How to watch a Formula 1 race

With 24 races in the current season, you’ve got to be a pretty committed fan to spend nearly half of the year’s Sundays watching Formula 1. However, with the competition ramping up and seven different winners already this season, it’s hard to take your eyes off the racing as we wait to see if Lando Norris can steal a sensational first World Championship, or if Max Verstappen can cling on.

I’m very fortunate to travel and work in F1 in a way that makes me watch every minute of qualifying and the Grands Prix with my analytical brain engaged. Trying to read a race and decipher strategies while understanding the performance of the cars and drivers is crucial to our roles as pundits when trying to analyse the races for the fans at home. Formula 1 is arguably the most complex sport on the planet with so many subtle nuances that can, and do, influence the results. I thought it might be helpful to share some insights into how I follow a race in the commentary box to help you read the race yourselves.

The F1 timing app is a really good place to start. It’s not the cheapest at £19.99 for the year, but if you can rationalise it as being less than a pound per race, it suddenly feels worthwhile. You get all the regular timing information, but also vital details about which tyres the drivers have used and how many laps they’ve done on each set.