Formula 1 Trivia Questions

Each answer is hidden until you open it, so you can read the questions out or test yourself first. The line under each answer is the fun fact to share once it is in.

Round 1

1. 1

   What does the chequered flag signal in Formula 1?

   • AThe start of the formation lap
   • BThe end of the race or session
   • CA one-lap warning before the finish
   • DA track invasion by spectators
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   B — The end of the race or session

   The black-and-white chequered flag is waved at the finish line to mark that the race or practice session is officially over, a tradition borrowed from early 20th-century motor racing.

2. 2

   What must a driver do when a single waved yellow flag is shown?

   • AReturn to the pit lane at once
   • BStop the car immediately on the racing line
   • CSlow down, be prepared to change direction and not overtake
   • DLet the car behind pass
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   C — Slow down, be prepared to change direction and not overtake

   Yellow means danger ahead, so drivers must reduce speed and may not overtake, because marshals or a stranded car could be near the track.

3. 3

   What does a black flag shown with a car number mean?

   • AThe driver must serve a drive-through penalty
   • BThe driver's car has a mechanical problem
   • CThe driver has set the fastest lap
   • DThe driver is disqualified and must return to the pits
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   D — The driver is disqualified and must return to the pits

   The black flag is the harshest flag in racing: it tells that specific driver they have been excluded from the race and must come into the pits immediately.

4. 4

   In which country is the Spa-Francorchamps circuit located?

   • ABelgium
   • BFrance
   • CThe Netherlands
   • DGermany
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   A — Belgium

   Spa-Francorchamps lies in the Ardennes forest of Belgium and hosts the Belgian Grand Prix, which is why its weather is famously unpredictable across the long 7 km lap.

5. 5

   Which circuit is traditionally nicknamed 'The Temple of Speed'?

   • AHockenheimring
   • BInterlagos
   • CMonza
   • DSilverstone
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   C — Monza

   Monza earned the nickname because its long straights and few slow corners produce some of the highest average speeds of any circuit on the calendar.

6. 6

   The famous uphill corner combination Eau Rouge–Raidillon belongs to which circuit?

   • ASpa-Francorchamps
   • BSuzuka
   • CCircuit de Monaco
   • DRed Bull Ring
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   A — Spa-Francorchamps

   Eau Rouge–Raidillon is the steep left-right-left climb at Spa, named after the small Eau Rouge stream that runs beneath the track.

7. 7

   In which year was the first Formula One World Championship season held?

   • A1961
   • B1946
   • C1955
   • D1950
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   D — 1950

   The FIA launched the Drivers' World Championship in 1950 with a seven-race calendar, which is why modern records are usually counted from that season.

8. 8

   Which constructor is the only one to have competed in every Formula One World Championship season since 1950?

   • AWilliams
   • BFerrari
   • CMercedes
   • DMcLaren
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   B — Ferrari

   Ferrari has entered every season since the championship began in 1950; McLaren (1966) and Williams (1977) arrived later, and Mercedes raced as a works team only in 1954–55 and again from 2010.

9. 9

   In which season did the Halo cockpit protection device become mandatory in Formula 1?

   • A2014
   • B2018
   • C2021
   • D2016
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   B — 2018

   The titanium Halo was made compulsory for all cars in 2018 after years of testing, and it is strong enough to support the weight of a London double-decker bus.

10. 10

    What does the abbreviation DRS stand for?

    • ADrag Reduction System
    • BDownforce Regulation Setting
    • CDirect Response Steering
    • DDynamic Rear Suspension
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    A — Drag Reduction System

    DRS was a driver-operated flap in the rear wing, introduced in 2011 to cut drag and make overtaking easier; the 2026 rules replaced it with active aerodynamics.

Round 2

1. 11

   Under the tyre colour coding used since 2019, which colour marks the softest dry compound available at a race weekend?

   • AYellow
   • BWhite
   • CGreen
   • DRed
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   D — Red

   Red sidewalls indicate the soft compound, while yellow marks the medium and white the hard, giving fans an instant visual guide to strategy.

2. 12

   How is pole position awarded in a standard Formula 1 weekend?

   • ATo the leader of the championship
   • BTo the winner of the previous race
   • CTo the fastest driver in qualifying
   • DBy a random draw before the race
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   C — To the fastest driver in qualifying

   Pole position, the first place on the starting grid, goes to the driver who sets the quickest lap time in qualifying, traditionally the best spot for the start.

3. 13

   What should a driver do when shown a blue flag during the race?

   • APit immediately for a safety check
   • BSlow down because of oil on the track
   • CAllow a faster car that is about to lap them to pass
   • DPrepare for a race restart
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   C — Allow a faster car that is about to lap them to pass

   The blue flag warns a driver about to be lapped that a leading car is closing in, and they must let it by to avoid a penalty for blocking.

4. 14

   Which circuit hosted the very first race of the 1950 Formula One World Championship?

   • AMonaco
   • BSilverstone
   • CReims
   • DMonza
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   B — Silverstone

   The British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 13 May 1950 opened the championship, run on a former RAF airfield and attended by the British royal family.

5. 15

   Who became the first Formula One World Drivers' Champion in 1950?

   • AGiuseppe 'Nino' Farina
   • BStirling Moss
   • CJuan Manuel Fangio
   • DAlberto Ascari
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   A — Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina

   Italian Nino Farina took the inaugural title driving the dominant Alfa Romeo 158, narrowly beating his team-mate Juan Manuel Fangio.

6. 16

   How many World Drivers' Championships did Juan Manuel Fangio win during the 1950s?

   • AThree
   • BFour
   • CSeven
   • DFive
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   D — Five

   Fangio won five titles (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957) with four different manufacturers, a record of versatility that stood for decades.

7. 17

   With which team did Jim Clark win his World Championships in 1963 and 1965?

   • ABRM
   • BBrabham
   • CLotus
   • DCooper
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   C — Lotus

   Clark's entire grand prix career was spent with Colin Chapman's Lotus, a partnership that also delivered Lotus its first constructors' crowns.

8. 18

   Which corner of the Monaco circuit is traditionally the slowest corner in Formula 1?

   • AThe Grand Hotel Hairpin (Loews)
   • BCasino Square
   • CTabac
   • DRascasse
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   A — The Grand Hotel Hairpin (Loews)

   Cars crawl through the Grand Hotel Hairpin at around 45 km/h, so tight that teams fit special steering racks for extra lock in Monaco.

9. 19

   The high-speed corner sequence Maggotts–Becketts–Chapel is found at which circuit?

   • AZandvoort
   • BSilverstone
   • CSpa-Francorchamps
   • DImola
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   B — Silverstone

   This flowing series of direction changes is one of Silverstone's signature features, testing a car's rapid left-right responsiveness more than almost any other section.

10. 20

    What does the HANS device, mandatory in Formula 1 since 2003, protect?

    • AThe driver's hands and wrists
    • BThe fuel cell
    • CThe steering column
    • DThe driver's head and neck
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    D — The driver's head and neck

    HANS stands for Head And Neck Support; it tethers the helmet to a shoulder collar and prevents the violent head movement that causes basilar skull fractures in big impacts.

Round 3

1. 21

   In which Italian town is Ferrari's Formula 1 headquarters and factory located?

   • ABologna
   • BTurin
   • CMonza
   • DMaranello
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   D — Maranello

   Ferrari has been based in Maranello, near Modena, since the 1940s, and the team's own Fiorano test track sits right next to the factory.

2. 22

   Which driver famously nicknamed the Nürburgring Nordschleife 'The Green Hell'?

   • AJochen Rindt
   • BJackie Stewart
   • CGraham Hill
   • DNiki Lauda
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   B — Jackie Stewart

   Jackie Stewart coined the phrase for the forest-lined 22 km circuit, which he won in dense fog and rain in 1968 despite considering it desperately dangerous.

3. 23

   What is the '107% rule' in Formula 1 qualifying?

   • ADrivers must lap within 107% of the fastest Q1 time to be allowed to start
   • BCars may use 107% of their fuel allocation in qualifying
   • CEngines may be revved to 107% of the normal limit for one lap
   • DTeams may spend 107% of the previous season's budget on upgrades
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   A — Drivers must lap within 107% of the fastest Q1 time to be allowed to start

   The rule exists for safety and competitiveness: a car slower than 107% of the quickest Q1 lap needs stewards' permission to race, so hopelessly slow cars don't endanger others.

4. 24

   From which year did the safety car become a permanent, fully regulated feature of Formula 1 race procedure?

   • A2000
   • B1973
   • C1993
   • D1984
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   C — 1993

   Although a safety car was trialled as early as 1973, it was only from 1993 that it became a standard part of the rules used at every grand prix.

5. 25

   In which year was the Formula One Constructors' Championship awarded for the first time?

   • A1962
   • B1958
   • C1950
   • D1954
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   B — 1958

   The teams' title was introduced in 1958, eight seasons after the drivers' championship, and was won that year by the British Vanwall team.

6. 26

   Which driver became the only posthumous Formula One World Champion, taking the 1970 title?

   • AJochen Rindt
   • BBruce McLaren
   • CWolfgang von Trips
   • DPiers Courage
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   A — Jochen Rindt

   Rindt was killed in practice at Monza in September 1970, but his points lead in the Lotus proved unbeatable over the remaining races.

7. 27

   The Tyrrell P34, raced in the mid-1970s, was famous for what unusual design feature?

   • AA fully enclosed cockpit canopy
   • BA jet-style afterburner
   • CTwo separate engines
   • DSix wheels, with four small ones at the front
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   D — Six wheels, with four small ones at the front

   The P34 used four 10-inch front wheels to cut frontal area and boost grip, and it even won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix with Jody Scheckter.

8. 28

   The Brabham BT46B, which won the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix, was nicknamed the 'fan car' because its rear fan did what?

   • ABlew air over the rear wing for extra downforce
   • BVentilated the cockpit in hot conditions
   • CSucked air from under the car to increase grip
   • DCooled the brakes during long straights
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   C — Sucked air from under the car to increase grip

   The fan extracted air from beneath the car to create powerful suction to the track; it was officially justified as an engine cooling device and withdrawn after a single victory.

9. 29

   Which non-Formula 1 race counted towards the Formula One World Championship from 1950 to 1960?

   • AThe Mille Miglia
   • BThe Indianapolis 500
   • CThe Le Mans 24 Hours
   • DThe Targa Florio
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   B — The Indianapolis 500

   The Indy 500 was included in the championship standings for eleven seasons, even though almost no regular grand prix drivers took part in it.

10. 30

    Who was the first British driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, taking the title in 1958?

    • AGraham Hill
    • BJack Brabham
    • CMike Hawthorn
    • DStirling Moss
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    C — Mike Hawthorn

    Mike Hawthorn won the 1958 title for Ferrari by a single point from Stirling Moss, despite winning only one race that season to Moss's four.