million. Estimates of TV audiences are around 300 million per race.

Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton,  MBE (born 7 January 1985) is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team. He is the ,  and  Formula One World Champion.

In December 1995, at the age of ten, he approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis at the Autosport Awards ceremony and told him, "I want to race for you one day ... I want to race for McLaren." Less than three years later McLaren and Mercedes-Benz signed him to their Young Driver Support Programme.  After winning the British Formula Renault, Formula Three Euroseries, and GP2 championships on his way up the racing career ladder, he drove for McLaren in 2007, making his Formula One debut 12 years after his initial encounter with Dennis. Hamilton's contract for the McLaren driver development program made him the youngest ever driver to secure a contract which later resulted in a Formula One drive.

Coming from a mixed background, with a black father and white mother,  Hamilton is often labelled "the first black driver in Formula One",   although Willy T. Ribbs tested a Formula One car in 1986. 

In his first season in Formula One, Hamilton set numerous records while finishing second in the 2007 Formula One Championship, just one point behind Kimi Räikkönen. He won the World Championship the following season in dramatic fashion, becoming the then-youngest Formula One world champion in history before Sebastian Vettel broke the record two years later.   Following his second world title in 2014, he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In 2015, he became the first British driver in history to win consecutive F1 titles, and the second Brit to win three titles after Jackie Stewart. He also became the first English driver to reach that milestone. He is the only driver in the history of the sport to have won at least one race in each season he has competed to date, with McLaren from 2007 until 2012, and with Mercedes since 2013.  He has more race victories than any other British driver in the history of Formula One and is currently third on the all-time wins list, with  wins. 

Early life

Hamilton was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. Although widely reported as being named after American sprinter Carl Lewis, Hamilton states that this is not the case.  Hamilton's mother, Carmen (Larbalestier), is white British, while his father, Anthony Hamilton, is black British, making him mixed-race; Anthony Hamilton's parents moved to the UK from Grenada in the 1950s.  Lewis Hamilton's parents separated when he was two; as a result of this, he lived with his mother and half-sisters Nicola and Samantha  until he was twelve, when he started living with his father, stepmother Linda and half-brother Nicolas, also a professional racing driver, who has cerebral palsy.  In early 2011, Nicolas signed with Total Control Racing to start a racing career in the 2011 Renault Clio Cup.  Hamilton was raised a Roman Catholic. 

Hamilton's father bought him a radio-controlled car in 1991, which gave him his first taste of racing competition. Hamilton finished second in the national BRCA championship the following year. He said of the time: "I was racing these remote-controlled cars and winning club championships against adults".  As a result of this his father bought him his first go-kart as a Christmas present at the age of six. His father told him that he would support his racing career as long as he worked hard at school. Supporting his son became problematic, which caused him to take redundancy from his position as an IT Manager and become a contractor. He was sometimes employed in up to three jobs at a time, while still managing to find enough time to attend all Hamilton's races. He later set up his own computer company as well as working as a full-time manager for Hamilton. Hamilton ended his working relationship with his father in early 2010 and subsequently signed a management deal in March 2011 with Simon Fuller's firm XIX Entertainment.  In November 2014, Hamilton announced that he would not be renewing his management contract with Fuller. 

Hamilton was educated at The John Henry Newman School, a voluntary aided Catholic secondary school in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.  Alongside his interest for racing, he played association football for his school team with England international midfielder Ashley Young. Hamilton said that if Formula One had not worked for him he would have been a footballer, being a big fan of Arsenal F.C.  or a cricketer, having played both for his school teams as a youngster. He subsequently attended, in February 2001, Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS), a private sixth-form college in Cambridge.  At the age of five Hamilton took up karate to defend himself as a result of bullying at school.  At around 12, he learned to ride a unicycle, as part of his karting rivalry with future F1 Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg, who could already ride one. 

Early career

Karting

Hamilton began karting in 1993 at the age of eight,  at the Rye House Kart Circuit  and quickly began winning races and Cadet class championships. At the age of ten he approached McLaren F1 team boss Ron Dennis for an autograph, and told him, "Hi. I'm Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars." Dennis wrote in his autograph book, "Phone me in nine years, we'll sort something out then." Hamilton drove for Martin Hines's Zip Young Guns Karting Team.  From the Cadet ranks, he progressed through to Junior Yamaha (1997) and Ron Dennis actually called him in 1998 after Hamilton won an additional Super One series and his second British championship. Dennis delivered on his promise and signed Hamilton to the McLaren driver development program. This contract included an option of a future F1 seat, which would eventually make Hamilton the youngest ever driver to secure a contract which later resulted in an F1 drive.

Hamilton continued his progress in the Intercontinental A (1999), Formula A (2000) and Formula Super A (2001) ranks, and became European Champion in 2000 with maximum points. In Formula A and Formula Super A, racing for TeamMBM.com, his team mate was Nico Rosberg who would later drive for the Williams and Mercedes teams in Formula One; they would later team up again for Mercedes in 2013. Following his karting successes the British Racing Drivers' Club made him a "Rising Star" Member in 2000. 

In 2001, Michael Schumacher made a one-off return to karts and competed against Hamilton along with other future F1 drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton ended the final in seventh, four places behind Schumacher. Although the two saw little of each other on the track Schumacher praised the young Briton (see quote box). 

Formula Renault and Formula Three

Hamilton began his car racing career in the 2001 British Formula Renault Winter Series. Despite crashing on his third lap in the car in testing, he finished fifth overall in the winter series. This led to a full 2002 Formula Renault UK campaign with Manor Motorsport. Hamilton finished third overall with three wins and three pole positions. He remained with Manor for another year and won the championship with ten wins and 419 points to the two wins and 377 points of his nearest rival, Alex Lloyd. Having clinched the championship, Hamilton missed the last two races of the season to make his debut in the season finale of the British Formula 3 Championship. Here he was less successful: in the first race he was forced out with a puncture,  and in the second he crashed out and was taken to hospital after a collision with his team-mate Tor Graves.  He did show his speed at both the Macau Grand Prix and Korea Super Prix, in the latter he qualified on pole position in his first visit to the track and in only his fourth F3 race. Asked in 2002 about the prospect of becoming one of the youngest ever Formula One drivers, Hamilton replied that his goal was "not to be the youngest in F1 ...[but] to be experienced and then show what I can do in F1".

Later in 2004, Williams would announce that they had come close to signing him but were refused the opportunity due to BMW, their engine supplier at the time, refusing to fund Hamilton's career.  Hamilton eventually re-signed with McLaren, and made his debut with Manor in the 2004 Formula 3 Euro Series. They won one race and Hamilton ended the year fifth in the championship. He also won the Bahrain F3 Superprix and raced one of the Macau F3 Grand Prix. Hamilton first tested for McLaren in late 2004 at Silverstone. 

Hamilton moved to the reigning Euro Series champions ASM for the 2005 season and dominated the championship, winning 15 of the 20 rounds. This would have been 16 but for being disqualified from one win at Spa-Francorchamps on a technical infringement that caught out several other drivers. He also won the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort.  After the season British magazine Autosport featured him in their "Top 50 Drivers of 2005" issue, ranking Hamilton 24th. 

GP2

Due to his success in Formula Three, he moved to ASM's sister GP2 team ART Grand Prix for 2006.  Just like their sister team in F3, ART were the leaders of the field and reigning champions having taken the 2005 GP2 crown with Nico Rosberg.  Hamilton won the GP2 championship at his first attempt, beating Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Timo Glock.

His performances included a dominant win at the Nürburgring, despite serving a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. At his home race at Silverstone, supporting the , Hamilton overtook two rivals at Becketts, a series of high-speed (up to 150 mph in a GP2 car) bends where overtaking is rare. In Istanbul he recovered from a spin that left him in eighteenth place to take second position in the final corners. He won the title in unusual circumstances, inheriting the final point he needed after Giorgio Pantano was stripped of fastest lap in the Monza feature race. In the sprint race, though he finished second with Piquet sixth, he finished twelve points clear of his rival. 

His 2006 GP2 championship coincided with a vacancy at McLaren following the departure of Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR and Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari.   After months of speculation on whether Hamilton, Pedro de la Rosa or Gary Paffett would be paired with defending champion Fernando Alonso for , Hamilton was confirmed as the team's second driver.  He was told of McLaren's decision on 30 September, but the news was not made public until 24 November, for fear that it would be overshadowed by Michael Schumacher's retirement announcement. 

Formula One career

McLaren (2007–2012)

2007

It was announced prior to the start of the season that Hamilton would be partnering defending double World Champion Fernando Alonso who had joined McLaren after leaving Renault. On his debut at the , he finished third in the race, becoming the thirteenth driver to finish on the podium in his first F1 career race (excluding those in the first ever World Championship round).  In Bahrain and Barcelona, Hamilton finished second behind Felipe Massa to take the lead in the drivers championship.  This meant that Hamilton broke Bruce McLaren's record of being the youngest driver to ever lead the world championship. 

Hamilton finished second behind Alonso at Monaco and afterwards he suggested he was prevented from racing his team mate. The FIA cleared McLaren following an investigation. Hamilton had both his first pole position and first victory of his F1 career in the  in Montreal.  A week later Hamilton won the , becoming the first Briton since John Watson in 1983 to win an F1 race in the US,  and only the second person, after Jacques Villeneuve, to win more than one race in his rookie Formula One season since the first year of the Championship.

By finishing third at Magny-Cours behind Ferrari drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa, Hamilton extended his lead in the Driver's Championship to 14 points.  In Hamilton's first home Grand Prix at Silverstone he finished third.  Having secured this podium finish meant he equalled Jim Clark's  record of 9 consecutive podium finishes for a British driver.

During qualifying for the , Hamilton crashed at the Schumacher chicane after a problem with the wheel nut caused by the wheel gun used on his car. He was taken to the circuit's medical centre on a stretcher with an oxygen mask and drip, but was conscious throughout.  He was unable to complete qualifying and his existing laptime was surpassed by all other competitors during Q3, thus he qualified in tenth position.  After a final medical check on Sunday morning, Hamilton was cleared to race.  During a heavy rainstorm which caused the race to be red-flagged Hamilton slid off into a gravel trap, however as he kept his engine running he was lifted back on to the circuit and able to rejoin the race after the restart. His ninth-place finish in this race was his first non-podium and non-points finish.  Controversially, Hamilton became the first and only driver to have his car recovered by a crane and put back on the track during a Formula One race. This led some to the conclusion Hamilton was getting preferential treatment by the FIA as all other drivers who went off into the gravel were not craned back onto the track.  The FIA subsequently banned the use of mechanical assistance to move a car back on track afterwards. 

Hamilton won the  from pole position following a controversial qualifying session. Alonso had set the fastest time, but was relegated five places down the grid to sixth for preventing Hamilton from leaving the pit lane in time to complete his final qualifying lap.  After the race Hamilton declared that he had restored his relationship with Alonso.  At the Turkish Grand Prix Hamilton suffered a puncture which saw him finish in fifth place. 

Alonso beat Hamilton in the Italian and Belgian Grands Prix, leaving Hamilton with a two-point lead in the title race. However he extended his lead to 12 points after winning the  in heavy rain after Alonso crashed. Following the race Hamilton was investigated by the race stewards over his involvement in an incident behind the safety car, which saw both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber crash out of the race while following him. The trio were cleared on the Friday of the  weekend. 

At the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton started from pole, but failed to finish after McLaren left him out for too long on worn tyres, (despite advice from Bridgestone), and he slid into a gravel trap as he came into the pit lane. Hamilton thus went into the final race of the season four and seven points ahead of Alonso and Räikkönen respectively. 

In the  Hamilton finished in seventh place and Räikkönen won, which meant that Hamilton came second in the championship by one point. On the first lap Hamilton was passed by several cars and dropped to eighth place. On the ninth lap of the race Hamilton could not select a gear and ending up coasting for 40 seconds. He recovered to seventh place but Ferrari switched their two drivers allowing the championship to go to Räikkönen.    Hamilton took the record of Youngest World Drivers' Championship runner-up, at 22 years and 288 days, previously held by Kimi Räikkönen at 23 years and 360 days (since beaten by Sebastian Vettel in 2009).

On 21 October 2007 it was announced that the FIA were investigating BMW Sauber and Williams for fuel irregularities, the BMW drivers had finished in fifth and sixth place, and if they were to be excluded Hamilton would be promoted to fifth and would win the 2007 Drivers World Championship by one point over Räikkönen. Ultimately no penalty whatsoever was given to any team as there was "sufficient doubt as to render it inappropriate to impose a penalty", though McLaren officially appealed this decision.  Hamilton subsequently told the BBC he did not want to win an F1 title through the disqualifications of other drivers. 

Team tensions

Hamilton's relationship with McLaren team boss Ron Dennis dates back to 1995,  with the first indication that Hamilton was unhappy with his team appearing after he finished second at Monaco in 2007. After post-race comments made by Hamilton which suggested he had been forced into a supporting role, the FIA initiated an inquiry to determine whether McLaren had broken rules by enforcing team orders.  McLaren denied favouring double world champion Fernando Alonso, and the FIA subsequently vindicated the team, stating that: "McLaren were able to pursue an optimum team strategy because they had a substantial advantage over all other cars. They did nothing which could be described as interfering with the race result".

The tensions within the team surfaced again at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix. During the final qualifying session for the race Hamilton was delayed in the pits by Alonso and thus unable to set a final lap time before the end of the session. McLaren pointed out that Hamilton had disobeyed an earlier instruction to let Alonso pass in qualifying, for fear of losing his own position.  Alonso was relegated to sixth place on the starting grid, thus elevating Hamilton (who had originally qualified second) to first, while McLaren were docked constructors championship points. Hamilton said he thought Alonso's penalty was "quite light if anything" and only regretted the loss of constructors' points.  Hamilton was reported to have sworn at Dennis on the team radio following the incident.   British motorsport journal Autosport claimed that this "[led] Dennis to throw his headphones on the pit wall in disgust (a gesture that was misinterpreted by many to be in reaction to Alonso's pole)".  However McLaren later issued a statement on behalf of Hamilton which denied the use of any profanity.  As a result of these events, the relationship between Hamilton and Alonso temporarily collapsed, with the pair not on speaking terms for a short period.  In the aftermath it was reported that Hamilton had been targeted by Luca di Montezemolo regarding a Ferrari drive for . 

Following the stewards' investigation into the incident at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, Alonso stated: "I'm not thinking of this championship any more, it's been decided off the track. The drivers' briefing has no purpose. You go there to hear what Charlie Whiting and the other officials say. Twenty one drivers have an opinion, Charlie and the officials another, and so it's like talking to a wall". 

The rivalry between Hamilton and teammate Alonso led to speculation that one of the pair would leave McLaren at the end of the 2007 season    and Alonso and McLaren subsequently terminated their contract by mutual consent on 2 November 2007. 

2008

On 14 December 2007, it was confirmed that Heikki Kovalainen who drove for Renault in 2007 would drive the second car for McLaren-Mercedes for the 2008 Formula One season alongside Hamilton.  In January 2008, Hamilton signed a new five-year multimillion-pound contract to stay with McLaren-Mercedes until the end of the 2012 season. 

Hamilton won the first race of the 2008 season, the , having qualified on pole position.  In Malaysia, he finished fifth after he had started from ninth on the grid, serving a penalty for impeding Nick Heidfeld's qualifying lap.   He was back on the podium in Spain finishing third.  Hamilton finished second in Turkey,  and won the , putting him in the lead of the championship.  In Montreal, Hamilton crashed into the back of Räikkönen during the race, after failing to see that the Finn was waiting at a red light at the end of the pit lane as the whole field went past under the guide of the safety car. Both cars were forced to retire and Hamilton was given a 10 position grid penalty for the next race, the .   Despite an error in qualifying that saw him start fourth on the grid, Hamilton went on to win the  in difficult, wet conditions. His performance was stated as being one of his best drives to date.  Hamilton himself said in the post race press conference that it was his most difficult and most meaningful win.  In the next race at Hockenheim, Hamilton won the race despite a tactical blunder by the team. 

Hamilton won the , however he was later judged to have gained an unfair advantage by cutting a chicane when he used a tarmac run off area to avoid hitting Kimi Räikkönen.  McLaren said that their telemetry showed Hamilton backed off to let Räikkönen past  but Hamilton was given a 25-second penalty, thereby dropping him to third. As a result, his main title rival Massa inherited the win. Hamilton's lead in the Drivers' Championship was cut to two points, and a subsequent appeal by McLaren to the FIA World Motor Sport Council was rejected on the grounds that the case was inadmissible. 

The Italian Grand Prix saw Hamilton finish in seventh place. This result cut Hamilton's lead in the Championship to one point.  Hamilton finished third at the next race in Singapore, while Massa failed to score any points, allowing Hamilton to increase his championship lead to seven points.  At Fuji, Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty for forcing other cars off the track when he made an error on the first lap. Before he could serve the penalty Hamilton attempted to pass Massa who hit him after the Ferraris driver made a mistake. Massa was later given a drive-through penalty for this move. Hamilton could only finish in 12th position, however Massa finished seventh after being given an extra point after a penalty was given to Toro Rosso's Sébastien Bourdais.  This meant that with just two races to go Hamilton led the World Championship by five points from Massa. At the , Hamilton won the race from Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, taking a 7-point lead in the World Championship into the last race of the season. Speaking afterwards, Hamilton said "All weekend we have had God on our side as always, and the team did a phenomenal job in preparing the car, which has been a dream to drive." 

At the , Hamilton needed to finish at least in fifth position if Massa won the race to secure the World Championship. In mixed conditions, Hamilton became the youngest Formula One World Champion as he snatched the championship on the very last corner. Just before the race began a rain shower hit and Hamilton ran in fourth place before dropping down to sixth to put on dry weather tyres. Hamilton moved back to fourth place after passing Fisichella and overtaking the three stopping Vettel. Hamilton held Vettel off and after they pitted for wet weather tyres as another shower he was fifth. But with two laps to go Vettel overtook Hamilton and the Brit could not get back past, but on the final lap he and Vettel made up an eighteen-second gap on Glock who had stayed out on dry tyres and Hamilton overtook him for fifth place and the championship by one point in the very last corner as Massa won the race.   This meant that Hamilton had clinched the 2008 Formula One World Championship, becoming the youngest driver to win the title, as well as the first black driver.  He is also the first British driver to win the World Championship since Damon Hill triumphed in 1996. 

Racial abuse

On 4 February 2008, Hamilton was verbally heckled and otherwise abused during pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Catalonia by several Spanish spectators who wore black face paint and black wigs, as well as shirts bearing the words "Hamilton's ".  Hamilton became widely unpopular in Spain because of his rivalry with Spanish former team-mate Fernando Alonso. The FIA have warned Spanish authorities about the repetition of such behaviour.  In reaction to this behaviour, the FIA announced on 13 February 2008 that it will launch a "Race Against Racism" campaign. 

Shortly before the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, a website owned by the Spanish branch of the New York-based advertising agency TBWA and named "pinchalaruedadeHamilton" (burst Hamilton's tyre) was featured in the British media. The website contained an animated image of Interlagos that allowed users to leave nails and porcupines on the track for Hamilton's car to run over. Among thousands of comments left since 2007, some included racial insults.  His rival Fernando Alonso condemned the racist supporters. 

2009

Hamilton started the  season-opening  from 18th place on the grid after the McLaren team incurred a penalty for changing his gearbox during qualifying.  Hamilton benefited from a late crash between Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica to move into fourth place by the end of the race. He was then promoted to third after Jarno Trulli was penalised for overtaking him under safety-car conditions. During a post-race stewards' hearing, Hamilton and McLaren officials told stewards they had not purposely let Trulli pass, but it was revealed by release of the McLaren race radio communication that this was not true.  Hamilton was then disqualified from the race for providing "misleading evidence" during the stewards' hearing.  He later privately apologised to FIA race director Charlie Whiting for having lied to the stewards.  He went on to describe the incident as the hardest week of his life, and considered quitting Formula One. 

Hamilton scored minor points at the Malaysian, Chinese and Bahrain Grands Prix. Hamilton's fortunes were reversed at the Hungaroring, the tenth round of the season where he won the race, 11.529 seconds clear of Räikkönen to take his 10th career win and the first for a KERS-equipped car.  McLaren's return to form continued in Valencia, where Hamilton finished second.  In , Hamilton took his second win of the season.  He finished third at the Japanese and Brazilian Grands Prix. In the inaugural , Hamilton led the race, but retired on lap 20 due to a rear brake problem, his first technical-related retirement in Formula One.

2010

For the new season Hamilton would drive alongside Jenson Button, after Heikki Kovalainen moved to Lotus Racing. 

Hamilton finished third in Bahrain,  In Australia, Hamilton ended the race in sixth place, after a late-race collision with Mark Webber.  In Malaysia a misjudgement on the weather by his team in qualifying, left him on tyres that were unfavourable for the wet conditions. This restricted him to 20th on the grid for the race, but he made his way through the field to finish in sixth place.  Hamilton was given a warning during the race, after he weaved four times on a straight as he tried to break the tow that Vitaly Petrov was receiving and was not intending to block him.  After the race the rules were clarified by stewards to only allow a driver to make one move during an overtaking manoeuvre.

Hamilton achieved a second-place finish in China behind Jenson Button. This completed McLaren's first 1–2 finish since the 2007 Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton was involved in a pit lane incident with Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, for which both later received a reprimand from race stewards. In Monaco Hamilton qualified and finished 5th. In the  Grand Prix, Hamilton claimed his first victory of the 2010 season as he and Button completed a 1–2. Hamilton qualified on pole for the , continuing a 100% pole record at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. After setting his pole lap, Hamilton received instructions from his team to stop on circuit due to a lack of fuel in the car which would not be equivalent to the level necessary for a sample to be taken by the FIA. Hamilton was reprimanded after failing to complete his in-lap in a sufficient time, while his team received a $10,000 fine.  But Hamilton went on to win the race and take the lead in the Drivers' Championship after McLaren's third 1–2 of the season. In Valencia Alonso complained on his radio that Hamilton had gained an advantage by not following the safety car which led to the stewards giving Hamilton a drive through penalty. However Alonso and the Ferrari were furious as the length of time to make a decision meant that the penalty did not alter the result of the race as Hamilton finished second.  This led to Hamilton to accuse Alonso of "sour grapes", although the pair reconciled before the next race. 

He finished second at his home race at Silverstone, and followed it up with fourth at the . Despite running into the gravel at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton won his third race of the season and reclaimed the championship lead. At the , Hamilton finished fifth. In South Korea, Hamilton finished second and finished fourth at the . In the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi Hamilton finished second to Vettel in the race, who broke Hamilton's record for being the youngest ever Formula One World Champion.

2011

At the start of the 2011 season Hamilton dismissed Red Bull Racing as "just a drinks company".  Hamilton began the season qualifying and finishing second in the , despite having to deal with a damaged floor on his McLaren.  In the , he qualified second and finished seventh on-the-road, struggling partly due to tyre wear and being tagged by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the closing stages.  Hamilton received a 20-second time penalty post-race for weaving whilst defending and unsuitable driving, which dropped Hamilton to eighth place.  Hamilton took his first win of the season in China.  He then finished fourth in Turkey,  and second in Spain. 

In Monaco, he qualified tenth after Q3 was red-flagged before he could set a competitive time due to a heavy crash from Sergio Pérez. During the race Hamilton received a drive through penalty after he bumped into Massa at the Hotel Harpin. Later on, Alguersuari crashed into Hamilton, breaking his rear wing; the race was red-flagged as Petrov crashed at the same time allowing his team to fix the car. On the restart he had a collision with Maldonado at Sainte Devote, which later he was given a 20-second time penalty for but it did not affect his finishing position.  In an interview with the BBC Hamilton, said that he had been to the stewards five races out of six thus far in the season and felt victimised. When prompted why he had been to the stewards so much Hamilton replied "Maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says." He later returned to the stewards and explained the joke and escaped further punishment. 

At the , Hamilton collided with Webber at the first corner before rejoining behind his team mate. A few laps later Hamilton tried to capitalise on a mistake attempted to pass teammate Button who pushed the former into the pitwall causing Hamilton to retire with a broken driveshaft, both agreed that it was one of those things.  In Valencia and Silverstone Hamilton finished fourth after holding off Massa whilst managing high tyre wear in the former and conserve fuel in the later.   In Germany, Hamilton took his second victory of 2011 as he held off Webber and Alonso.  In Hungary Hamilton had five pitstops and a drive-through penalty for sending Paul di Resta onto the grass as he finished fourth.  He finished fourth at Monza after a race long battle with Michael Schumacher,  who he refused to blame the German after his aggressive tactics. 

In , Hamilton caused an accident with Felipe Massa which left Hamilton needing a new front wing and a drive through penalty.  Hamilton was accused by Massa of being "incapable of using his brain," during a post race interview. Whilst the pair conducted interviews, Massa grabbed Hamilton's shoulder saying "Good job, man, well done" which Hamilton responded by telling the Brazilian to leave him alone.  Before the Japanese Grand Prix Hamilton insisted that he had not done anything wrong during the season.  During the race Hamilton suffered a puncture before once again tangling with Massa; despite Ferrari pushing for Hamilton to be punished, Hamilton escaped a reprimand as he finished fifth.  Hamilton later told Massa to "grow up", after admitting that his Formula One career had driven over a cliff. 

In Korea, Hamilton qualified on pole position, ending a run of 16 consecutive pole positions for Red Bull.  He led only until turn four on lap 1, where World Champion Sebastian Vettel overtook him and went on to win the race as Hamilton finished second.  At the inaugural race in India, Hamilton recorded the second-fastest time in qualifying, but was penalised three places on the starting grid, after a yellow flag infraction in Friday practice.   Hamilton finished seventh after yet another incident with Massa which left the Brazilian facing the penalty as Hamilton had to replace the front wing.  In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton qualified second and won the race.  In Brazil Hamilton and Massa ended their feud as he retired from the race and finish fifth overall in the championship.  

2012

Hamilton remained at McLaren alongside Button for the 2012 season.  Hamilton qualified in pole position for the , but finished third after being passed by Button at the start, and by Vettel after pitting before a safety car.  Hamilton again qualified on pole for the , but in the race was passed early on by Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez, finishing third. Hamilton took his third consecutive third-place finish in China, with Nico Rosberg and Button ahead. Hamilton qualified in second place in Bahrain, but during the race, a series of poor pitstops put him out of contention, and he finished eighth. Hamilton was also involved in a controversial racing incident with Rosberg, with Rosberg appearing to push Hamilton off track while he attempted to overtake. Hamilton qualified on pole position for the , but had to stop the car on track in order for a reputable fuel sample to be given post-qualifying. The stewards decided he had breached qualifying rules introduced after a similar incident involving Hamilton at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix. Race stewards excluded him from the qualifying results,  and demoted him to the back of the grid; but despite this, Hamilton finished eighth, ahead of Button, who had started in tenth.

Hamilton achieved his first victory of the season at the  – winning the race for the third time – after overtaking Fernando Alonso in the closing stages.  

Hamilton won the  on 29 July 2012 to claim his second win of the season.  Hamilton, along with championship leader Fernando Alonso, retired from the  after being involved in a multiple car accident on the first corner of the race. Romain Grosjean was deemed responsible for causing the accident and was given a one-race ban. Hamilton bounced back with pole position for the , and led for the majority of the race to claim his third victory of the season and keep his hopes of winning the Drivers' Championship alive.  Hamilton again qualified on pole at the , but suffered a gearbox failure whilst leading the race. He also retired from the lead of the , before he won the  in Austin.  Hamilton's season ended with another pole position and retirement in the Brazilian GP, when he was involved in a collision with Nico Hülkenberg while leading in the late stages.

Mercedes (2013–present)

2013

On 28 September 2012, it was announced after much speculation that Hamilton would be leaving McLaren after the 2012 season to join the Mercedes-Benz works team for the  season onwards, partnering Nico Rosberg after signing a three-year contract with the team.  

In his first race weekend for Mercedes, the , Hamilton qualified in third and ended the race in fifth place. Hamilton finished third in Malaysia to take his first podium for the team, although Nico Rosberg was prevented from attempting to overtake him by team orders. At the following race in China, Hamilton secured his first pole position for Mercedes.

At Monaco after being out-qualified by his team-mate Rosberg for the third successive race, Hamilton admitted that he was struggling to control the car under braking.  Prior to the race, both Red Bull and Ferrari had lodged formal complaints against Mercedes for taking part in what was determined to be an illegal 1000 km tyre test. Neither Mercedes drivers received any punishment for the breach of rules, and Mercedes was given a reprimand.

At the , Hamilton secured his first race win as a Mercedes driver, the first British driver to win a Formula One race in a Mercedes works car since Stirling Moss did so at the 1955 British Grand Prix, at Silverstone. He won the race from an unexpected pole position, eventually crossing the line nearly 11 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Kimi Räikkönen.  By winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton continued his personal record of winning at least one race prior to the mid-season break, and went into the summer break in the fourth place in the Drivers' Championship.  At the  he secured his fifth and last pole position of the season and finished the race third. Although he did not score any podiums for the rest of the season, a string of point finishes helped him end the season in fourth place.

2014

A new rule for the 2014 season allowed the drivers to pick a unique car number that they will use for their entire career. Hamilton picked No. 44, the same number he used during his karting days. 

During pre-season testing in Jerez, Hamilton along with Mercedes team-mate Rosberg showed themselves as the team to beat. This was realised at the  where Hamilton took pole. He was forced to retire, but Rosberg dominated to win by over 20 seconds.  In Malaysia, Hamilton's potential was realised when he won from pole in a Mercedes one-two, the first since .  In Bahrain, Mercedes were unstoppable with Rosberg claiming pole in a Mercedes front-row lock-out. Hamilton got a better start but still battled hard with Rosberg through the early part of the race. Mercedes chose split strategies for their drivers, and Hamilton opened up a gap on the faster option tyres. But the safety car was called out after Esteban Gutiérrez rolled his Sauber. Hamilton was forced to battle Rosberg in a gripping race to the finish with tight wheel-to-wheel racing. In the end Hamilton won, taking consecutive victories for the first time since the  season, when he won in Turkey and Canada. 	

Mercedes's dominance was further confirmed in China where Hamilton took pole and then led every lap of the race while his teammate finished in second place. This completed a hat-trick of wins, the first of Hamilton's career.  Mercedes continued to dominate in Spain where Hamilton once again set pole position and went on to win the race – his fourth successive win – despite close competition from team-mate Nico Rosberg who finished in second place.  At Monaco, Hamilton qualified 2nd behind Rosberg. Rosberg was investigated by the stewards after he went down the escape road at the Mirabeau corner. The resulting yellow flags forced Hamilton to back off in the final moments of the session, which could have cost Hamilton a chance at pole position.  Rosberg was cleared of any wrongdoing in that incident. Rosberg won the race with Hamilton finishing 2nd. During qualifying for the , Hamilton had a brake failure and started 20th but managed to finish 3rd.  An engine fire in qualifying for the  meant he would start from the pit lane from where he again managed to climb to third ahead of Rosberg, despite being ordered by his race engineer to let his teammate past. 

At the first race after the summer break in Belgium, Hamilton took the lead from Rosberg at the start but a collision between them on lap two punctured his rear tyre and he later retired from the race.  He then won the Italian,  and Singapore Grands Prix  each from pole to take the lead in the Drivers' Championship. This was followed by victories at the  – which was stopped due to heavy rain – the Russian and United States Grands Prix to achieve five consecutive victories for the first time in his career. His tenth victory of the season was also his 32nd career victory, the most of any British driver. Hamilton became the World Champion after winning the , beating team mate Rosberg by 67 points, after Rosberg's car encountered mechanical trouble during the race. Hamilton said in the podium interview "This is the greatest day of my life".  At the end of the year, Hamilton was awarded with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. 

2015

Hamilton enjoyed a continuation of Mercedes's dominance heading into the  season, as the new W06 Hybrid completed more laps in pre-season testing than any rival car, and did so using just one power unit.  At the opening race in Australia, Hamilton qualified in pole position, 0.594 seconds quicker than team-mate Rosberg and 1.391 seconds clear of Felipe Massa's Williams in third.  Hamilton then won the race ahead of Rosberg in second, with Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari in third, 34 seconds back.  In Monaco he lost first position to his team mate Rosberg after leading the race for 65 laps due to a pit-stop error made by his team, eventually finishing third.

Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes announced they had extended the contract with Hamilton for three additional years, keeping him at the squad until the end of the 2018 season. This followed months of widely publicised contract talks between the driver, who chose to negotiate on his own behalf, and the team. The deal is reportedly worth more than 100 million pounds over the full three years, making Hamilton one of the best paid drivers in Formula One.  It was also reported that the extension contract granted Hamilton the right to maintain his own image rights, which is considered unusual in the sport, and keep his championship winning cars as well as the trophies he collects. 

After a win-less start to the European round, Hamilton went on to win the British Grand Prix for the second time in a row and third overall, also surpassing Jackie Stewart's 45-year-old record of laps led in eighteen consecutive Grands Prix.  He finished 6th in an eventful Hungarian Grand Prix, ending his run of 16 consecutive podium finishes, the second-longest in F1 history. Hamilton won the next two races at Spa and Monza and extended his championship lead over Nico Rosberg, who was forced to retire in the latter race due to engine failure, to 53 points. At the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton was only able qualify in 5th ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg,  and had moved up to 4th in the race before he was forced to retire due to a power unit issue.  By winning the United States Grand Prix, Hamilton secured his third Drivers' Championship with three races left to run. 

2016

Just before the season opener in Australia, Hamilton was pictured riding a motorcycle in New Zealand on the public road whilst using a mobile phone, against the law. Though urged by triple world champion Jackie Stewart to apologise, Hamilton refused to comment on the incident.  At the season opening Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton qualified on pole however made a poor start to the race before recovering to finish second behind his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.  In the second race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton again qualified on pole. On the first lap however there was a collision between him and Bottas with Bottas getting a drive-through penalty.  Hamilton finished the race in third behind Rosberg and Räikkönen. In the next race, the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton did not set a time in qualifying so started at the back of the grid. He got as high up fifth but was overtaken by Räikkönen and Ricciardo near the end of the race to finish seventh. In the fourth race of the season, the Russian Grand Prix, Hamilton did not set a time in the third part of qualifying so he started in tenth. Hamilton came second behind Rosberg despite having zero water pressure for the last 16 laps.  In the next race in Spain, Hamilton qualified on pole. On the opening lap a collision between Hamilton and Rosberg meant that both Mercedes cars retired instantly. The stewards decided that the collision was a racing incident. On 3 July 2016, Hamilton went on to win the Austrian Grand Prix despite having a last lap collision with Rosberg.  On 10 July 2016, Hamilton completed a hat-trick of home wins by triumphing in the British Grand Prix to cut his Mercedes team-mate's championship lead to just one point. 

Helmet

Hamilton's helmet was made yellow so that his father could tell which kart his son was driving back in his karting days. Hamilton chose the colours blue, green and red and they were originally in a ribbon design; however before entering F1, Hamilton felt that the design was "a bit old hat" so it was changed. In later years a white ring was added and the ribbons moved forward to make room for adverts and logos. 

During the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton had an altered helmet design with the addition of a roulette wheel image on the top. Hamilton had said, "I'll also be wearing a specially-painted helmet for the occasion. When you see it, you'll know why I'll be hoping for it to swing the odds in my favour." 

Hamilton's helmet underwent one major change during his F1 career. From his debut in 2007 until 2010 his helmet was yellow with a metallic green ribbon on the upper visor and a metallic blue ribbon on the lower visor (these being visually near identical to the helmet of Ayrton Senna, apart from the fact that their designs did not loop all around the back of the helmet, but were cut off either side of the helmet.) It furthermore featured a bright red diagonal patch where these stripes bordered the visor. The yellow however was not a rich, sunburst yellow like Senna's helmet but was a whiter, pastel yellow.

From 2011 onwards Hamilton's helmet was changed whereby it no longer resembled Senna's helmet as much as it had done. The green and blue ribbons were changed to the diagonal style of the red patch, with a single red stripe behind the helmet with the letters "Hamilton" printed within it.

For the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton wore a special helmet that was a fusion of his post 2011 helmet, and that of Ayrton Senna. The helmet was auctioned after the race in aid of the Ayrton Senna Foundation. 

Racing record

Career summary

* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

* Season still in progress.
 Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
 Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Formula One records

Hamilton holds the following Formula One records:

;Footnotes:

Personal life

In October 2007, Hamilton announced his intention to live in Switzerland, stating that this was because he wished to get away from the media scrutiny that he experienced living in the United Kingdom. Hamilton admitted under questioning on the television show Parkinson, which was broadcast on 10 November 2007, that taxation was partly responsible for his decision, in addition to wanting more privacy. Hamilton received public criticism from UK MPs including Liberal Democrat MP Bob Russell for avoiding UK taxes. He settled in Luins in Vaud canton on Lake Geneva;  other Formula One drivers, including world champions Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, also live in Switzerland. Hamilton was one of several super-rich figures whose tax arrangements were singled out for criticism in a report by the charity Christian Aid in 2008. 

In November 2007, Hamilton started dating Nicole Scherzinger, the lead singer of the American girl band Pussycat Dolls; it was announced in January 2010 that they split up to focus on their respective careers. However, they were seen together at the 2010 Turkish Grand Prix  and at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, on 13 June 2010.  The couple split up and reunited numerous times between 2011 and 2013,   but appeared to have got back together in November 2013.  They split up again in February 2015. 	

At the start of 2012, he moved his personal residence from Switzerland to Monaco, which is also a tax haven.   

At the start of 2013, Hamilton took delivery of a metallic red and black Bombardier Challenger 600 series private jet, tail plate number G-LCDH.  

Hamilton was awarded an MBE by the Queen in the 2009 New Year Honours. 

On 18 March 2009, Madame Tussauds unveiled a waxwork of Hamilton in his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes race suit. This wax replica cost around £150,000 and took over six months to complete.  In 2012, Hamilton featured in the cartoon Tooned, alongside Jenson Button and comedian Alexander Armstrong.

On 18 December 2007, Hamilton was suspended from driving in France for a month after being caught speeding at 196 km/h on a French motorway. His Mercedes-Benz CLK was also impounded.

Two days before the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, Victoria Police witnessed Hamilton "deliberately losing traction" in his silver Mercedes-AMG C63, and impounded the car for 48 hours. Hamilton immediately released a statement of apology for "driving in an over-exuberant manner". After being charged with intentionally losing control of a vehicle, Hamilton was eventually fined A$500 (£288), being described as a "Hoon" [boy racer] by the magistrate. 

Hamilton is a fan of art; one of his favourite artists is Andy Warhol.  Prior to the 2014 United States Grand Prix, Hamilton wore a gold-framed version of Warhol's Cars, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe painting hanging from a chain around his neck.

One of Hamilton's favourite cars is the AC Cobra. He owns two unrestored 1967 models, one black and one red.  In February 2015, it was reported that Hamilton had purchased a Ferrari LaFerrari from "his rivals in Maranello." 

Hamilton has an estimated personal fortune of £88m.

In motorsport the pole position is the position at the inside of the front row at the start of a racing event. This position is typically given to the vehicle and driver with the best qualifying time in the trials before the race (the leader in the starting grid). This number-one qualifying driver is referred to as the pole sitter.

Grid position is typically determined by a qualifying session prior to the race, where race participants compete to ascend to the number 1 grid slot, the driver, pilot, or rider having recorded fastest qualification time awarded the advantage of the number 1 grid slot (i.e. pole-position) ahead of all other vehicles for the start of the race.  

Historically, the fastest qualifier was not necessarily the designated pole-sitter. Different sanctioning bodies in motor sport employ different qualifying formats in designating who starts from pole position. Often, a starting grid is derived either by current rank in the championship, or based on finishing position of a previous race. In particularly important events where multiple qualification attempts spanned several days, the qualification result was segmented or staggered, by which session a driver qualified, or by which particular day a driver set his qualification time, only drivers having qualified on the initial day eligible for pole position. In a phenomenon known as race rigging, where race promoters or sanctioning bodies invert their starting grid for the purpose of entertainment value (e.g., pack racing; to artificially stimulate passing), the slowest qualifier would be designated as pole-sitter. 

In contrast to contemporary motorsport, where only a race participant is designated pole-sitter, prior to World War II, once upon a time the pace car was designated as official pole-sitter for the Indianapolis 500.

Origin

The term has its origins in horse racing, in which the fastest qualifying horse would be placed on the inside part of the course, next to the pole.

Formula One

Originally in Grand Prix racing, grid positions, including pole, were determined by lottery among the drivers.  Prior to the inception of the Formula 1 World Championship, the first instance of grid positions being determined by qualifying times was at the 1933 Monaco Grand Prix. Since then, the FIA have introduced many different qualifying systems to F1. From the long-standing one session on Friday and Saturday, to the current knockout style qualifying leaving 10 out of 22 drivers to battle for pole, there have been many changes to qualifying systems. Between 1996 and 2006, the FIA made 6 significant changes to the qualifying procedure, each with the intention of making the battle for pole more interesting to an F1 viewer at home.

Traditionally, pole was always occupied by the fastest driver due to low-fuel qualifying. The race-fuel qualifying era between 2003 and 2009 briefly changed this. Despite the changing formats, drivers attempting pole were required between 2003 and 2009 to do qualifying laps with the fuel they would use to start the race the next day. An underfuelled slower car and driver would therefore be able to take pole ahead of a better but heavier-fueled car. In this situation, pole was not always advantageous to have in the race as the under-fueled driver would have to pit for more fuel before their rivals. With the race refueling ban introduced, low-fuel qualifying returned and these strategy decisions are no longer in play.

Also, when F1 enforced the 107% rule between 1996 and 2002, a driver's pole time might affect slower cars also posting times for qualifying, as cars that could not get within 107% of the pole time were disqualified for the race. Since the reintroduction of the rule in 2011, this only applies to the quickest first session (Q1) time, not the pole time.

FIA Pole Trophy

Since 2014, the FIA has awarded a trophy to the driver who wins the most pole positions in the season. 

(WC) indicates that the driver won the World Championship in the same season.

IndyCar

IndyCar uses four formats for qualifying: one for most oval tracks, one for Iowa Speedway, one for the Indianapolis 500, and another for road and street circuits.  Oval qualifying is almost like the Indianapolis 500, with two laps, instead of four, averaged together with one attempt, although with just one session.

At Iowa, each car takes one qualifying lap, and the top six cars advance to the feature race for the pole position. Positions from 7th onward are assigned to their races, based on time, with cars in the odd-numbered finishing order starting in one race, and cars in the even-numbered finishing order starting in the second race.  The finishing order for the odd-numbered race starts on the inside, starting in Row 6 (11th), and even-numbered race on the outside based on finishing position, again from Row 6 (12th), except for the top two in each race, which start in the inside and outside, respectively (Row 4 and 5) of the race for the pole position. The result of the feature race determines positions 1–10. All three races are 50 laps.

On road and street courses, cars are drawn randomly into two qualifying groups. After each group has one twenty-minute session, the top six cars from each group qualify for a second session.  The cars that finished seventh or worse are lined up by their times, with the best of these times starting 13th.  The twelve remaining cars run a 15-minute session, after which the top six cars move on to a final 10-minute session to determine positions one through six on the grid.

The Iowa format was instituted in 2012 with major modifications (times set based on open qualifying session in second practice, positions 11th and back in odd positions raced in the inside heat, positions 12th and back in even positions raced in the outside heat, and positions 1–10 raced for the pole, each heat 30 laps), and non-Iowa oval format in August 2010, while the Indianapolis format was in 2010. The road course format was installed for 2008. In prior seasons, oval qualifying ran for four laps, Indianapolis-style, from 2008, and previously two laps with the best lap used for qualification.  Street and road circuits used a two-phase format similar to oval qualifying except that cars took one qualifying lap, then the top six advanced to the ten-minute session for the pole.

Indianapolis 500

The pole position for the Indianapolis 500 is determined on the first day (or first full round) of time trials. Cars run four consecutive laps (10 miles), and the total elapsed time on the four laps determines the positioning. The fastest car on the first day of time trials wins the pole position. Times recorded in earlier days (rounds) start ahead of subsequent days (rounds). A driver could record a time faster than that of the pole winner on a subsequent day; however he will be required to line up behind the previous day(s)' qualifiers.

Starting in 2010, the first day is split into Q1 and Q2.  At the end of Q1, positions 10–24 are set.  The top nine cars will then have their times wiped out and advance to Q2 where cars will have 90 minutes to run for pole. If inclement weather causes officials to cancel Q2, positions 1–24 are set. If inclement weather in Q1 is early where Q2 is late (past 6 PM usually), drivers will have only one attempt in Q2.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Since , there has been one hour-long session on Saturday where the riders have an unlimited number of laps to record a fast lap time. Simply, the rider with the fastest lap gains pole position for the race.

In  a new format was introduced whereby qualifying is conducted over two 15-minute sessions labelled Q1 and Q2. The fastest 10 riders over combined practice times advance automatically to Q2, while the rest of the field compete in Q1. At the conclusion of Q1 the fastest 2 riders progress to Q2 with a chance to further improve their grid position

Top ten riders in Grand Prix motorcycle racing with most pole positions

NASCAR

Before 2001, NASCAR used a two-day qualifying format in its national series. Before 2002 only one lap was run on oval tracks except short tracks and restrictor plate tracks. Until 2014, the pole position has been determined by a two-lap time trial (one lap on road courses) with the faster lap time used as the driver's qualifying speed. In 2014, NASCAR used a knockout qualifying format for all races except the Daytona 500, non-points races, and the Camping World Truck Series' Mudsummer Classic: after a 25-minute session (on tracks longer than ; tracks shorter than 1.25 miles have a 30-minute session), the 24 fastest cars advance to a ten-minute session, with the top 12 advancing to a final five-minute session.  Starting in 2003, if a driver's team changed their car's engine after the qualifying segment was over, the car would be relegated to the rear of the 43-car field. In the case of multiple teams changing engines on the same weekend after a qualifying segment (although this is a rare occurrence), qualifying times from that segment are used to determine the starting order for those cars.

In the Mudsummer Classic, two-lap qualifying runs are held, which determine the starting grids for five heat races of eight laps each. The top five fastest qualifiers started on pole for each heat, and the winner of the first heat is awarded the pole for the feature race. 

Top ten most Sprint Cup Series pole positions

Radio-controlled racing

In radio-controlled car racing, the term Top Qualifier (TQ) is used to determine the fastest qualifying driver, usually over a two-day, five/six rounds qualifying sessions, depending on the overall duration of the event. The result is determined by the best half of the driver's performance. As the event bring in over 100 entrants, the fastest driver is guaranteed directly a place in front of the A-main final, the group that carries a chance of being the overall winner. The slower drivers are allocated a spot to compete in their groups to determine the overall positions.

FAQ | Formula One At & Genius
1.  Who organises the Formula One World Championship?
The sporting branch of the  Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile , FIA Sport. The FIA governs motor sport worldwide and, as such, administers                              the Formula One and World Rally Championships, and the F3000 and GT Championships, as well as all other                              international motor sport.
The Formula One World Championship was created in                              1950 and is the oldest FIA Championship. It also has the greatest media impact. It is estimated that the                              17 Grands Prix of the 1997 season attracted over 50  billion television viewers, while the printed press                              maintained a significant presence, with an average of 650 journalists and photographers traveling from                              all over the world to cover each event.
2.  How far back does Formula One go?
There was no “formula” from the heroic era of the motor                              car in 1894 (the year of the first motor race in history,                              from Paris to Rouen) up until 1900. The existing vehicles                              were simply raced. A differentiation was made between                              the cars on the basis of their method of propulsion                              (petrol or steam), and their number of seats. At the                              time, cars always had at least two seats, and it was                              not until the end of the 1920s that single-seater                              cars were used. The invention of the rear-view mirror                              made an important contribution to this development,                              since one of the mechanic’s tasks was to warn the                              driver that someone was trying to overtake him.
Immediately after its creation in 1904, the FIA, which                              is the international sporting authority, became obliged                              to formulate restrictions to ensure the safety of                              the drivers and spectators, and to guide motor sport                              in a direction which would benefit the development                              of road cars, thus setting a pattern which has been                              repeated throughout the long history of motor sport.                              From 1907 to 1939, almost every possible formula was                              tried. The minimum weight, maximum weight, consumption                              and bore were each restricted in their turn, but the                              formula most frequently used, even after 1939, was                              to limit the cylinder capacity of the engines. This                              restriction was first introduced in 1914.
Following the introduction                              of the first “formula” defined by the FIA                              (which restricted maximum weight) in 1904, categories                              were created for the smaller cars, yet the name “Formula                              One” did not appear until after the Second World                              War, or more specifically, until the creation of the                              FIA Formula One World Championship at Silverstone                              on 13 May 1950.
3.  Why was the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile  (FIA) created?
Prior to 1904,                              every country and automobile club organised races,                              each with its own set of regulations. It was thus                              virtually impossible to organise international races,                              since there were no common regulations. The most influential                              Automobile Clubs of the time therefore decided to                              put an end to this situation, which was preventing                              motor sport from flourishing, by creating an international                              organisation which would draw up common regulations,                              applicable to races all over the world. This led to                              the birth of the Fédération Internationale                              de l’Automobile (the FIA), which was thus able to                              guarantee to English or German drivers, for example,                              that the same rules would apply whether they were                              racing in France, Italy, Belgium, or Monaco.
4. “Formula One:” what is the current formula?
In addition                              to a large number of specifications relating, in particular,                              to safety and aerodynamics, the current formula restricts                              the cylinder capacity of the engine to 3 litres, prohibits                              supercharging and stipulates a minimum weight of 600                              kg, including the weight of the driver and his race                              equipment.
5.  What is a Grand Prix?
The first race                              to be given the “Grand Prix” title was the                              Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France held at                              Le Mans in 1906. It was restricted to “big cars”,                              which could be described as the “Formula One” cars of the period. From then on, the term Grand Prix became associated with all types of circuit races                              for cars. Major events, which were the equivalent                              of today’s Grands Prix, were called “Grandes                              Epreuves” (Great Events). However, the FIA was                              opposed to the popular usage of the “Grand Prix” title, which it wished to reserve for events counting                              towards its Formula One World Championship. Henceforth,                              it became prohibited to use the Grand Prix title for                              an event which did not count towards this Championship,                              except for very rare cases with historic justification,                              such as the Grand Prix de Pau, which is currently                              a Formula 3000 event.
6.                            How is the World Championship title obtained?
There are two                              titles: “drivers” and “constructors”.                              The drivers’ title has been awarded since 1950, while                              the Constructors’ title was introduced in 1958. The                              constructors add together the points scored in every                              race by each car of their make (they cannot enter                              more than two), in the same way as the drivers accumulate                              the total number of points scored in each event (at                              one time they could cancel their worst results).
In the event of a dead heat, the title is decided                              on the basis of the quality of the places obtained,                              that is, the number of first places, followed by the                              number of second places, etc.
7.                            What is the scale of points?
The scale of                              points awarded to the first six finishers in each                              race has been modified on two occasions, the most                              recent of which was in 1991; the first now obtains                              10 points (previously nine, and only eight between                              1950 and 1960), and the following five are awarded:                              6 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 points. There was a time when the                              driver who recorded the fastest lap was given 1 point.
8.                            How many Grands Prix are held every year?
When the World                              Championship was created, Formula One was not as popular                              as it is today, and the 1950 Championship, for example,                              consisted of only 7 Grands Prix. This figure gradually                              increased, peaking at 17 events in 1977. It was then                              limited to 16, and the possibility of holding a maximum                              of 17 events was reintroduced in 1996.
A minimum of eight events out of those entered on                              the calendar must take place for the World Champion                              Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles to be awarded. The                              1997 Argentine Grand Prix was the 600th Grand Prix                              counting towards the FIA Formula One World Championship.
11.                            How is a circuit deemed suitable to hold a Grand Prix?
Each circuit                              must be homologated by the FIA Circuits and Safety                              Commission following a series of inspections which                              are carried out from the start of the work right up                              until the inauguration of the circuit. The homologation                              criteria are less strict for circuits hosting events                              for slower formulae. In addition to the initial procedure,                              the circuits sometimes have to carry out maintenance                              work or update their facilities so that their homologation                              may be renewed. In the past, with the exception of                              the Monaco Grand Prix, which is the only event to                              take place within a town itself, circuits tended to                              be very fast with long straights. The increase in                              the cars’ performances has meant that these straights                              have had to give way to series of bends, which are                              the only means of preventing excessive speeds. Similarly,                              very long tracks, like that at the old Nürburgring                              (22.835 km), have had to be abandoned, since the costs                              involved in providing the safety facilities and personnel                              required by the regulations together with the technical                              facilities necessary for television broadcasting are                              too great. Monaco is still the shortest circuit (3.328                              km), while Spa is the longest (6.940 km).
12.                            What criteria must a constructor meet to be able to                            participate?
A constructor                              who wishes to become involved in Formula One must                              submit his entry to the FIA, to which he must provide                              evidence that he is both the designer and constructor                              of the chassis of his car, and that he also has sufficient                              technical and financial resources to take part in                              the whole of the Championship.
13.                            Who is the constructor of a Formula One car?
By Formula                              One constructor, we mean the chassis manufacturer.                              In most cases, this is not the same as the engine                              manufacturer, and the name of the chassis manufacturer                              is always given before that of the engine manufacturer.                              In the event of winning the Constructors’ World Championship,                              the title is awarded to the chassis manufacturer.
Ferrari is currently the only constructor producing                              both the chassis and the engine.
14.  Do the constructors have to compete throughout the season?
Yes. Any constructor                              who fails to turn up at an event may be fined several                              hundred thousand dollars per event and per car, except                              in the case of force majeure (but the FIA is very                              strict when it comes to defining a case of force majeure).                              A constructor may not join the championship during                              the season.
15.                            On what criteria are the Formula One technical regulations                            based?
They address                              two main concerns:
Controlling                                performance, in the interests of safety, while at                                the same time preserving the visual perception of                                speed and of the technological prowess of a Formula                                One car;
Ensuring                                the best possible level of passive safety in the                                event of an accident.
There are                              thus restrictions on cylinder capacity, fuel, tyre                              dimensions, the minimum weight and width of the car,                              as well as on the dimensions and positioning of the                              aerodynamic devices and on electronic driving aids,                              most of which are prohibited.
Moreover, there are stipulations relating not only                              to the strength of the chassis and the protective                              rollbars, but also to flexible fuel tanks (inspired                              by military aviation), fire extinguishers, harnesses,                              head and neck protection, and so on. The positions                              of the fuel and oil tanks are specified and they must                              have special protection. Access to and from the cockpit                              together with its dimensions are also controlled.
For financial reasons, engines which are not reciprocating                              or 4-stroke are prohibited, and the engines are restricted                              to a maximum of twelve cylinders which cannot have                              an oval section. It is obligatory for each car to                              have four wheels, only two of which are driven (yes,                              in the past there were Formula One cars with six wheels!).
16.                            Can any driver compete in a Grand Prix?
In order to                              be able to take part in a Grand Prix, a driver must                              hold a “Super License”, which is awarded                              on the basis of his past record in junior formulae                              and of his having a valid contract with a Formula                              One team which has entered the World Championship.
 
17.                            Are the teams allowed to change drivers during the season?
Yes, each team                              with two cars may change the driver of its first car                              once in the season. For the second car, a maximum                              of three drivers may take turns, without restriction,                              during any one season. This excludes cases of force                              majeure, which are not counted. Notification of a                              change of driver must be made before the end of the                              scrutineering and the sporting checks (the Thursday                              preceding the event, at 18.00).
18.                            Do the drivers keep the same race number throughout                            the season?
Yes, if they                              stay with the same team, as the numbers are attributed                              to the constructors, and not the drivers, at the beginning                              of the season. The only exceptions to this are the                              reigning World Champion, who is always allocated number                              1 even if he is driving for a different make from                              that with which he won the title, and his team mate                              who is given number 2.
19.                            Is the number of laps during the practice sessions free?
For qualifying                              practice, a maximum of 12 laps is allowed and any                              driver running over the maximum of 12 laps will have                              its best qualifying time withdrawn. The number of                              laps is no longer limited for the free practice sessions,                              including the warm-up.
20.                            What is the warm-up?
The warm-up                              is a free practice session which takes place on the                              morning of the race and lasts for half an hour. Only                              drivers who have qualified may take part in it. It                              is obligatory for this practice session to begin four                              and a half hours before the start of the race. If                              all the practice sessions have taken place in dry                              conditions and it begins to rain after the warm-up,                              or vice-versa, the Race Director may authorise an                              additional 15-minute practice session, which will                              allow the cars to adapt to the weather conditions.
The warm-up is very important, since it enables the                              teams to test the cars in their race configuration,                              in conditions (pressure, temperature, humidity, etc.)                              which are, theoretically, very similar to those of                              the race itself.
21.                            Can the drivers change cars during the event?
During the                              practice sessions, teams with two cars may use a maximum of two cars                              for each day of free practice, and a maximum of three                              cars for qualifying practice, provided that all the                              cars have been checked by the Scrutineers and are                              of the same make (chassis and engine).
During the race, however, no change of car                              is authorised following the green light signaling                              the start of the formation lap.
Nevertheless, if the race is interrupted before                              two laps have been completed, the starting procedure                              is repeated, and car changes are authorised once again                              until the green light (indicating the start of the                              formation lap) is shown.
22.                            How do drivers qualify for a race?
Qualifying                              practice is on Saturday, from 1 pm to 2 pm. During                              this hour each driver has a maximum of 12 laps to                              set the fastest possible time.
The driver who set the fastest time will start from                              the first line in the “pole position”, and                              the others will line up on the grid in the order of                              the times they have achieved. In the event of a tie,                              the driver who achieved the time first is given priority.
Any driver whose fastest time in qualifying practice                              exceeds the pole position time by 7% or more is not                              allowed to start without special permission of the                              Stewards.
24.                            Do the constructors design special cars for the qualifying                            session?
Special cars                              as such are not built specifically for qualification,                              but, in a few cases only, special engines, or even                              special set-ups, are designed for qualifying practice,                              so that the engine’s full potential may be reached,                              even though this shortens its life-span.
25.                            How long does a grand prix last?
The distance                              of a Grand Prix may not exceed 305 km, and no race                              may last for more than two hours. On certain slower                              circuits (such as Monaco), in the event of rain, the                              Clerk of the Course is sometimes obliged to stop the                              race after two hours.
26. Does a Grand Prix always go ahead, rain or shine?
Yes, a Formula                              One Grand Prix takes place in all weather conditions,                              and the tyre manufacturers have developed treaded                              tyres which help to avoid the risk of aquaplaning.                              Nevertheless, the Clerk of the Course has the power                              to stop the event, if this becomes necessary for safety                              reasons. Apart from grip, the greatest problem in                              the event of rain is visibility, which is significantly                              reduced due to the spray thrown up by the cars’ tyres.                              In order to counteract this problem, the cars are                              equipped with a red light at the rear which must be                              switched on if it starts to rain.
27.                            How powerful are formula one engines?
Even though                              the constructors refuse to divulge details of their                              engine power, it is rumored that at the beginning                              of the 1997 season the maximum power easily exceeded                              seven hundred horse power. Manufacturers of engines                              with eight or ten cylinders maintain that maximum                              power is not the only valid criteria, since there                              is also the power curve which in their case is better                              at a low engine speed.
28.                            What speeds do formula one cars reach?
The Grand Prix                              with the highest average speed in history was the                              1971 Italian Grand Prix, won by Peter Gethin in a                              BRM at an average speed of 242.615 kph (151.634 mph)                              on the Monza circuit which at the time did not yet                              have any chicanes (interestingly, a recent computer                              simulation suggested that current Formula One cars                              would achieve an average speed of well over 300 kph – 190 mph – on the original circuit). In 1997, the                              fastest Grand Prix was the Italian, won by David Coulthard                              at an average of 238.036 kph (147.940 mph). The highest                              speed recorded during practice in 1997 was 250.295                              kph (155.559 mph), which was set at Monza by Jean                              Alesi, while the highest straight line speed recorded                              during a Grand Prix in the 1997 season was set by                              Jacques Villeneuve, at 351.7 kph (218.6 mph), during                              the German Grand Prix. The lowest average speed of                              a Grand Prix winner in 1997 was 104.264 kph (64.800                              mph), and was recorded by Michael Schumacher in the                              Monaco Grand Prix.
29.                            Are the cars currently used faster than the cars of                            the “turbo” era?
If a 1.5-litre                              turbocharged car were produced today, as was the case                              up until 1988, it would be a great deal faster than                              the contemporary 3-litre cars. However, contemporary                              cars benefit from significant technological progress,                              allowing them to exceed the speeds of the 1988 turbocharged                              models, despite the fact that these were able to rely                              on over 1,200 horsepower in qualifying!
31.                            Why do the regulations require the cars to have a flat                            bottom?
It became evident                              that significant lift could be achieved by giving                              the bottom of the two side members the shape of inverted                              aeroplane wings. In order to reduce downforce (the so-called “ground effect”), and thus reduce                              cornering speed, the FIA made it obligatory for each                              car to have a flat bottom between the front of the                              rear wheels and the rear of the front wheels, as well                              as a ground clearance obtained by means of a skid                              block attached to the flat bottom. The constructors                              have nevertheless managed to optimise the behavior                              of the airfoils and aerodynamic extractors situated                              behind the gear box, to such an extent that a current                              Formula One car is capable of a transverse acceleration                              of up to 4G, whereas a road car does not exceed 1G.
32.                            Are Formula One cars fitted with a starter?
A starter has                              not been obligatory for several years, and teams choose                              not to fit one in order to prevent an additional source                              of energy from causing incidents such as a fire or                              an explosion. They are authorised to use a portable                              starter in front of their pits, but if a driver stalls                              on the circuit during the race, he has to retire,                              even if the car restarts once the marshals have pushed                              it away from a dangerous position.
33.                            Do Formula One cars have automatic gearboxes?
Automatic gearboxes                              are prohibited by the technical regulations. However,                              all the cars are equipped with semi-automatic gearboxes:                              to change gear, the driver no longer has to activate                              the clutch pedal at the same time as the gear lever.                              He simply presses a button on the side of his steering                              wheel. There is a button on each side: one for changing                              up, the other for changing down. He therefore no longer                              has to take his hand off the steering wheel, and this                              hydraulic device, which is electronically activated,                              allows the driver to change gear in one or two hundredths                              of a second, which is unquestionably faster than with                              a conventional system.
34.                            How many gear ratios do Formula One cars have?
The rapid changes                              possible with semi-automatic gearboxes mean that transmissions                              with a greater number of ratios (six or seven) can                              be installed. On circuits with a large number of bends,                              the drivers only use four or five ratios. Reverse                              gear is obligatory, but must not be used in the pit-lane,                              on pain of immediate exclusion from the Grand Prix.
35.                            Do Formula One cars have better brakes than series produced                            cars?
The brakes                              on series-produced cars are derived from the disc                              brakes which were first used in racing. All Formula                              One cars are equipped with brakes with callipers made                              from light alloy while the discs and pads tend to                              be made from synthetic materials, i.e. carbon/carbon.                              Their resistance to heat is much greater than that                              of series-produced brakes (which is why, in certain                              conditions, the insides of the wheels appear completely                              incandescent) and they weigh significantly less. Their                              braking power is thus uncommonly high: at the end                              of a straight, at maximum speed (around 340 kph – 212.5 mph), a Formula One car can brake at less than                              100 meters in order to take a slow corner. Naturally,                              carbon/carbon is expensive: it takes six months to                              produce a disc, at a temperature of between 900 and                              2000°C. The same material is now used to produce                              clutch discs.
36.                            Is a special type of fuel used in Formula One?
No. “Green”,                              unleaded fuel is used, similar to that available at                              petrol stations. The petrol used in Formula One also                              has to comply with the strictest EEC standards concerning                              pollution.
At one time, the fuel used in Formula One consisted                              of a mixture of hydrocarbons, and was a very special                              fuel, which bore no resemblance to commercial petrol.  The FIA put an end to these permissive regulations,                              with the dual aim of steering the oil companies’ research                              in the right direction, so that it would benefit the                              ordinary motor car, and of significantly reducing                              pollution.
It is clear that even after this revision of the regulations,                              the fuel used by Formula One cars is still not yet                              available from petrol pumps. However, it is also clear                              that the oil companies are obliged by the regulations                              to use fuels which could be commercialized, and which                              probably will be in the future. It is therefore evident                              that Formula One continues to serve as a laboratory,                              which will ultimately be of benefit to the ordinary                              motor car (see also question 40).
37.                            How many tyres are authorised per car at each Grand                            Prix?
The regulations                              stipulate that each driver may use a maximum of 40 dry-weather tyres and 28 wet-weather tyres throughout                              the duration of the event. Moreover, each driver may                              use a maximum of two rubber specifications for his                              dry-weather tyres during free practice, but he must                              designate the rubber specification he wishes to use                              for the rest of the event before the start of qualifying                              practice. Thus, the maximum number of tyres he may                              use for qualifying practice, the warm-up and the race                              is 28 (14 front and 14 rear), chosen from amongst                              the 40. All of these tyres are marked by the scrutineers,                              who are also responsible for checking that no driver                              exceeds the maximum number of tyres allowed.
38.                            How is the type of rubber selected?
A hard or softer                              type of rubber is selected on the basis of the driver’s                              style, the design of the car, the atmospheric temperature                              and the layout of the circuit. In general, the slower                              the circuit and the cooler the temperature, the softer                              the rubber, allowing greater grip. On the other hand,                              high speeds, together with a highly abrasive track                              and a heavy and powerful car wear the tyres down more                              quickly. The team and the driver must therefore strike                              a balance between various options, i.e., whether to                              mount harder tyres which grip less well but permit                              fewer pit-stops, or whether to use softer tyres which                              will have to be changed several times during the race.                              A judicious choice sometimes enables one of the less                              powerful cars to win a Grand Prix. Tyre changes are                              a part of the Formula One landscape; the better trained                              teams usually manage to change all four tyres and                              refuel in the space of 5 to 10 seconds.
39.                            Are the cars checked during the event?
The day before                              practice begins, the Scrutineers carry out a tour                              of the garages, checking that all the cars comply                              with the regulations. In addition to this, spot checks                              may be carried out at any time, and all the cars which                              finish the race are checked in the parc fermé                              once they have crossed the finish line. Any car which                              does not comply with the technical regulations is                              penalized with exclusion. This penalty is declared                              by the Stewards.
40.                            How are the fuel checks carried out?
At the start                              of the season, each team entered in the Championship must provide a sample of 120 litres of the petrol                              it wishes to use. The sample is analysed in a specialised                              laboratory, to check not only that it is in conformity                              with the Technical Regulations, but also that it is                              a genuine fuel of the type “available from the                              pump”.
If the sample is approved, an “imprint” (a sort of “genetic code” of the fuel) is                              provided. At the events, the FIA Technical Delegate                              carries out spot checks, taking samples of petrol                              from the cars during the practice sessions or after                              the race. Using the principles of gas chromatography                              with extremely sophisticated and very accurate technological                              equipment (a gas chromatograph and a machine for measuring                              the density of the fuel), the samples are analysed                              instantaneously, to see on site whether their “imprint” is identical to the reference imprint approved by                              the FIA.
If a sample is not in conformity, the Technical Delegate                              will make a report to the Stewards of the Meeting,                              who may then pronounce the exclusion of the car in                              question or any other sanction provided for in the                              Regulations.  Of course, a team may change the petrol it uses several                              times during the season, but each time it wishes to do so it must submit a new sample to the FIA before                              using this new petrol. If this sample is approved,                              the reference “imprint” of this new petrol                              will be registered.
41.                            How can prohibited electronic functions be detected?
On site, at                              each Grand Prix, the FIA has an electronic laboratory                              as well as sophisticated equipment and a team of experts                              who, at any time (even on the starting grid!), may                              check whether the cars’ electronics is concealing                              electronic driving aids prohibited by the regulations,                              such as traction control.
The electronics of a Formula One car comprise up to                              500,000 lines of source code (software). Obviously,                              it would be impossible to carry out an in-depth check                              of such an electronic program, for example on the                              grid just before the start of the Grand Prix. Therefore,                              the procedure is similar to that used for the petrol.                              The teams provide the FIA with their electronic programme,                              and the FIA checks it in detail before the start of                              the season. Once the programme is approved, the FIA                              keeps an “imprint” (an electronic “genetic                              code” of the car); at the events, the FIA team assigned to check the electronic programmes makes                              sure that the programmes installed in the cars do                              not differ in any way from the approved model. If                              need be, they may examine in detail only the lines                              which do not correspond to those of the approved code,                              and check whether or not they contain one or more                              parameters in breach of the regulations.
Once again, if anything is not in conformity, the                              Technical Delegate makes a report to the Stewards                              of the Meeting who will decide to exclude the car                              or to impose any other sanction provided for in the                              Regulations.
42.                            What role does the technical delegate play
The FIA Technical                              Delegate heads the team of Scrutineers responsible                              for checking that the cars comply with the Technical                              Regulations. If he finds that a car does not comply,                              he submits a report to the Stewards, but does not                              have the power to disqualify or penalise a car himself.
43.                            Who are the Stewards and what are their powers?
The three Stewards are the judges, or the referees, of an event. They                              examine the reports submitted by the various officials                              and, once they have heard the explanations and defense                              of all the parties concerned, decide on any sanctions.                              In order to ensure sporting equity, the Stewards vary                              from one event to another; two of them are nominated                              by the FIA from amongst holders of the Stewards’ “super                              license”. The third Steward is designated by                              the National Sporting Authority of the country in                              which the event is taking place. The Stewards appointed                              by the FIA are of a different nationality from that                              of the country in which the event is taking place.
They may, at any time, impose the sanctions set out                              in the International Sporting Code and, if they judge                              the behavior of a competitor or a driver to be reprehensible,                              they may request that he be summoned before the World                              Motor Sport Council.
44.                            What types of sanctions may be imposed?
The sanctions                              set out in the International Sporting Code range from                              a reprimand to disqualification, and include fines,                              exclusion, suspension for one or more races, and even                              the withdrawal of Championship points.
During the race, the Stewards may also impose a time                              penalty on a driver. In this case, the driver must                              remain at his pit for the duration of his penalty.                              In reality, this penalty, which is usually 10 seconds,                              involves a far greater loss of time, given the time                              taken to return to the pit and to leave it again,                              both at reduced speed. Depending on the configuration                              of the circuit, this can result in a time loss of                              between 25 and 40 seconds.
For any faults committed during qualifying practice,                              whether they be of a sporting or technical nature,                              the Stewards may also cancel all the driver’s times.                              Nevertheless, the Stewards have the power to authorise                              a driver who is penalised in this manner to take the                              start from the back of the grid.
45.                            Are the Stewards’ decisions final?
No. Any competitor                              who feels that he has been unfairly penalised by a                              Stewards’ decision may appeal against this decision                              before the International Court of Appeal. He must                              declare his intention to do so within one hour of                              being notified of the Stewards’ decision. Similarly, the FIA has the right to defer a decision of the Stewards                              to the International Court of Appeal, if it believes                              that the Stewards have misjudged or inappropriately                              penalised the matter. There have already been cases                              in which the Stewards or the Clerk of the Course have                              been penalised by having their licenses suspended,                              or in which competitors’ rights have been restored                              by the International Court of Appeal.
46.                            What is the International Court of Appeal?
It is the final                              and highest recourse, and is, in a way, the Fédération                              Internationale de l’Automobile’s very own “Supreme                              Court of Appeal”. The International Court of                              Appeal is independent of the Sport, and its fifteen                              members, who have a three-year mandate, are chosen                              from amongst eminent judges and magistrates (some                              of whom are Supreme Court of Appeal judges in their                              own country). In order for the International Court                              of Appeal to be able to convene, at least three judges                              must be present, none of whom may be of the same nationality                              as any of the parties concerned.
47.                            What are the prerogatives of the Clerk of the Course                            and the Race Director?
The Clerk of                              the Course, who is nominated by the organiser, is                              materially responsible for the coordination of all                              the officials and track marshals at the Grand Prix.                              It is he who gives the order to send out the safety                              car, for example, or to stop the race or practice                              session. Nevertheless, the Clerk of the Course must                              work closely with, and under the authority of, the                              Race Director, who is nominated by the FIA. The same                              Race Director officiates at all the Grands Prix in                              the Championship.   The Race Director also acts as Safety Delegate and                              Official Starter, while it is the Clerk of the Course                              who waves the traditional chequered flag at the end                              of the race.
48.                            How is the race started?
Half an hour                              before the start, the cars leave the pit lane. The                              drivers may cover several laps if they wish, but to                              do this they must pass through the pit lane at greatly                              reduced speed. They come to a standstill on the starting                              grid with their engines stopped.
Fifteen minutes                              before the start, the pit lane exit is closed and                              any driver who is not yet on the track has to start                              from the pit lane exit, after all the other competitors                              have gone past.
Five minutes                              before the start, access to the grid is closed and                              any driver who is delayed on the circuit has to start                              from the pit lane exit. His vacant position is not                              filled on the grid.
When the green                              light comes on, the drivers begin the formation lap.                              When they come back to the grid, they keep their engines                              running. Once all the                              cars have come to a halt in their starting positions,                              the starter activates the automatic pre-programmed                              final start procedure: five lights turn red one after                              the other at one second intervals until all five lights                              are lit. The start signal is the extinction of all                              the lights at once. This occurs between 0.2 and 3                              seconds after the last red light has been lit. This                              lapse of time is pre-programmed by the starter at                              each race, but kept secret. If a driver is delayed                              during the formation lap and arrives within sight                              of the grid once the starting procedure is underway,                              he must start from the pit lane.
49. How are false starts detected?
Each position                              on the grid is equipped with electronic sensors. These                              transmit a signal to a central unit located in the                              control tower if any car moves before the start signal                              has been given. The Stewards will usually inflict                              a time penalty on a driver who jumps the start.
50.                            What happens if a driver stalls on the starting grid?
There are three                              distinct scenarios:
If a driver                                stalls while the green light is on (indicating the                                start of the formation lap), his mechanics are allowed                                to push the car to get it to start, once all the                                competitors have left the grid. Since overtaking                                is not permitted during the formation lap, he must                                start from the back of the grid. However, a driver                                who has had difficulty starting the car but who                                manages to leave before the last car has crossed                                the Start/Finish line is allowed to overtake during                                the formation lap and take up his original position                                on the grid.
If a driver                                stalls on the grid after the formation lap, but before the start, he must raise his arm to notify                                the starter, who turns on the flashing yellow lights.                                The start is aborted and the procedure begins again                                from the “5-minute” board. In order to                                compensate for the additional formation lap, the                                race is reduced by one lap. The driver responsible                                for the false start must start from the back of                                the grid.
If a driver                                stalls during the start (when all the lights are                                extinguished), and therefore too late for the starting                                procedure to be interrupted and aborted, the marshals                                will push his car to the pit lane once all the competitors                                have left the grid. If the driver is then able to                                start his engine, he may rejoin the race. Otherwise,                                he is pushed back to his pit where his mechanics                                will take over.
51.                            Are there special starting procedures in the event of                            rain?
In the event                              of rain, the regulations provide for different possibilities,                              depending on the circumstances:
If the                                rain is such that, in the opinion of the Race Director,                                it would be dangerous to start the race with the                                normal procedure, it is possible to start behind                                the “Safety Car”. In this case, the revolving                                yellow lights on the Safety Car, which is positioned                                in front of the starting grid, are switched on at                                the 5-minute signal. This indicates to the drivers                                that the race will be started behind the Safety                                Car. When the green light is switched on, the Safety                                Car leaves the grid followed by all the other cars.                                The race starts when the leading car having completed                                one lap crosses the Start/Finish line. Overtaking                                is permitted only after the Safety Car has returned                                into the pit lane (see 55). Prior to this, overtaking                                is only permitted in order to pass a car which remains                                on the grid, or in order to retain a grid position                                provided the car overtaking left the grid before                                the last car crossed the Start/Finish line.
If it starts                                to rain after the 5-minute signal but before the                                start of the race, the procedure may be interrupted                                and recommence at the 15-minute point.
If the                                start of the race is imminent and a particularly                                heavy shower begins, and the volume of water on                                the track is such that it cannot be negotiated safely,                                the procedure may be interrupted by the Race Director,                                who will order a “10” board with a red                                background to be shown. This indicates that the                                start has been aborted and that there will be a                                delay of at least 10 minutes before the procedure                                is resumed.If weather conditions have improved at the end of                                the ten-minute period, a “10” board with                                a green background will be shown, indicating that                                the start of the formation lap will be given 10                                minutes later. If however, the weather conditions                                have not improved within ten minutes, the “10” board with the red background is shown again, indicating                                a further delay of ten minutes. This procedure may                                be repeated several times, but it is not necessary                                to wait for the end of the 10 minutes to show the                                green board.
52.                            Can the race be stopped?
Yes, the Clerk                              of the Course (under the direction of the FIA Race                              Director) may interrupt the race at any time in the                              interests of safety, and particularly if the circuit                              is blocked. This is done by ordering red flags to                              be shown along the whole of the track.
In the event                              of this happening, there are three possibilities,                              depending on the number of laps completed by the race                              leader:
A. Less than two laps                              completed
B. Two or more laps completed, but less than                              75% of the total distance of the race.
C.75% or more of the total race distance completed.
In case A,                              which is typical when accidents occur during the start,                              the first start is considered null and void and the                              new start is given twenty minutes later.
In case B, the race is considered to be in                              two parts. Thus, if the safety conditions permit,                              there is a second start twenty minutes later, for                              which the grid is determined on the basis of the classification                              of the penultimate lap before the signal to stop the                              race was given (red flag). If a second start cannot                              be given, the classification of the race will be that                              of the penultimate lap preceding the signal to stop                              the race and only half the points will be awarded.
In case C, the race will be considered as finished,                              and all the points will be awarded on the basis of                              the classification of the penultimate lap preceding                              the signal to stop the race.
54.                            When is the Safety Car used?
The purpose                              of the Safety Car is to neutralise the race in the                              event of an accident or other incident which exposes                              competitors or officials to immediate physical danger.                              This is not only to allow ambulances and other emergency                              teams to be able to get through, but also because                              the presence of these vehicles on the track would                              constitute a major risk for the other competitors                              if the race had not been neutralised. However, the                              Safety Car may only be used when the track is not                              blocked.
55.                            What procedure is followed for the safety car?
The Clerk of                              the Course (under the direction of the FIA Race Director)                              is responsible for giving the order to dispatch the                              Safety Car. When the Safety Car is in use, and as                              soon as it leaves the pit-lane, a yellow flag together                              with the “SC” board is shown at the track                              marshals’ posts. Overtaking is prohibited, and the                              cars must reduce their speed and line up, in classification                              order, behind the Safety Car. As soon as circuit (or                              weather) conditions permit, the Safety Car will extinguish                              its revolving lights and return to the pit lane to                              indicate that the race will start again when the cars                              next cross the Start/Finish line.
57.                            May a car stop at its pit while the safety car is on                            the track?
Yes, but it                              may only rejoin the track when the green light is                              on in the pit lane. It will be on at all times except                              when the Safety Car and the line of cars following                              it are about to pass or are passing the pit exit.                              A car rejoining the track will proceed at reduced                              speed until it reaches the end of the line of cars                              behind the Safety Car.
Thus, a car which makes a pit stop in such circumstances                              will lose its position and rejoin the race at the                              back of the field, but not necessarily in last place                              since there might be cars in the field which are one                              or more laps behind the car which made the pit-stop.
59.                            Are there any speed limits?
Strange though                              it may seem, yes, but only in the pit lane, where                              the speed limit is between 80 or 120 kph (50 or 75                              mph), depending on the circuit and the configuration                              of the pit lane.
There are electronic devices checking the speed of                              the cars along the whole of the pit lane; if a competitor                              exceeds the limit during the race, he is usually penalised                              with a time penalty (see question 44), whereas if                              he exceeds it during a practice session, he is usually                              given a fine ($ x km). However, as in everyday life,                              the severity of the punishment is proportional to                              the seriousness of the offense, and also takes repeat                              offenses into account.
To avoid this, most of the constructors have equipped                              their cars with a “speed limiter” which                              the driver has to activate (usually by pressing a                              button on the steering wheel) as soon as he enters                              the pit lane. However, sometimes drivers forget to                              do so….
60.                            In what conditions are the cars weighed?
The Scrutineers                              may weigh the cars at all times, to make sure that                              they never weigh less than 600 kg, including driver.                              Electronic weighing devices are located at the entrance                              to the pit lane to enable these checks to be carried                              out. During qualifying practice, an electronic programme                              selects at random the cars which are to be checked.                              When a car is chosen by the computer, a red light                              comes on and the driver returning to his pit must                              proceed to the weighing area. If the weight of the                              car is insufficient, the driver is excluded for the                              rest of the event, but he has the right to request                              that the car be weighed a second time. To avoid cheating,                              any car which breaks down on the circuit also has                              to pass in front of the computer which decides whether                              the car must be weighed in the same conditions. At                              the finish of the race, all the cars are directed                              to the parc fermé where they are weighed; the                              drivers are also weighed before proceeding to the                              podium or to their motorhome. If a car’s weight does                              not comply at the finish, it is excluded from the                              classification. Such an instance has already occurred.
61.                            What are the different signals which the officials may                            give to the competitors?
In addition                              to the red flag, “stopping the race”,                              and the chequered flag, “end of the race”,                              there are other flags, each having a specific meaning.
The blue flag indicates “a competitor                              is about to overtake you”, but if the flag is                              waved, it orders him to let the other car overtake,                              on pain of a time penalty for obstruction. This order                              is only given to a car which is one or more laps behind the overtaker. The yellow flag indicates danger,                              and overtaking under yellow flag is always prohibited.                              Also the yellow flag may have two meanings, depending                              if it is stationary (“drive well within your                              limits”) or waved (“slow down”).
The green flag indicates the end of the danger                              and of the ban on overtaking. The flag with vertical red and yellow stripes warns the competitors                              that the track is slippery (usually oil), and a black                              flag with an orange disc accompanied by the number                              of a car warns the driver that his car has a mechanical                              problem and that he must go to his pit. A flag with                              a white triangle and a black triangle accompanied                              by the number of a car is a warning for unsporting                              behaviour. The black flag, accompanied by the                              number of a car, summons the driver of such car to                              immediately return to his pit. This procedure is mostly                              used to notify a competitor of his exclusion from                              the race.
62.                            Does the chequered flag always signal the finish?
Yes, even if                              the Clerk of the Course waves his flag too early, the race still ends when he gives this signal. However,                              if he waves it too late the classification is that                              obtained at the end of the scheduled number of laps.                              Only cars which have covered 90% of the distance will                              be classified. A driver does not necessarily have                              to still be on the track to be classified, but if                              a car takes more than twice as long as the fastest                              lap time achieved by the winner to complete his last                              lap, this lap will not be taken into account.
If an event                              is due to be held on a new circuit, free practice                              may take place on the Thursday before the event.
Otherwise, private testing is forbidden:
On any circuit                                which appears on the Formula One World Championship                                calendar, except for Monza, Barcelona, Silverstone                                and Magny-Cours.
On all circuits                                during the week preceding the event (except for                                a shakedown test of no more than 50 km).
On any circuit                                which has not been approved for Formula One.

The Tour de France: a guide to the basics - Telegraph
Tour de France
The Tour de France: a guide to the basics
Confused by the cols? Puzzled by the peloton? The Tour de France is more    popular than ever in England but it hasn't got any easier to understand. For    all of you who find yourself a little confused as the world's biggest bike    race winds its way around France, here are a few basic pointers to guide    you...
Safety in numbers: Team Sky's Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe and Wout Poels protect their leader, Chris Froome Photo: EPA
Follow
There are some sports you can switch on and grasp what's going on within a few seconds. They've scored more goals, she has more points, he's in front of him, etc. The fact that a tennis game went against serve or that one Formula 1 driver's had more pit stops than another is about as complicated as the tactical situation gets.
Not so the Tour de France . The most famous of cycling's grand tours is, for many, about as easy to understand as it would be to win on the clapped-out, rusted old Raleigh in the shed. How can a rider win it without winning a single stage? What do all the different coloured jerseys mean? And just how do they go the toilet?
Terminology is presented here both in English and, for those out to impress, en Français.
The race and its various stages
The Tour goes on for three weeks, during which the riders cover about 3,500km in a rough circuit of the country. It is divided into 21 days of racing, with each day's stage lasting up to five and a half hours and covering up to 225km. Some stages are relatively flat, some torturously mountainous. Each stage has its own winner and offers points for the first 15 riders across both the finish line and and intermediate line around halfway through.
The Tour comprises five competitions in total: the general classification, points classification, mountains classification, best young rider, and team classification. The rider that completes all the stages in the lowest time over three weeks comes top of the general classification and wins the Tour. The points and mountains classifications are won on points, the general, young rider and team classifications on time. More on that later.
Teams and riders
A total of 198 riders start the Tour in 22 teams of nine. Each team is followed around the course by a support car, from which a sporting director (directeur sportif) can give instructions over the radio, refresh water and supplies, and give mechanical help and replacement bikes during the race. Riders can also get mechanical help from a neutral service car in the event of a puncture or other failure, and treatment from the medical car.
Each team of nine riders will have a leader, with the remaining riders – known as domestiques, literally 'servant' riders – responsible for supporting him in doing what he does best, whether that's getting stage wins, accumulating points, or going for the overall win.
In the case of British Team Sky, they have an overall contender in Chris Froome and the team's job includes protecting him, setting the pace for him, and chasing down attacks by other contenders.
If the leader of the group were a good sprinter say, not in contention for the overall win, the team focus would be getting him near the front of the bunch on stages with sprints, where points can be won toward getting the green jersey.
The different competitions and jerseys
The yellow jersey (maillot jaune): the most important one, as we all know. The famous yellow jersey is worn by the rider at the top of the general classification, meaning they have completed the stages so far in the least time. Wearing yellow in the Tour for just a day or two can be the highlight of a cyclist's career. At the end it goes to the winner.
Contenders for the yellow jersey don't worry about winning every stage, or maybe even any. As long as the riders in front of them on the road are a good way behind them in the overall standings, they will concentrate on where the other yellow jersey contenders are relative to them.
The green jersey (maillot vert): goes to the rider with the most points overall, leader of the points classification. Points are given for the first 15 riders across an intermediate sprint line about halfway through the race and the finish line. It is sprinters like Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan who tend to aim for the green jersey.
The polka-dot jersey (maillot a pois): a prestigious garment, this is also known as the 'King of the Mountains' jersey. The red polka dots go to the rider who has won the most points in the mountain sections of stages by reaching the top of categorised climbs first. Like the green jersey system, but specifically for the climbers.
The white jersey (maillot blanc): a junior yellow basically. Given to the rider under 26 with the lowest overall time.
Those are the four main jerseys, there is also the rainbow stripes on white worn by the world champion, currently Michal Kwiatkowski, and jerseys with nation colours are worn by the champions of individual countries.
Last (and probably least), the team classification, which goes to the fastest team. Measured by the times of the top three riders, the team classification is rewarded with a yellow race number and the opportunity to all wear yellow helmets.
A red race number is awarded to the most combative rider of the previous day's stage - someone who has put in a decent attack or two during the day.
Sprints and 'lead-out trains'
Teams built around sprinters often create a lead-out train in the run up to the finish or intermediate sprint, guiding their fast-man through the front of the pack where he can break out from behind his final lead out man and make a dash for it. Going solo and piggy-baking on other teams' wheels is known as 'freelancing'.
Time trials
The vast majority of the stages of the Tour are long road races, but there are also two or three time trials. Often called the race of truth ('you can't hide from the clock'), they see the riders set off at regular intervals, racing alone against time along a shorter course than normal stages. The time they take on the course is then simply added to their overall time. Special time trial bikes are used for these stages and a different cycling position, designed to be more aerodynamic at the cost of comfort and stability.
Breakaways and attacks
The Tour is a tactical affair. Riders don't simply set off attempting to go as fast as they can at all times. They largely ride together in a main group called the peloton with small groups breaking away off the front in nearly every stage. It is customary for a group of three to six or so riders to break off the peloton early and go out ahead, often just to reward their sponsor with some time on camera, sometimes hoping they can make it stick for the whole day's racing and take a stage win. The breakaways rarely contain overall contenders, and the peloton will happily let them stray around five to 10 minutes down the road, depending on who's among them, before swallowing them up again when they have tired out.
Attacks, which often take place on climbs, will see a rider suddenly break away from the group he is with and accelerate ahead hoping that the other riders will not be able to stay with him. Domestique riders can be vital when leaders attack, pacing them up the climbs and chasing down other attacks by other leaders to try and stay in control.
Crashes
The early stages of this year's Tour were marred by several big bunch crashes, likely down to what commentators like to call a "nervous peloton" at the beginning of the Tour. Crashes can destroy an overall contender's hopes in seconds, which is why teams like Team Sky and BMC Racing like to ride right at the front of the peloton where they are least at risk of being taken out by a crash. Riders who get knocked off or held up by crashes in the last 3km of a stage are awarded the same time as the rest of the peloton.
Etiquette
The Tour is a gentlemanly affair, for the most part, with riders often slowing down to allow others to catch up after a crash or puncture. Attacking in the wake of such incidents is frowned upon. The yellow jersey is often looked to in such incidents to lead the peloton.
Eating, drinking, using the bathroom.
People do get to wondering, with the riders out for up to five hours a day on their bikes, how they eat, drink and use the toilet. Each stage has a feeding station along the way, at which riders will grab a bag (musette) from someone working for their team standing on the side of the road. The bags contain things like energy bars and gels, as well as sandwiches and drinks. As for going to the toilet, riders will sometimes just take care of business while riding, with other riders taking care not to overtake at the time. Other times the peloton will generally agree to stop up by the side of the road somewhere discrete, with few spectators, and the cameras will artfully cut away to show viewers a nice bit of local architecture or geography with some historical commentary to boot.
That stuffed lion
One of the most confusing elements of all for the novice viewer: why do they give the yellow jersey holder a stuffed lion at the end of the stage? Not a symbol of riderly prowess, unfortunately, but the logo of French bank Credit Lyonnaise, which has sponsored the jersey since 1987.

Grand Prix - MTG Salvation Wiki
Grand Prix
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A Grand Prix, frequently abbreviated GP, is a type of DCI -sanctioned Magic: The Gathering tournament. Grand Prix events are open to all players, with no need to qualify for the event, unlike a Pro Tour event. [1] [2] As a result, these tournaments have the largest turnouts of any Magic tournaments.
Grand Prix events are split over two days, with the top players advancing to Day 2 and a final single elimination top eight playoff taking place at the end of Day 2.
Contents
Structure[ edit | edit source ]
Currently, Grand Prix are two-day events with nine rounds of Swiss on day one, and six rounds on day two (five for team events), followed by a top eight playoff (top four for team events). In the past, Grand Prix had rounds according to the size of the event; individual Grand Prix events had 11 to 17 rounds of Swiss, but present-day individual events have 15 rounds regardless of size, while team events have 14.
In order to advance to the second day of competition, players need to have at least 18 match points (a 6–3 record). [3]
Grand Prix events are either Limited , Team Limited, Standard , Modern , or Legacy , and starting in 2017, Team Modern. [4] For Limited Grand Prix, day one of competition is Sealed deck , while day two is Booster draft . For Team Limited Grand Prix, the Swiss portion is Team Sealed, while the single elimination is Team Draft.
Grand Prix events' prize purse depends on the size of the tournament, with a minimum of $50,000. [5] Starting in 2016, the winner of individual Grand Prix earns $10,000. [3] [6]
Attendance
30 points
1
Additionally, the top finishers at Grand Prix events qualify for the Pro Tour it feeds. All players in the top eight receive an invitation. Additionally, for individual Grand Prix, all players with 39 or more match points (a 13–2 record) win an invitation; for team Grand Prix, players on teams with 36 or more match points (a 12–2 record) receive invitations. Starting with the 2015–16 season, players who earn invitations this way also get free airfare.
Byes[ edit | edit source ]
It is possible to earn free wins (byes) at individual Grand Prix events by fulfilling various requirements. Byes are awarded at the start of the first day of competition; a player with three byes gets an automatic win in the first three rounds of a Grand Prix.
The requirements for byes are as follows:
One bye:
Have 1,300 Yearly Planeswalker Points (current season or previous season)
Two byes:
Be Silver-level in the Pro Players Club
Win a Grand Prix Trial
Three byes:
Be a member of the Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame
Previously, winning a Grand Prix Trial or having a sufficient number of Planeswalker Points (or a high enough DCI Rating, prior to 2012) could make a player earn three byes; however, the requirement for three byes has been tightened, as Wizards found the number of three-round byes awarded to be detrimental to tournament play. [7]
No byes are awarded at Team Limited events.
Grand Prix Trials[ edit | edit source ]
Grand Prix Trials, or GPTs, are tournaments associated with a particular Grand Prix, often using the same format. Winning a GPT will give a player two byes for the Grand Prix it feeds. GPTs are held locally around the world, and at the Grand Prix itself; GPTs at Grand Prix are typically held on the day before the event (the Friday), and are 32-man single elimination tournaments.
Trivia[ edit | edit source ]
The largest Grand Prix tournament of all time was GP Las Vegas 2015 ( Modern Masters 2015 Limited ), with 7,551 players. However, this event was split into two Grand Prix; if these are counted as separate events, the largest Grand Prix was GP Las Vegas 2013 ( Modern Masters Limited ), with 4,500 players.
The largest Standard Grand Prix: GP Tokyo 2016 – 3,335 players
The largest Modern Grand Prix: GP Richmond 2014 – 4,303 players
The largest Extended Grand Prix: GP Atlanta 2011 – 1,223 players
The largest Legacy Grand Prix: GP New Jersey 2014 – 4,003 players
The largest Block Constructed Grand Prix: GP Madrid 2004 – 1,465 players
The largest Team Limited Grand Prix: GP Washington, D.C. 2016 – 3,366 players (1,122 teams)
The smallest Grand Prix tournaments of all time were both at Melbourne: GP Melbourne 1998 ( Limited ) and GP Melbourne 2005 ( Extended ), both with 140 players.
The most successful Grand Prix player of all time is Japanese professional player Shuhei Nakamura , with seven wins in 27 top eights.
Notably, all of Nakamura's wins were at Limited Grand Prix events.
Yuuya Watanabe and Kai Budde also have seven Grand Prix wins, but they have 25 and 15 top eights, respectively.
Olivier Ruel has 28 top eights, but only five wins.
No player has finished a Grand Prix with a perfect record (no draws or losses). The closest was Jeremey Schofield, who lost in the finals of Grand Prix Vancouver 2012 to David Stroud after finishing the Swiss rounds 15–0. [8]
Four additional players have finished the Swiss portion of the event 15–0: Kevin Grove at Grand Prix Brighton 2009, [9] Fabrizio Anteri at Grand Prix Madrid 2015, [10] Josh Buitenhuis at Grand Prix Toronto 2016, [11] and Mike Sigrist at Grand Prix New York 2016. [12] All four players lost in the quarterfinals.
Germany's Christoph Hölzl posted a 14–0 record for the Swiss portion of Grand Prix London 2002, but lost in the finals to Jakub Slemr . [13] Rene Kraft did the same at Grand Prix Birmingham 2004, losing in the finals to Stefan Jedlicka. [14]
The oldest Grand Prix winner at the time of the win was American Tom Swan, who was 50 years old when he won Grand Prix Boston 2001. [15]
Eight players have won two consecutive Grand Prix events:
Kai Budde won GP Barcelona on 6–7 February 1999, and then GP Vienna on 13–14 March 1999.
Daniel Clegg won GP Turin on 26–27 May 2001, and then GP Taipei on 21–22 July 2001 (both of these were Team Limited Grand Prix).
Kenji Tsumura won GP Kuala Lumpur on 3–4 June 2006, and then GP Toulouse on 24–25 June 2006.
Shuhei Nakamura won GP St. Louis on 22–23 July 2006, and then GP Hiroshima on 19–20 August 2006.
Raphaël Lévy won GP Dallas on 24–25 February 2007, and then GP Singapore on 3–4 March 2007.
Tomoharu Saito won GP Singapore on 21–22 March 2009, and then GP Kobe on 18–19 April 2009.
Yuuya Watanabe won GP Shanghai on 20–21 August 2011, and then GP Pittsburgh on 27–28 August 2011.
Owen Turtenwald won GP Washington, D.C. on 16–17 November 2013, and then GP Albuquerque on 23–24 November 2013.

Pontiac Grand Prix Accessories & Parts - CARiD.com
Pontiac Grand Prix Accessories & Parts
A WholeNew LookFor Your Interior
One of Pontiac's original performance-oriented cruisers, the Grand Prix first set sail on American roadways in the early '70s and lasted over thirty years. The first generation of the Pontiac Grand Prix debuted in 1973 as a midsize sports sedan. The model was deemed by the automaker to present a viable option for U.S. car buyers over the influx of upscale luxury entrants from Europe and elsewhere. The standard engine equipped inside the Grand Prix was a 6.5L V8, which got credit for producing up to 170 horsepower. An optional 7.4L V8 configuration stepped it up a notch with 230 horsepower, while a boosted version threw out up to 250 hp. The Grand Prix was also offered with either a single or dual exhaust system. Throughout the 1970s, Pontiac did not implement many changes to the Grand Prix parts other than various restyling cues. Pontiac halted production of the car by 1975 due to the oil crisis and sagging sales. But in 1978, the Grand Prix was brought back, this time smaller and with a few V8 engine configurations to choose from. Although more compact than the previous generation, the Grand Prix was still geared towards performance and showcased a radial tuned suspension as well as both front and rear sway bars.
The second generation of the Pontiac Grand Prix came and went quickly, as it was phased out by 1980. For the model's third go-round, the Grand Prix was essentially a compact car that was given a little muscle. It was initially outfitted with a 2.5L Tech IV, but by 1987, a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder sourced from the Sunbird GT began being used. As the '90s approached, the Grand Prix received a 2.3L LD2 High Output Quad 4 that pumped out 160 horsepower along with 155 pounds-per-foot of torque. A slightly more powerful LG0 2.3L High Output Quad 4 offered up to 180 hp. Pontiac instituted another redesign for Grand Prix parts with the model heading into the 1992 model year. Introduced as the fourth generation of the Grand Prix, the model was given smoother lines and a new base SOHC 2.3L Quad 4. Antilock brakes were made standard for the first time, as well. 1996 welcomed in another redesign to Grand Prix parts. Once again, the exterior parts were restyled for a more aerodynamic look. Dual airbags, a new stereo, and an updated design highlighted the interior. Air conditioning became standard a year later, but no other major changes were introduced until the premiere of the fifth generation Grand Prix in 1999.
When the fifth generation was released for the 1999 model year, the Pontiac Grand Prix displayed a slightly longer wheelbase, an independent suspension, and five separate trim levels: SE. SE1, SE2, GT, and GT1. The base engine (SE and SE1) was a 2.4L Twin Cam inline four-cylinder good for 150 horsepower mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. The SE2, GT, and GT1 used a 3.4L V6, which got credit for churning out up to 170 (GT- 175) horsepower along with 150 pounds-per-foot of torque (GT- 200). All trims featured traction control and antilock brakes. In 2001, Pontiac dropped the SE2 trim level and a year after that, a new 2.2L DOHC Ecotec four-cylinder engine (140 hp/150 pounds-per-foot of torque) was introduced into the lineup to replace the previous 2.4L. 2005 saw Pontiac stop producing the GT coupe. This eventually led to the introduction of the G6, the Grand Prix's successor. Although no longer assembled, the Pontiac Grand Prix is still a visible presence on the blacktop. While it was in production, the Pontiac Grand Prix was consistently recognized as one of GM's most successful and reliable cars with impressive sales numbers to back it up.
One of the more respected models that helped put Pontiac on the map, the Grand Prix is a success story that keeps adding chapters. This sedan fills a variety of roles depending on the type of driver behind the wheel. For some, it is a family car that gets the job done, equipped with reliable Pontiac Grand Prix parts delivering efficiency. For others, it is a custom-enhanced joyride of class and performance that takes on a whole new personality due to stylish accessories. It doesn't really matter. After all, that's what it was designed for. The Pontiac Grand Prix is still a presence because of its unrelenting versatility and style.
CARiD.com knows premier quality is always the name of the game. Our inventory of Pontiac Grand Prix Accessories and Parts is all the proof you need. We handpick the most respected brand-names in the business and offer them right here at the best prices on the web. That means you can get your hands on all the Pontiac Grand Prix accessories and parts that make a difference, including spoilers, floor mats, wheels, and grille guards. Pontiac Grand Prix accessories help distinguish your car from the rest of the pack. Let everyone know it's time to follow the leader!
Whatever you expect from your Pontiac Grand Prix, a bold look, mind-boggling performance, greater ride comfort, or safer driving, CARiD goes the extra mile to meet all your needs. Our extensive range of premium accessories and parts covers all the bases, whether you want your vehicle to be more powerful, smarter, fun to drive, or just need to restore it to original condition. We know how to throw a classy appeal into your Pontiac Grand Prix and keep it providing the best performance, so trust us and get the greatest bang for the buck!
Featured Products
Classic Car Seats | Finish Your Interior Restoration in Style
When you've got an unrestored classic car, it's almost par for the course that the original seats are worn out structurally, if not visibly. You may have gotten used to the sagging, pinching, and squeaking that comes from tired or broken seat frame components, but the point always comes where you just can't take any more.
October 25, 2016
How To Install 'Cut-out' Fender Flares
Fenders are the body panels that surround a car or truck's wheel wells. Because they contribute so much to the overall shape and look of your vehicle, it's easy to forget that fenders serve an extremely valuable function  - keeping water, snow, dirt and debris from being flung upward from the tire treads and onto the body or glass of the vehicle.
September 06, 2016
How to Install Dash & Rear Deck Covers
In other areas of our website, we've pointed out that dashboards and rear deck areas are usually among the more neglected areas of your vehicle. They are constantly exposed to the  sun's damaging ultraviolet rays, yet they're still perceived as needing zero upkeep.
September 01, 2016
Chrome Mirror Covers Hide Scratches and Add Brightness
Narrow driveways with inches to spare on each side. Overgrown roadways with bushes and tree branches sticking out into the center. Crowded garages filled with bicycles and lawn  equipment strewn everywhere. Supermarket parking lots where shoppers push their carts errantly close to get by.
August 25, 2016
Tonneau Cover Cleaners & Protectors Remove the Dirt & Restore the Shine
At CARiD, we sell a lot of tonneau covers because we're real believers in their benefits, and because we offer a broader selection than our competitors. We also use many different  styles and makes of vinyl tonneau covers on our own trucks for demonstration purposes, and we've learned quite a bit about them.
August 23, 2016
Bumper Guards | Full-Width Protection in the City and the Country
You may never go off-roading or drive down wooded trails where large animals are likely to materialize in front of your path, but if you live in city areas or suburbs, you still need  to prepare your car or truck for survival in a different type of jungle - the urban jungle.
August 15, 2016
No-drill Fender Flares are So Easy to Install!
Have you ever seen another truck like yours and thought, "It looks the same as mine, but more…rugged"? And after a moment of reflection, the answer finally came to you why. The other vehicle was equipped with fender flares, and yours wasn't. Yes, there's a reason automakers fit fender flares on top-trim versions of their cars and trucks at the factory. It's because they can serve as elegant-looking pieces that make your vehicle look more expensive, or as more robust ones that add well-toned, muscular definition, without great cost or complexity. Because we understand just how much they add to a vehicle, we offer a great selection of fender flares. And regardless of what you opt for, fender flares can be left their original color (usually black), or they can be easily custom painted to blend in or contrast as desired.
July 07, 2016
Dash Kit Options: Upgrade Kits, Factory Match Wood
There's no question that custom dash kits add richness and spice to your vehicle's interior - regardless of whether you choose a finish of wood, brushed metal, carbon fiber, bright  solid colors, or even camouflage. The high-quality trim sets we offer are crafted to exacting specifications in order to ensure everything looks right and fits tight the way original  equipment does.
June 30, 2016
Interior Mirror Options Bring You into the 21st Century
It may be hard to imagine, but interior rearview mirrors are subject to a lot of stress. Direct sunlight and extreme interior temperatures take their toll - eventually causing glue  and bonding materials to deteriorate from the edges inward. As a result, those edges of the mirror appear to be crinkling up like tinfoil - a distracting and unsightly sight that has  the effect of making the rest of your vehicle seem old and tired.
June 24, 2016
Rear Deck Covers Complete Your Interior Protection
If you've got a coupe or sedan, when was the last time you actually looked at your vehicle's interior "rear deck"? This is the horizontal shelf that sits between the rear window  and the edge of the rear seat back cushion. This area may also be described as a hat shelf or package tray, and it's usually covered at the factory in carpeting or other material  that's closely knit and low in height. This covering is discreet enough to blend into surrounding areas of the interior and, in most cases, no one gives it a thought.
June 23, 2016
Grille Emblems | The Finishing Touch to Your Factory or Custom Grille
A grille emblem is a source of pride for vehicle manufacturers because it's a final signature on what designers and engineers have spent a lot of time and hard work creating.  It's fair to say a grille emblem is similar to an artist's name on a completed painting - because both represent a show of pride about what's been created, and in the creator's  own abilities to produce it. And while pieces by any artist will vary, the signature on them is distinctive in its own right because it's the one constant that doesn't change.  If an artist or carmaker goes in a new direction, that signature may be the only thing that's recognizable initially - until what's newly created becomes appreciated on its own  merits.
June 21, 2016
Painted Tonneau Covers | Move From Utility To Luxury
If you're like most pickup truck owners, you carry a lot in the bed of your truck. And if your truck bed floor is bare, you may have noticed the increasing numbers of scratches and  dents that have resulted from loading and unloading cargo. Glancing back at your truck isn't as enjoyable any more - because the whole of it no longer shines with the unified look of  a single, unadulterated color. Or maybe you've protected your bed with a bedliner and have come to feel its black appearance just doesn't blend with your truck's finish the way you  thought it would.
May 24, 2016
Skid Plates Provide The Ultimate In Off-Road Protection
If you take your 4x4 off-roading, you have likely gained an appreciation of how unforgiving trails can be when it comes to your vehicle's underside. Deep ruts with rough edges can  appear out of nowhere, sturdy-looking rocks can shift unexpectedly, and tranquil bodies of water can hide everything from sinkholes to fallen tree trunks. Before you know it, the  underside of your truck has bounced off something hard enough to damage moving suspension components or puncture housings containing engine oil, gasoline, transmission fluid, or  differential gear oil.
May 18, 2016
What Is The Procedure To Install A Hood Scoop?
In the custom hoods section of our website, you'll find add-on hood air scoops that create an unmistakable look of power. Since the beginning of hot-rodding, racers have been fitting  scoops onto their cars both for looks and function. Over the years, many high-performance muscle cars have even featured them as original equipment on top trim levels. Hood scoop  openings can face forward in order to guide cool air into the engine, or the openings can face rearward to take advantage of the high pressure area at the base of the windshield.  Whichever way they are positioned, airflow under the hood increases - a factor that improves both induction and heat ventilation to varying degrees.
May 17, 2016
Lift Your Car Easily And Safely With A Quality Floor Jack
When working as a do-it-yourselfer (DIY), whether you're a beginner or an expert, having the right equipment to get your vehicle off the ground is a starting point for easier car  repairs at home. You work on your own vehicle because you enjoy the experience of improving your car or truck with your own hands, and you do it to save money. With that spirit  in mind, we've written this article to cover the very items that help you get started - floor jacks which are the right size, quality, and price for your home garage workshop.
May 06, 2016
How To Install A Set Of Custom Seat Covers
The design and construction of seat covers have truly come a long way. Computer-aided design and better production methods have allowed the creation of modern seat covers that are  custom-tailored to fit individual makes and models - stretching like a glove over every contour. And thanks to modern materials, today's covers will stay form-fittingly snug over  each fold and crease - even under heavy use. Passengers won't notice they are add-ons, and you may forget they're not original equipment yourself. Installation is relatively easy and  does not require any tools because seat covers we sell come equipped with all the straps, zippers, and clips you'll need to snugly secure them in place.
May 05, 2016
Portable Generators: Superstorm Salvation For The Household
With storms and weather events that intensify with every passing year, power outages lasting for extended periods of time have become commonplace - a problem that's only going to  get worse in the future. When power outages hit, hot water heaters, heating systems, kitchen appliances, basement pumps, security alarms, and other items that use electricity as  their lifeblood are rendered useless. You're left literally powerless to control your environment against extreme temperatures, and you have no way to stop flooding and property  damage that tend to go hand-in-hand with heavy storms.
May 04, 2016
Lifts & Ramps Safely Bring Your Vehicle Up To Working Height
The odds are that if you clicked on this article to read it, then you appreciate the idea of working on your own car. Perhaps when you pass by a professional garage or shop, you're a  bit envious as you glance in and see service bays filled with lifts and other equipment that make certain repair jobs easier. Professionals use lifts for a good reason - they allow  you to perform almost any repair at a more comfortable height so you can see clearly, apply torque easily, reach for tools faster, and have access to areas normally inaccessible with  the vehicle on the ground.
May 03, 2016
What Are My Choices For Custom Hood Materials?
An automobile hood is one of the body panels on your vehicle with the largest surface area, and it's the one panel you'll be looking at every minute you're behind the wheel.  Considering this, maybe you find it as odd as we do that many vehicle manufacturers have chosen to make modern hood panels flat and boring, thanks in large part to the search  for low wind resistance.
April 25, 2016
How To Install A Universal Sunroof Visor
Sunroof deflectors install on your vehicle's roof in front of the leading edge of the sunroof itself. The rounded, upwardly-curving shape they possess redirects air so it flows up  and over the sunroof opening instead of into the vehicle. Because of that built-in curve, most deflectors extend over and effectively cover approximately three to six inches of the  sunroof opening at the front - blocking sun glare that would normally beam directly into your eyes.
March 23, 2016
Rain Guards: In-Channel vs. Stick-On
Rain Guards, also known as wind deflectors, window deflectors, or window visors, are an underrated automotive accessory - simply because it's difficult to know just how effective they are until you experience them. However, once fitted on your car or truck, it's hard to imagine how you got along without them. Deflectors improve your vehicle's aerodynamics when the windows are down, reducing annoying wind noise. Deflectors also allow you to drive in the rain with windows cracked for ventilation without getting wet. And when blistering hot summer days roll around, windows can be left cracked in a parking lot without being noticeable to potential thieves.
March 23, 2016
The Age Old Debate: Do Bug Deflectors Work?
The effectiveness of bug deflectors has been a point of contention between believers and non-believers for a long time. Some insist they work wonders, while others swear to the  contrary. Because lots of testimonials supporting both points of view float around the internet and through word of mouth, deciding what to believe can be difficult. Before doing  that, it's important to understand the thinking behind bug deflector designs.
March 22, 2016
Sunroof Visors Let You Enjoy Fresh Air No Matter The Weather
According to recent statistics, over half of new vehicles sold in the United States are equipped with a factory "sunroof", "moonroof", "panorama roof", or similarly-named panel  which allows part of a vehicle's roof to slide open. It wouldn't be a stretch to say almost 9 million cars and trucks leave factories so equipped each year. And the reason for  their popularity is simple - sunroofs are great! They make it possible to enjoy fresh air, warm sun, and cool breezes right by our heads while driving our four-door sedans, SUVs,  and minivans. We get a taste of the convertible life without giving up 98% of the practicality we need every day. At the dealership, most buyers see a sunroof option on the checklist  and immediately envision blissfully taking in all the joys of Mother Nature while driving their future car. Mentally, the forecast is sunshine with no rain - a powerful enough  thought to make the extra cost of a sunroof seem well worthwhile.
March 16, 2016
How To Install Rain Guards | In-Channel And Stick-On
Rain Guards, also known as wind deflectors, window deflectors, or window visors, improve your vehicle's aerodynamics when the windows are down, reduce annoying wind noise,  shield you from rain spray, and allow windows to be left cracked in a parking lot without giving notice to potential thieves. Going forward, we'll refer to them as "deflectors"  in this article.
March 02, 2016
Rooftop Carriers Can Carry All Your Water Sports Equipment
So you've got a kayak, canoe, surfboard, or stand up paddleboard you can't wait to use. Before you can do that, however, you've got to find a practical way to get your toy to a lake  or ocean - safely, and without damage. While these watersport items embody grace and fluidity in the waves, the truth is they're extremely cumbersome to transport on land. If you  find yourself scratching your head trying to figure out the best solution, we've created this article to cover the many rooftop carriers for these items that we offer.
February 24, 2016
Rear Window Deflectors | Made To Shade Your Truck’s Back Glass
Have you ever driven your pickup truck and found that the sun glare coming from the rear window is a real nuisance? It's difficult to block the sunlight from streaming through that  location, especially given that your vehicle manufacturer was not thoughtful enough to provide fold-down visors for the rear window area. You could fashion and install some kind of  curtain, but that would only create a greater nuisance by blocking rear vision.
February 18, 2016
Do Rain Guards Really Work?
If the air conditioning system in your car no longer blows cold air because performing costly repairs isn't feasible, you've probably become familiar with the cooling off method some  describe as "460 Air Conditioning" - signifying 4 windows down at 60 miles per hour. You play around with just how much to open each window in order to create a balance that maximizes  crosswind and minimizes unpleasant, ear-popping buffeting inside the cabin. But no matter how hard you try, you and your hair still end up disheveled. Hopefully you're not going to a  place where that matters.
February 12, 2016
Rooftop Storage Solutions | Cargo Boxes, Bags, Baskets
Maybe you've got an SUV with three rows of seats. They're great fun when 6 or 8 people are along for a road trip, but most such modern vehicles utilize every inch of interior space  in order to fit that third row. Consequentially, there's virtually zero room for cargo when seats are in the upright position. Or maybe you have a similar problem with a compact  hatchback, or even a minivan. Your vehicle may have fold-flat seats that make carrying cargo easy, but what good are they when you need to bring passengers with you? You can't ask  adults to squeeze in between duffel bags or sporting gear, and you can't ask them to hang on tight and surf on the roof either.
February 11, 2016
Rooftop Carriers Can Carry All Your Winter Sports Equipment
Skiing and snowboarding are not inexpensive hobbies. After purchasing skis, poles, shoes, clothes, lift passes, and even lodging accommodations, you've shelled out enough money that  it becomes tempting to skip spending more on a rooftop carrier. But if you've ever jammed all your snow gear inside your car, you know how chaotic, slushy, and awkward that can be -  especially if you're trying to make room for friends and luggage. That's why we offer cleverly-designed rooftop carriers that won't break your bank in the  Ski & Snowboard Racks section of our website.
February 11, 2016

The Official Site of Mario Andretti
TODAY
1940s
Mario was born in Montona, Italy (now Croatia), about 35 miles from the northeastern city of Trieste. World War II broke out around the time he was born, at the beginning of 1940.          When the war ended, the peninsula of Istria, which is where Montona was located, became part of Yugoslavia. So the Andrettis were inside a Communist country. The family stuck it out for three years, hoping          that the only world they had ever known would right itself. In 1948, they decided to leave. Their first stop was a central dispersement camp in Udine. About a week later they were transferred to Lucca, in Tuscany.
For seven years, from 1948 to 1955, the Andrettis lived in a refugee camp in Lucca. They lived in one room with several other families - with blankets separating each one's quarters.
Unfortunately, it was not just 'pick up and go'. Formal requests for visas had to be submitted to the American Consulate. Only so many people got visas. And when they reached a quota, there were no more granted.          And many people were trying to leave. Some were going to Argentina, some to Australia, some to Canada. Everyone followed their imagination. And some people stayed. Whatever you thought was your best bet.
1950s
The Andrettis waited several years for U.S. visas. When they were finally granted, the family of five left all their belongings behind and began their new life in America. On the morning of June 16, 1955, the         Italian ocean liner Conte Biancamano arrived into New York Harbor. Settling in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, the family of five had $125 and didn't speak English. Mario and his twin brother, Aldo, were 15.
In 1954, a year before arriving in the United States, the twins had gone to Monza to watch the Italian Grand Prix. They were only 14 years old, but motor racing was becoming more and more of a dream for both boys.         In those days, it was more popular than any other sport in Italy. That was especially true in the 1950s, when Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo were the top players in Formula One. And the world champion at that time was         Alberto Ascari - Mario's idol.
So imagine the thrill when, a few days after arriving in America, the Andretti boys discovered a race track - right near their home in Pennsylvania. It was a half mile oval track, which was different than what they had         seen in Europe. And the cars were modified stock cars, not sophisticated grand prix cars. But there was a lot of speed. And it looked very, very do-able to them. The twins were now on a mission.
To become a racer, you need your own car. And there are only three ways to obtain a car: Steal it (which was against their principles). Buy it (except they didn't have any money). Or build it yourself (their only real         option). They set out listening to anybody who had even the slightest knowledge of a race car. They found out about engines, shocks, spring rates, suspension, chassis setup, and on and on.
With some local friends they built a car - a 1948 Hudson Hornet Sportsman Stock Car - and raced it for the first time in March of 1959. Four years after arriving in America, Mario and Aldo were racing. While Aldo didn't         have the same good fortune, Mario's career flourished as he won 20 races in the sportsman stock car class in his first two seasons.
1960s
Mario's "first victory of consequence" came on March 3, 1962, a 100-lap feature TQ Midget race at Teaneck, NJ. On Labor Day in 1963, he won three midget features on the same day - one at Flemington, NJ and two at Hatfield, PA.
After joining the United States Auto Club in 1964, Mario finished third in the sprint car point standings, capped by a dramatic victory in a 100-lap race at Salem, IN. He also drove in his first Indy Car event at         Trenton, NJ on April 19, 1964, starting 16th and finishing 11th in the 100-mile race, and earned $526.90 in his professional debut.
Mario won his first Indy Car race in 1965, the Hoosier Grand Prix, and finished third in the Indianapolis 500, earning him Rookie-of-the-Year honors. He went on to win his first Indy Car Championship that year -         with 12 top-four finishes - and became the youngest driver (at age 25) to win that title. In 1966, he won eight Indy Car races, his first pole at the Indy 500 and a second straight national championship.
In 1967, Mario's passion for racing saw him compete and win in the Daytona 500 stock car race, take his second pole at the Indy 500, claim his first of three career victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race,         finish as runner-up in the Indy Car national championship and be named Driver of the Year for the first time.
He even tried drag racing in 1968 - driving a Ford Mustang - and earned eight more Indy Car victories en route to second place in the Indy Car point standings. Realizing a lifelong dream, Mario qualified on the pole in         his very first Formula One race at the 1968 U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, but was forced out of the race with a clutch problem. But Grand Prix racing was in his blood and the decade of the Seventies would see his dream come true.
Mario's celebrated win in the Indianapolis 500 came in 1969. He led a total of 116 laps and established 15 of 20 new records set during that event. Mario scored a total of nine wins and five pole positions that season         and went on to win his third national Indy Car title. He ended the decade with a total of 30 victories and 29 poles out of 111 Indy Car starts.
1970s
The 1970s proved to be a decade of successful versatility for Andretti, beginning with his second victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1970, followed by his first Formula One triumph in South Africa, driving for Ferrari in 1971. His mastery of endurance racing was at its zenith in 1972, when he co-drove a Ferrari 312P to victory with Jacky Ickx at the 6 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, BAOC 1000 km at Brands Hatch and Watkins Glen 6 Hours.
He continued his attack on the open-wheel series, winning a total of seven Formula 5000 events in 1974 and 1975, while finishing second in points in both seasons. He also took the USAC National Dirt Track Championship title in 1974, with three wins.
Andretti returned full-time to the Grand Prix circuit in the mid-seventies. His quest for the world title began in earnest in 1976, racing for the legendary Colin Chapman at Team Lotus. Their first taste of success came in the year's final Grand Prix in Japan, a race Andretti won in a monumental downpour. Conditions, in fact, were so bad that Niki Lauda pulled into the pits and forfeited his chance to attain the championship.
In 1977, Mario was third in the world standings with seven poles and four wins, including Grand Prix victories in his native Italy (Monza) and again in the United States (Long Beach).
The culmination of his international career came in 1978, when he won the World Championship driving for Lotus, making him the first driver in motor racing history to win the Formula One and Indy Car titles. Mario dominated the scene with nine poles and six wins in the revolutionary "ground effects" Lotus, which he had worked so hard to develop, and joined Phil Hill (1961) as the only American ever to capture the world title. He was again honored by being selected Driver of the Year, in recognition of his accomplishments.
Andretti topped the sport's best again in 1979, taking the International Race of Champions (IROC) series. As the decade came to an end, his full-time return to Indy Cars was imminent.
1980s
In 1980, Mario competed for one last season with Team Lotus but was plagued by mechanical problems. He switched to the Alfa Romeo team in 1981, in what was to be his last full-time stint as a Formula One driver.
When the call came from his old friends at Ferrari to replace the injured Didier Pironi in 1982, Andretti put the car on pole at Monza and finished third, much to the delight of his Italian fans. The final Grand Prix start of his career was in the last race of the season at Las Vegas; however, a mechanical failure caused his day to end early. All told, Mario earned 12 victories and won 18 poles in a total of 128 Grand Prix starts.
As he returned to the States in the early 1980s to concentrate on Indy Car competition, Andretti teamed with his son Michael and Philippe Alliot to compete at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1983, where they qualified and finished third, the highest finish for a non-factory team. It was also Mario's first season with the newly-formed Newman/Haas Racing team.
The 1984 Indy Car season proved to be a memorable one for Andretti, who at age 44, won his fourth national championship by winning six events, eight pole positions and setting ten track records. The season was capped with his third Driver of the Year selection, bestowed for the first time by unanimous vote, making Mario the only man to ever win the trophy in three different decades (1969, 1978, 1984).
As the 80s progressed, Andretti continued to make racing history with some personal milestones. With his son, Michael, they established the first-ever, father-son front row in qualifying for the 1986 Phoenix Indy Car event, a feat they accomplished a total of ten times before the close of the decade.
In 1987, in the debut of the Chevrolet-powered engine, Mario sat on the pole eight times, including his third pole at the Indy 500. He went on to lead 170 of the first 177 laps before engine failure cut his day disappointedly short.
Mario won his 50th Indy Car race at Phoenix and his 51st at Cleveland in 1988. As the decade came to a close in 1989, Andretti took on what would be the ultimate teammate -his son, Michael. It marked the first father-son team in Indy Car history.
1990s
With his two sons (Michael and Jeff) and his nephew (John Andretti), Mario made another "first" as the four family members competed in the same Indy Car race at Milwaukee, June 3, 1990.
The following year, the four Andrettis raced against one another for the first time in the Indianapolis 500. Jeff was voted Rookie of the Year, joining Mario (1965) and Michael (1984) as the only three members of the same family to win the award.
In 1992, Mario achieved two new milestones. He became the oldest Indy Car pole winner when he earned his record-setting 66th pole at the Michigan 500 and, at Cleveland, he set an all-time record for most Indy Car race starts with 370 (Mario finished his career with 407 starts). He was also named Driver of the Quarter Century by a vote of all former Driver of the Year winners and a panel of 12 journalists.
As he began his 35th year of professional racing in 1993, Mario continued to make headlines with his 52nd Indy Car victory at the Phoenix 200, making him the first driver to win Indy Car races in four decades and the first driver to win races in five decades. This race also marked his 111th major career victory. Records continued to be made in 1993, when Mario set a world closed-course speed record (234.275 mph) in qualifying for the Michigan 500, as he earned his 67th pole. This record stood intact until 1996, a year after the track was repaved.
Mario decided that 1994 would be his final year of competition as a Indy Car driver. The season-long farewell campaign, entitled Arrivederci, Mario featured special tributes, salutes and honors at every race venue. As he sped around a Indy Car track for the last time on October 9, 1994 at Laguna Seca Raceway, the legend of Mario Andretti assumed its place in the record books and in the hearts of his many fans.
Even though officially retired, Mario continued the next few years to seek the one major trophy missing from his mantle, the 24 Hours of LeMans. He competed an additional four times in the world's most prestigious endurance race, winning the WSC class and finishing second overall in 1995.
Today
Today Mario is a spokesman, associate and friend to top executives around the world. He works with Bridgestone Firestone, MagnaFlow, Mattel, Phillips Van Heusen, Honda and GoDaddy.
Healthy and fit, he looks as though he could slip right back into the cockpit of a race car and often does, in the two-seater which allows for a passenger to sit behind the driver and truly experience the         speed and pressure that comes with open-wheel racing. Mario remains vibrant, pursuing other passions, still working at a number of personal business ventures including a winery and petroleum business. He plays         tennis, enjoys waterskiing and flying his ultralight. He was in the first Cars movie. He's on Twitter and Facebook, carries a tablet computer and stays current in the digital era. He isn't just any 72-year-old,         any more than he was just any race car driver. He remains one of the most popular interviews in racing and the most respected voice in motorsports. He is a much sought-after source by journalists from all over the world.

FACT SHEET GRAND PRIX DETROIT 2015 | MAGIC: THE GATHERING
TRAVEL
Professional Event Services is proud to present Grand Prix Detroit 2015! The Grand Prix circuit is returning to the Motor City in 2015 for three full days of Magic! You are going to want to tell your friends, because you are going to need them by your side as the main event is 3-player Team Sealed featuring the Origins set! Get your team together and join us Friday for some Team Sealed Practice events to get your tech ready for the GP!
Even in the diverse land of Magic GPs, team events are a rarity. This is the LAST team event in North America for 2015 and one of only TWO for the remainder of the year! Need more? Ok, how about FREE Friday Mini Master events and a full range of Side Events including the Super Sunday Series events. Not enough? How about the opportunity to walk away with four (!) unique playmats from the event, a fantastic Prize Wall, vendors galore and a host of very talented artists! Whatever you want from a Magic event, we're sure you'll find it at Grand Prix Detroit!
Main Event Registration Fee: $150/team
Main Event Maximum Capacity is 2250 players (750 teams).
Registration online until August 14
Registration will be held on-site Friday, August 14 from 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
There will be no on-site registration on Saturday.
The cut-off to adjust your team order is 10:00 PM Friday, August 14. After that time, your team order is frozen.
You may replace missing team members up until 8:30 AM, Saturday, August 15.
Many Grand Prix offer additional services to participants, such as Sleep-In Specials and VIP packages. Sleep-In Specials allow players with byes to skip the player meeting on Saturday and arrive shortly before their first round begins. VIP packages provide various perks such as complimentary bottled water, special seating, and exclusive artist signings. Details of these services vary from event to event; please check the organizer's web site for specifics.
The format for Grand Prix Detroit is Magic: Origins Team Limited. For more information on the format and schedule, click here .
There are no byes for Team Limited events.
Along with the main event, there are additional side-event tournaments to play in at a Grand Prix. Side events are offered at all Grand Prix on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. For details on side events that you can find at every Grand Prix, click here .
A list of additional events and a full schedule for when side events take place can be found on the Grand Prix Detroit website . All side events (except casual events) will have a Planeswalker Points multiplier of 3x.
Team Sealed Practice
Friday, August 14 from 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Trios Sealed: Starts when 8 teams register - Single Elimination
Entry Fee: $75/team
Participation Prize: Each team will receive one set of the three GP Detroit playmats.
1st: 36 prize tickets/team
2nd: 18 prize tickets/team
3rd-4th: 9 prize tickets/team
Some of the hottest and most famous artists in Magic will be joining us at Grand Prix Detroit. All artists will be available to sign cards, playmats, and more. In addition, all will be selling prints, artist proofs, original art/sketches, and doing custom alterations of mats and cards!
Artists scheduled to appear at Grand Prix Detroit include Jeff Miracola, Steve Prescott, Chris Rahn and Randy Asplund. For more information on these artists, click here .
The airport for Grand Prix Detroit is Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) .
Driving Directions
Southbound on the Lodge US-10, exit Larned St. (on left); right on Washington Blvd.
Southbound on I-75 take I-375 to Jefferson Ave. west to Washington Blvd.
• From South
Northbound on I-75, exit Lodge US-10 to Larned St. (on left); right on
Washington Blvd.
Westbound on I-94 to I-75 south; take I-375 to Jefferson Ave. west to
Washington Blvd.
Eastbound on I-96 or I-94, take the Lodge US-10 south; exit Larned St. (on left);
right on Washington Blvd.
Tunnel crossing: left on Jefferson Ave. west to Washington Blvd.
Ambassador Bridge crossing: take I-75 northbound to the Lodge US-10 south;
exit Larned St. (left side); right on Washington Blvd.
Public Transportation Info
Detroit People Mover - A Detroit People Mover station is located inside COBO Center on the third floor near Congress St.
Main Event Registration Fee: $150 per team
Maximum Main Event Capacity is 2250 players (750 teams).
Online registration until August 14.
On-site registration on Friday, August 14 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, August 15: Grand Prix Detroit begins at 9:00 a.m.
Sunday, August 16: Day Two begins at 9:00 a.m.
Registration for the Grand Prix main event closes Friday night. There will be no Saturday registration.
The cut-off to adjust your team order is 10:00 PM Friday, August 14. After that time, your team order is frozen.
You may replace missing team members up until 8:30 AM, Saturday, August 15."
The main tournament at Grand Prix Detroit is open to Magic players of all ages.
Players must have a signed waiver and consent form to compete at Grand Prix Detroit. Forms can be downloaded here and will be available on-site. Minors must have a parent of guardian’s signature on these forms. Minors will not be able to register or play unless we receive a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. No exceptions.
Players should review the Magic Tournament Rules for the rules specific to Team Tournaments, paying particular attention to the following sections:
Section 7.7 – Booster Draft Procedure
Section 8.2 – Team Composition and Identification
Section 8.3 – Team Communication
Day One: Team Sealed Deck (12 Magic: Origins boosters)
20 minutes for sealed deck pool registration and deck swap
60 minutes for deck building
Decklists are required
Day Two: Team Sealed Deck (12 Magic: Origins boosters)
60 minutes for deck building
Decklists are required
Top 4: Team Booster Draft (3 Magic: Origins boosters)
Team members draft at the same draft table with one opposing team (6 total players per draft table). Team members will be seated at the draft table in exactly the following order:
Team 1, Player A
Team 2, Player B
No communication (verbal or non-verbal) is permitted between team members during the draft.
After the draft, team members will be located to separate tables to record their draft pools (15 minutes for draft pool registration and verification). After draft pool registration, team members will sit together for deck building (30 minutes for deck building).
Each team member will play the opposing team member with the same player designation (A, B, or C).
After the semifinals, the Top 2 teams will draft again using the procedure described above.
Decklists are required
Modified Swiss-style (50-minute rounds).
Day One will consist of 9 Swiss rounds. Day Two will consist of 5 Swiss rounds and the Top 4 single-elimination playoff.
All teams with an X-2-0 record (or better) or the top 40 teams – whichever is greater – advance to the second day of competition for prizes and invitations.
The Top 4 teams after the final Swiss round on Day Two will advance to the Top 8 single-elimination playoff.
Top 4 playoff matches will be best 2 of 3 per individual match, with no time limit. (Players are still expected to play at a normal pace and complete playoff matches in a reasonable amount of time.)
Each team member will be randomly paired against an opposing team member. Only 1 round will be played in the semi-finals and finals.
Standings after the Swiss rounds will be used to determine final order in the standings for losing players in the quarterfinal and semifinal playoff rounds.
For the first game of each match in the playoff, the players on the team that finished higher in the Swiss rounds chooses either to play first or to play second. For subsequent games in each Top 4 playoff match, the usual Play/Draw rule applies (loser of the previous game decides whether to play first in the next game).
Judges interested in applying for the event should do so using the Judge Center .
Notes
Planeswalker Points multiplier 8x, Rules Enforcement Level (REL) is Competitive on Day One and Professional on Day Two.