Cars, Classes & Technology
Sportscar racing puts cars of wildly different speeds on track at the same time, and single-seater racing puts near-identical machinery in the hands of very different drivers. Both problems are solved by regulation rather than by hoping for the best. This section explains how the cars and the classes are defined, measured and held together.
Three tools do most of the work, and they only function as a set. Homologation fixes what a car is. Balance of Performance decides how fast it is allowed to be. Driver ratings decide who is allowed to drive it. Remove any one of them and the other two stop working.
How the Field Is Levelled
The regulatory machinery that decides how close the racing will be before anyone turns a wheel.
- Homologation Explained — the certificate that fixes a car’s specification, and the evo jokers that let it change
- Balance of Performance Explained — weight, power, aero and energy, and who sets them in which championship
- FIA Driver Ratings Explained — platinum, gold, silver and bronze, and why amateur money depends on them
Classes and Categories
What separates one class from another, and why a slower class is not simply a slower version of the faster one.
Technology
The systems on the car that commentators mention constantly and explain rarely.
- ERS Explained
- Active Aero Explained
- Tyre Degradation Explained
- Slipstream Explained
- Dirty Air Explained
Money as a Regulation
Formula 1 takes a different route to the same destination: instead of equalising the cars, it limits what may be spent on them.