Beyond the passionate enthusiasts clamoring in the stands, 20 cars that reach 60 mph in 2.1 seconds await the start lights to blink five times. 

Formula 1, recognized by its speed, overtakes, strategy, and glory will return with the Australian Grand Prix on March 15 where the green flag will wave at 11 p.m.

“Formula 1 doesn’t truly compare to other sports like soccer, basketball, or any other team sport,” senior Liana Tosounian said. “Because although the drivers are racing for [one] team, it’s a much more individual sport.”

Although teamwork is crucial for teams to achieve success in the sport, tensions may arise between teammates, especially in a top team with no clear number-one driver. Both rivalries between teammates and teams are what makes the sport so thrilling to witness, providing what Tosounian considers “some off-track action while you’re waiting in between races.” Sophomore Vansh Parikh, another F1 fan, highlights the title fight of 2021 making the season one of the most viewed in F1 history.

“Title fights and all of those divisions really is what makes the huge difference in F1,” Parikh said. “Those strategies, risky undercuts, and team rivalries that have existed for years [between] Red Bull, Mercedes,[and] Ferrari is really what makes the sport truly unique.”

AP Government and microeconomics teacher John Clingman notes that much of the sport’s history surrounds rivalries highlighting Lauda vs Hunt, which inspired the 2013 film starring Chris Hemsworth titled “Rush.”  Now, the sport returns to the big screen with a fictional 11th team in “F1” on June 27. Starring Brad Pitt, the film promises to encapsulate the audience onto both the on-track and off-track action.

“I can appreciate the work that’s happening off-track through engineering, the photographers on the trackside, volunteers, [and] marshalls,” Parikh said. “But at the same time, it’s hard to ignore on-track, wheel-to-wheel racing.”

The attractive quick action of the sport including the overtakes and collisions between friends and foes is exciting for many enthusiasts like Tosounian. Further, the Grand Prix around the globe sets it apart from American series such as NASCAR or IndyCar. However, this makes it hard to ignore that half of the races are in Europe.

“To increase their global appeal and the diversity of their audience, they [could] definitely add some more tracks in different countries and continents,” Tosounian said.

Along with being a driven advocate for the sport to return to Africa, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s efforts to promote diversity within the sport have seen momentum as all the F1 teams, Formula 1, and the FIA have signed the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) charter. Additionally, the F1 Academy single-seater series has contributed to recognizing women in the racing scene. Beyond diversity, Parikh argues “racing should be more accessible as a whole.”

“It’s more of a class divide than it is race and gender,” Parikh said. “Because you’ll see people from most [countries] come together in F1. We’ve had Zhou [Guanyu and] Kush Maini, who’s an upcoming guy in F2. So it’s kind of hard to say that they haven’t met the diversity quota, but it’s more of a – ‘how do underprivileged people get to F1?’”

Formula 1 – as a whole – is an exclusive sport, recognized by Hamilton who voiced his concerns on the rise in ticket prices. This is also true for young karting talents with big dreams and no sponsorship or financial backing — their dream of becoming one of the best 20 drivers in the world seems out of reach, especially if they aren’t based in Europe, where the sport was founded.

“For some countries, Formula 1 is huge,” Clingman said. “Not really for America, because I can’t even name a Formula 1 racer from America but it’s huge for the Germans, the British, Italy, there are huge moments of pride for it.”

Race leaders are predominantly European, attracting European audiences as it allows them to showcase their national pride. Clingman points out that “If you think of Italy, you think of Ferrari.” Indeed, Ferrari’s conception in Italy has ingrained it in its country’s culture. Despite there not being a current American driver, American viewership has doubled since 2018 thanks to social media, the Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive”, and the three American Grand Prix (Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas).

“Social media is always going to have [its] own atrocious takes on the sport,” Parikh said. “But that’s going to happen with every sport. So I wouldn’t say it changes it much, but it does give me some disappreciation for the racing series [and] the FIA.”

Similar to other fans and drivers, Parikh speaks on the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) punishing drivers for swearing or criticizing the governing body, expressing that “in a state of adrenaline, yes, [athletes are] going to say things that aren’t PG… that’s just the way it is in sports.” This strict rule sparked driver protests across FIA-governed motorsports.

“Any sport is better without politics,” Clingman said. “I mean, look at the Olympics. The Olympics this year [were] extremely politicized. It has become a little too political. Let’s let the racers race. Let’s not let politics get in the way.”

Despite F1 and teams holding a neutral stance on host countries’ politics, the sport has been used as a stage by the 2024 U.S. presidential candidates to reach new voting demographics. President Donald Trump made his appearance at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix congratulating Lando Norris on his victory while former Vice President Kamala Harris simply expressed enjoyment of the sport. Nonetheless, Formula 1 has unconsciously become a tool for many political movements.

“A lot of people do use F1 because it’s not a national audience, it’s an international audience,” Clingman said. “They can get their point across going to these international competitions rather than just the national ones. They get a lot of exposure [to] different policies and movements.”

Indeed, many climate activists have used race weekends to advocate for the environment including during the 2022 British Grand Prix and 2024 Canadian Grand Prix. Formula 1 has recognized the automobile’s contribution to pollution; for the 2026 season all cars will run on 100% sustainable fuels as F1 aims to reach zero emissions by 2030. 

“Fundamentally, yes, [F1 and other sports are] the same, but when it comes down to details or broader scope, they’re going to be a lot more different,” Parikh said.

As David Croft announces “It’s lights out and away we go,” the engines roar into the first corner.