Glossary
Short definitions of the words you'll hear on the broadcast.
- Apex: the innermost point of a corner.
- Box: a radio call telling a driver to come into the pits.
- Chequered flag: waved at the end of a session.
- Chicane: a tight sequence of corners that slows the cars down.
- Constructor: a team that builds its own car.
- DNF, DNS, DSQ: did not finish, did not start, disqualified.
- Dirty air: the turbulent air behind a car, which makes it harder for the car following to stay close.
- Downforce: the aerodynamic force that pushes the car onto the track, giving grip in corners.
- Formation lap: the slow lap before the race start.
- Gap: the time behind the leader.
- Grid: the starting order of the cars.
- In lap and out lap: the laps driving into and out of the pits.
- Interval: the time behind the car directly ahead.
- Lapped: being overtaken by the leader, who has completed one more lap than you.
- Paddock: the area behind the garages where teams, drivers and guests gather.
- Parc fermé: rules that stop teams changing the car's set-up after qualifying.
- Pit lane and pit wall: the road beside the garages, and the row of team engineers who run strategy.
- Podium: the top three finishers.
- Pole position: starting first, from the fastest qualifying lap.
- Power unit: the engine and electric motor together.
- Safety Car: the car that leads the field slowly after an incident.
- Sector: a third of a lap, used for timing.
- Slipstream: following close behind a car to reduce air resistance and go faster.
- Sprint: a short race on the Saturday of some weekends.
- Stewards: the officials who decide penalties.
- Stint: the stretch of a race between two pit stops.
- Team principal: the person who runs the team.
- Undercut: pitting earlier than a rival so fresh tyres let you jump ahead when they stop.