When I first started watching Formula 1, I remember being confused by all of the technical jargon used by teams, drivers, commentators, and fans. I promise you – it’s not that technical or difficult to understand once you know what they’re talking about!
Here’s a F1 slang term “dictionary” designed to help you whether you’re at or watching a Grand Prix, or trying to deal with a gatekeeper on social media.
POLESITTER
A “polesitter” is the driver who claims pole position during qualifying for the race (has the fastest lap in Q3). The polesitter will start the race from the first position, barring no penalties or disqualifications. Starting P1 on the grid provides an advantage if the driver has a great start and keep the lead into the first corner.
DIRTY AIR
Dirty air is the turbulent air left behind a preceding car (car in front) that reduces efficient airflow over the wings of the trailing car (car in back). This airflow disruption causes a drag and reduces the downforce of the car behind, which negatively impacts its performance.
CLEAN AIR
When a car is speeding on its own with undisturbed airflow passing over its wings (thus providing good downforce), it is said to be in “clean air.” Air flows smoothly over the car itself, but will leave dirty air behind it.
DRS
Drag Reduction System (DRS) is only allowed to be used in marked zone on a track (called “DRS zones”) AND when a car is less than one second behind the leading car ahead. DRS was introduced in 2011 as a solution to problems caused by the turbulent air (“dirty air”) behind the leading car that typically leads to a drag on the car behind, which reduces the trailing car’s downforce. DRS is a flap that, when lifted, will reduce the drag and increase the downforce (thus allowing the trailing car to go faster) to help overtake the leading car on a straight.
OVERSTEER
Oversteer is when the REAR wheels of a car lose grip while driving around a corner/turn, which causes the back end to step out of line. According to rally driver Walter Rohrl, if you hear yourself hitting a barrier you’ve driven into, that is oversteer.
UNDERSTEER
Understeer is when the FRONT wheels of a car lose grip while driving around a corner/turn, which forces the car to take a shallower turn than what the driver intended with the steering wheel. According to rally driver Walter Rohrl, if you see the barrier you’ve driven into, that is understeer.
BOX
Often heard over the radio as communication between team member(s) in the pits and the driver, “box” is an instruction that the driver needs to pit. The term “box” comes from the German word ‘Boxenstopp’ which translates as “pit stop.” As a noun, box refers to the servicing area in the pit lane.
UNDERCUT
A trailing driver pits a lap or two before the driver ahead (in hopes of gaining track position due to the time gained due to the fresher set of tyres against the opponent’s older set of tyres). When done correctly, the previously trailing driver who pitted first will be ahead of the previously ahead driver as they come out of pit lane.
OVERCUT
A trailing driver stays on track while driver ahead pits in hopes of gaining more time. This is less common and is typically done when tyre wear appears to be less of an issue or the driver who did pit is coming into traffic (and, thus, dirty air). The driver who did not pit can then use clear air to put in a few quick laps to extend the lead and complete their pit stop ahead.
MARBLES
Marbles are tiny pieces of rubber that are shredded off tyres during cornering. These small pieces build up off the racing line, which presents a danger as the tyre can no longer make proper contact with the track, which causes the car to lose traction/grip when driving on them mid-race. However, you might see cars drive over them following the chequered flag to make sure their cars are at the proper weight after the race.
BOTTOMING OUT
Bottoming out is when the underside of the car hits the track, usually as a result of uneven/bumpy tracks or a sudden rise in a circuit (i.e. Eau Rouge at Spa Francorchamps). After titanium skid blocks (underneath the chassis) were introduced in 2015, a shower of sparks would appear when a car bottoms out.
BLISTERING
When there is a temperature imbalance between the cold surface of the track and the hotter inner bit of the tyre, pieces of rubber blow out of tyre, leaving a hole. In other words, the inside of the tyre is warmer than the cold track surface, which causes the tyre to explode and leave a hole.
GRAINING
The opposite of blistering, graining is when the inside of the tyre is cold and the track surface is hot. This causes rubber chunks to come off and stick to the tyre, which reduces grip.
OUTPERFORMING THE CAR
A driver’s raw talent supersedes limitations of a car. For example, Max Verstappen was said to “outperform the car” during his flying lap during qualifying at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (before he hit the barriers in the final turn). Fernando Alonso is often a great example of a driver who outperform the car. Other examples: Ayrton Senna’s at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix and Sebastian Vettel’s at the 2008 Monza Grand Prix.
FLATSPOT
When the driver locks his front brakes, it causes one or both front tyres to stop rotating. The tyres then skid across the track instead of rolling along it, causing excessive wear in the form of a flat surface on the tyre. This flatspot will result in unscheduled pit stop(s), affecting the driver’s (and, thus, teams) overall performance in the race.
BACKMARKER
Trailing drivers at the back of the F1 “field” who are often lapped by the leading cars during a race.
FALLING OFF THE CLIFF
The moment when tyre performance drops significantly during a race (tyres are deteriorating unusually quick), which slows down the car and renders it uncompetitive.
LIFT AND COAST
If a driver appears as though they might run out of fuel before the end of the race, it’s necessary to conserve whatever fuel they do have left. To do so, the driver will lift off the throttle and cruise into a braking zone, which negatively impacts their speed (thus affecting pace).
BRAKE BIAS
Normally, all four wheels (front and rear) will break equally when the driver pushes on the brake pedal. However, in wet conditions, the driver likely wants to INCREASE breaking in REAR tyres and DECREASE breaking in FRONT tyres (to avoid front brakes from locking). Drivers will adjust the brake bias during a race to balance the car based on the amount of fuel left and conditions of the tyres.
POWER UNIT
Formula One cars do not simply have an engine (although they did in the past) – they have a “power unit.” Power Units contain six things which give a car nearly 1,000 bhp of power:
- Internal Combustion Engine (ICE),
- Turbo Charger (TC),
- Motor Generator Unit – Heat (MGU-H),
- Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic (MGU-K),
- Energy Store (ES),
- Control Electronics (CE)
GREEN TRACK
A green track is one that hasn’t had much, if any, rubber laid down on it yet (less grip/traction) because it’s essentially been “unused.” You’ll hear commentators referring to this during a Grand Prix weekend when drivers head out to Friday practice (FP1).
TANKSLAPPER
A tankslapper is when a sideways movement causes the rear end of the car to step out of line.
