F1 in five minutes
New to Formula 1? A five-minute beginner’s guide to how a race weekend works: practice, qualifying, the race, points, tyres, pit stops, flags and strategy.
The race weekend
A grand prix weekend has practice sessions to learn the circuit and tune the car, qualifying to set the starting grid, and the race on Sunday. Sprint weekends add a shorter Saturday race with fewer points.
Points and championships
The top ten finishers score points, from 25 for the winner down to 1 for tenth. Drivers fight for the drivers’ championship and teams add both cars together for the constructors’ championship.
Tyres and pit stops
Teams choose between soft, medium and hard dry tyres, plus intermediates and full wets for rain. Softer tyres are faster but wear quicker, and in a dry race each car must use at least two different dry compounds, so every race includes at least one pit stop.
Flags and safety cars
Yellow flags warn of danger, the safety car and virtual safety car slow the field after an incident, and a red flag stops the session. These moments often decide strategy.
About Slipstream
Slipstream is a free pixel-art racing manager game for your browser, with no download. Sign in to save careers online. Pick one of the eleven teams on the 2026 grid, manage both drivers and make the calls that win races from the pit wall. The public beta includes race weekends, cloud saves and game statistics. Commentary voices are optional and still being improved.