Formula One – Participating Countries
A series of Formula One races are conducted over a period of time, usually over a year called the ‘Formula One World Championship season’. Each race in a season is called a ‘Grand Prix’ or GP and all the races in a season combined are called ‘Grands Prix’ (plural of Grand Prix).
The term ‘Grand Prix’ is derived from French which means ‘great prize’.
Participating Countries
Drivers from the following countries have participated in Formula One races as of 2015 −
| 1.Argentina | 2.Australia | 3.Austria | 4.Bahrain |
| 5.Belgium | 6.Brazil | 7.Canada | 8.Chile |
| 9.Colombia | 10.Czech Republic | 11.Denmark | 12.East Germany |
| 13.Finland | 14.France | 15.Germany | 16.Hungary |
| 17.India | 18.Ireland | 19.Italy | 20.Japan |
| 21.Liechtenstein | 22.Malaysia | 23.Mexico | 24.Monaco |
| 25.Morocco | 26.Netherlands | 27.New Zealand | 28.Poland |
| 29.Portugal | 30.Rhodesia | 31.Rhodesia and Nyasaland | 32.Russia |
| 33.South Africa | 34.Spain | 35.Sweden | 36.Switzerland |
| 37.Thailand | 38.United Arab Emirates | 39.United Kingdom | 40.United States |
| 41.Uruguay | 42.Venezuela |
Constructors from the following countries have participated in Formula One races as of 2015 −
| 1.Brazil | 2.Canada | 3.East Germany | 4.France |
| 5.Germany | 6.Hong Kong | 7.Italy | 8.Japan |
| 9.Malaysia | 10.Netherlands | 11.New Zealand | 12.Rhodesia |
| 13.South Africa | 14.Spain | 15.Switzerland | 16.United Kingdom |
| 17.United States |
The following countries are hosts for Formula One races in 2015 &minsu;
| 1.Argentina | 2.Australia | 3.Austria | 4.Bahrain |
| 5.Belgium | 6.Brazil | 7.Canada | 8.China |
| 9.France | 10.Germany | 11.Hungary | 12.India |
| 13.Italy | 14.Japan | 15.Malaysia | 16.Mexico |
| 17.Monaco | 18.Morocco | 19.Netherlands | 20.Portugal |
| 21.Russia | 22.Singapore | 23.South Africa | 24.Republic of Korea |
| 25.Spain | 26.Sweden | 27.Switzerland | 28.Turkey |
| 29.United Arab Emirates | 30.United Kingdom | 31.United States |
Number Of Grand Prix in a Season
The number of Grand Prix in a season has varied through the years, starting from 1950 which had 7 races. This number kept increasing up to a maximum of 20 GPs a year (in 2012). Normally there are 19 to 20 GPs in a season now. The 2015 F1 season has 19 Grand Prix, out of which 8 have been completed.
Grand Prix Naming
Each GP in a season is hosted by a different country and are named after the host country. Example: A GP held in Australia is called an Australian Grand Prix, that held in Monaco is called the Monaco Grand Prix and so on. However, a GP can be held in same or different cities of the host country every year.
Grand Prix Racing Distance
The minimum total distance of a Grand Prix race, including all the pre-defined number of laps must be 300 km or 190 miles. This is the standard distance for all races except for the Monaco GP which is 260 km or 160 miles.
Number of Teams in F1 World Championship
10 teams with two cars each are permitted to compete in the F1 World Championship as of 2015. That is, a total of 20 cars can enter the competition. However, the FIA regulations allow a limit of 26 cars for the championship.
Grand Prix World Championship
The results of all the Grand Prix races in a season are taken together to determine two annual Championship awards. They are &minsu;
- Drivers’ Championship Award (for the drivers)
- Constructors’ Championship Award (for the constructors)
The terms ‘drivers’ and ‘constructors’ are explained in later chapters.