Archive of Our Own

Notes:

As a stay and hardcore F1 fan I had to write this in honour of KARMA driver Lee Know and his bubble messages about F1 and also because I feel like there is a lack of F1 themed minsung ff in general.

Also this is my first long-ish fic so pls be kind.

For those new to the F1 community I'll write here a list of terms cause, I apologize in advance, but I'm gonna use very specific words so I hope this can be helpful.

So the F1 calendar has 24 races held in different countries during the whole year almost, with a summer break in between. Each race has 3 free practices (2 on Friday and 1 on Saturday), qualifying on Saturday afternoon and race on Sunday afternoon. Each race you earn points (1st=25 points, 2nd=18, 3rd=12...) and there are 2 lists: the driver standings and the constructors’ standings for the teams

Qualifying=knock-out session in which drivers compete to set the best lap time to determine the starting grid for the race
Pole position = first starting on the grid
Jump start=when a driver moves off their grid position before the lights are turned off before the race start
Formation lap=lap before the race officially starts.
Sector 1, Sector 2, and Sector 3=each representing roughly one-third of the circuit.
Delta time=time difference between two laps or two different cars
DRS =adjustable rear wings, only activated when a driver is within one second of the car ahead at designated points on the track. Helps during overtakes.
Blistering=when a tyre overheats and the rubber softens and breaks away in chunks.
Graining=when a car slides small rubber bits to break away from the tyre and stick to the tread.
Degradation=when tyres lose performance or grip over time.
Grip=amount of traction the car has
Lock-up=when a driver brakes sharply, causing one or more tyres to stop rotating while the others continue.
Flat spot= heavily worn area on a tyre caused by extreme braking or spinning.
Marbles=small pieces of tyre rubber that accumulate on the side of the track.
Apex= middle point of the inside line of a corner. Drivers aim to hit this point to maximise speed and efficiency through the turn.
Chicane= tight sequence of corners in alternating directions
Slipstreaming=driving tactic in which a driver follows closely behind another car to benefit from reduced aerodynamic drag.
Tear-off strips=transparent plastic layers fitted to a driver’s helmet visor before the race, which can be removed as they become dirty during the race
Drive-through penalty=driver must enter the pit lane, drive through it at the speed limit, and rejoin the race without stopping. It’s the harshest penalty.
Stop-go penalty=requires the driver to enter the pits, stop for 10 seconds without changing tyres and rejoin the race.
Other penalties: 10 seconds added to the final time or 5 seconds added.
Power unit=system that provides an F1 car’s power
Marshal=men responsible for ensuring the safe conduct of the race along the track.
Safety car=track vehicle required to lead the field during a race when conditions require slowing down, such as after an accident or extreme rain.
Virtual Safety Car=same function as the physical safety car but the drivers have to drive slower between a defined delta time.
Red flag=race stopped due to extreme unsafe conditions
Yellow flag=slow down in that particular sector, no overtaking allowed.
Blue flag=the lapped cars need to move aside letting the faster cars go in front.
Steward=one of three high-ranking officials at each Grand Prix responsible for making decisions regarding race conduct like giving penalties…
Paddock=enclosed area behind the pits where teams keep their transporters and motorhomes with no public access.
Debrief=meeting held between a team’s drivers and engineers after an on-track session to discuss car setup, performance, and strategy.

sorry this is actually so long