(Motorsports news) Fans of Formula 1 will observe that, in contrast to certain other motor racing categories around the world, each grand prix has a distinct number of laps and durations. This is because, because of the several circuits its calendar holds, the series, like Le Mans 24 Hours, 12 Hours of Sebring, and others, runs to a specified distance rather than an amount of time. Because 70 circuits at Silverstone could take twice as long as 70 laps in Montreal, this is done to ensure that every race is roughly the same length.

To inform viewers of how close the race is to ending, a lap count is displayed in place of a clock in the corner of the live feed. Thus, a variety of circumstances influence the duration of an F1 grand prix; some have been completed in less than an hour, while others have taken nearly five hours. Here is all the information you need to understand the regulations regarding race duration, past controversies, and other related topics.

F1 race weekend format:

Prior to learning how long an F1 grand prix lasts, it’s critical to understand the structure of the weekend and the events that take place before the race. The series begins with two one-hour practice sessions on Fridays for a conventional weekend. Teams get an excellent opportunity to test out modifications, run various car setups, and finish testing programs. If the event is at a new venue—like Las Vegas in 2023—Friday is also a time to become more familiar with the layout of the track.

The teams can test their one-lap pace during the third and final practice session on Saturday before qualifying takes place later in the day to establish the grid for the grand prix on Sunday. Nevertheless, the sprint race format debuted in 2021. There are a few weekends during the year when this takes place, and in 2023 there were six: in Austin, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, and Qatar. This was introduced as a weekend option because it includes racing on both Saturday and Sunday.

Therefore, the Friday practice session on a 2023 sprint weekend is the only practice session of the weekend. Friday’s events include sprint qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix, followed by the sprint race on Saturday.

How many laps are there in an F1 race?

Because a Grand Prix must be at least 190 miles (305 kilometers) long, each race in the Formula One World Championship has a different number of laps. This is because the number of scheduled tours required to roughly reach that distance is used. Grand Prix held on smaller tracks typically feature more laps than those held on larger ones. For instance, Zandvoort’s length of 2.6 miles (4.259 km) is nearly half that of Spa-Francorchamps.

Because of this, drivers complete the same race distance in both the Belgian Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix, which have 72 and 44 laps, respectively. This rule does not apply to Monaco, where the minimum race distance is 160 miles (257 km). At slightly over two miles (3.337 km), it is the smallest circuit on the schedule, but it’s also a sluggish lap, with Max Verstappen’s winning average in 2021 being 98 mph, while his victory in Bahrain—which also featured a safety car and affected the overall total—was 179 mph.

This meant that a few years ago, when F1 vehicles were slower than they are now, it was difficult to finish the 190 miles around Monaco in the two hours allotted for Grand Prix competitions. Monaco features 78 laps, which is more than any other circuit, but drivers are only covering 160 miles, which emphasizes the necessity for a shorter minimum distance. Sprint races are now taken into consideration. With 62 miles (99.8 km) to go, this event is effectively a condensed version of the Sunday race, with around 1/3 of the points being awarded.

Similar to the Grand Prix, the number of laps in sprint races can change based on the course. 2023’s sprint race at Spa had merely 11 laps, compared to 24 at the Red Bull Ring, where Baku (17), Circuit of the Americas (19), Losail (19), and Interlagos (24) all had different lap counts.

The planned distance for each Formula One Grand Prix in 2024:

What happens if the planned number of laps in an F1 race cannot be completed?

Full points might not be given in situations where the grand prix has completed very few laps before the end of the three-hour limit, typically due to several safety car interventions or red flags. Points will be awarded only once the leader has finished two laps of racing without the use of a safety car or virtual safety car as of 2022. In other words, if the race leader completes three consecutive laps without stopping and covers no more than 25% of the planned distance, they will receive about 25% of the total points.

This regulation was put into place following the contentious, rain-soaked 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which was reduced to a two-lap procession behind the safety car because the weather was deemed unsuitable for racing. Green flag conditions did not require any racing laps to be completed; instead, half points could be granted to Formula One teams that completed at least two tours behind a safety car.

It damaged the series since some said that F1 was only attempting to reach the two-lap minimum before giving out points rather than coming up with other ideas to allow spectators to witness some real racing. Because of this, even though a sizable portion of points were awarded, some people found it difficult to refer to it as a “race.”

What is the longest race in F1 history?

At 4 hours, 39.537 seconds, the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix is the longest Formula One race in history. Heavy rain fell on Montreal that day, to the point where the race had to start under a safety car.

Sebastian Vettel led the race when green flag conditions finally appeared five laps in, but in their battle for fourth place, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber collided at Turn 1. Both drivers lost numerous spots as a result, and on lap seven, while trying to regain position, Hamilton was forced into the pitwall by Jenson Button, his former McLaren teammate, because visibility was poor and the 2009 world champion did not see him approaching.

This caused another safety car period, and Button used it as an opportunity to switch to intermediate tyres with conditions improving. But it was not so simple for the McLaren driver, as he was first given a drive-through penalty for speeding behind the safety car before heavier rain soon fell meaning he had to switch back to full wets. The rain became harder and by lap 19 another safety car period was called before the Grand Prix got red-flagged six hours later because of the conditions. It was then suspended for just over two hours until the weather began to improve again.

Another safety car period led the first eight laps after the restart, although green flag conditions only lasted one tour. This is because the safety car was once again required as Fernando Alonso collided with Button at Turn 3, which left a puncture on the McLaren but the Ferrari car in the wall. Consequently, on lap 40, three hours later, Button pitted and was down in the 21st when the race resumed.

But during the restart, Button, with his fresher tyres handled the conditions considerably better than others, as he soon advanced through the order and was 14th by lap 44. From this point on the race was continuous and Button ultimately earned the most unexpected of victories, after Vettel drove wide at Turn 6 on the final lap to give the McLaren driver the race lead. After a record six safety car phases and a red flag interval, Button went on to win the chequered flag.

The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix is another record in Formula One history that will never be surpassed. Following this, Formula One (F1) imposed a four-hour time limit on grand prix completion, which was eventually lowered to three hours for 2021. This means that no race may surpass the record set in Montreal in 2011.

Which F1 race is the shortest in history?

At 3 minutes and 27.071 seconds, the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix holds the record for the shortest Formula One race in history. Hamilton claimed that the fans were “robbed” of a grand prix.

The race officially started when the safety car finally escorted cars out of the pits, following more than three hours of delays and halted starts. Verstappen won when the race was stopped after the third lap and could not be resumed after two circuits were finished behind the safety car.

Also read: Autosport’s Competition Car of the Year goes to Red Bull RB19