Formula One is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, which became the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1981, has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950. The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules to which all participants' cars must conform. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, which take place worldwide on both purpose-built circuits and closed public roads.
Valentino Rossi is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. He won premier class World Championships with both Honda and Yamaha. Nicknamed The Doctor, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name, seven of which were in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. He is also the only road racer to have competed in 400 or more Grands Prix, and rode with the number 46 for his entire career. He had previously requested that the race number continues to be used in upcoming seasons, and not retired.
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen, nicknamed "The Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One World Championship driving for Scuderia Ferrari, their latest World Drivers' Championship to date. In addition to this title, he also finished second overall in 2003 and 2005, and third in 2008, 2012 and 2018. With 103 podium finishes, he is one of only five drivers to have taken over 100 podiums. Räikkönen has won 21 Grands Prix, making him the most successful Finnish driver in terms of Formula One race wins, and is the only driver to win in the V10, V8 and the V6 turbo hybrid engine eras. After nine seasons racing in Formula One, he left the sport to compete in the World Rally Championship in 2010 and 2011, returning to Formula One from 2012 onward. He is known for his reserved personality and reluctance to participate in public relations. At the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, he broke the record for most starts in Formula One.
In motorsports, the pole position is the position at the front at the start of a racing event. This position may be inside or outside of the front row, depending on where the racing line is on the particular circuit, but it will always be ahead of the other vehicle(s) on the front row. This position is typically given to the vehicle and driver with the best qualifying time in the trials before the race. This number-one qualifying driver is referred to as the pole-sitter.
Morgan M. Shepherd is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 89 Chevrolet Camaro for Shepherd Racing Ventures. He is a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community. He competed in NASCAR for over 50 years, having one of the longest careers in the sport. Shepherd became the second-oldest race winner in 1993, when he won the spring race at Atlanta at the age of 51 years, 4 months, and 27 days. He holds the record for oldest driver to start a race NASCAR's top three series at age 77, as well as oldest starter in the NASCAR Cup Series race at the 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301 at age 72.
Nicolas Hülkenberg is a German professional racing driver who currently serves as the reserve driver in Formula One for Aston Martin F1 Team. In 2015, he also contested two rounds of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship season for Porsche, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his first attempt. He was the 2009 GP2 Series champion, and is a previous champion of both the Formula 3 Euro Series and A1 Grand Prix, as part of A1 Team Germany. He is one of six drivers since 2005 to win the GP2 Series/Formula 2 championship in his debut season, the others being Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri. As of December 2020, Hülkenberg holds the record for the most Formula One career starts without a podium finish, a record he broke when he failed to finish in his 129th race and in so doing passed Adrian Sutil's previous record of 128; Hülkenberg's record stands at 181 Grands Prix.
Sebastian Vettel is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin, having previously driven for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and Ferrari. Vettel has won four World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from 2010 to 2013. Vettel is the youngest World Champion in Formula 1. He also has the third-most race victories (53) and podium finishes (122) and fourth-most pole positions (57).
Mick Schumacher is a Swiss-born German racing driver. He races for Haas in Formula One under the German flag. He is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and a reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari. He began his career in karting in 2008, progressing to the German ADAC Formula 4 by 2015. After winning the 2018 FIA F3 European Championship, Schumacher progressed to Formula 2 in 2019, and won the 2020 Formula 2 Championship. He is the son of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, nephew of Ralf Schumacher and cousin of David Schumacher.
Lotus F1 Team was a British Formula One racing team. The team competed under the Lotus name from 2012 until 2015, following the renaming of the former Renault team based at Enstone in Oxfordshire. The Lotus F1 Team was majority owned by Genii Capital. Lotus F1 was named after its branding partner Group Lotus. The team achieved a race victory and fourth position in the Formula One Constructors' World Championship in their first season under the Lotus title. The team was sold back to Renault on 18 December 2015, The Lotus F1 Team name was officially dropped on 3 February 2016, and announced that they would compete as Renault Sport Formula One Team.
Marc Márquez Alentà is a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, who has raced for Honda's factory team since his MotoGP debut in 2013. Born in Cervera, Catalonia, Spain, he is nicknamed the 'Ant of Cervera' worldwide, and 'el tro de Cervera' in his hometown, meaning the 'Thunder of Cervera'. He is one of four riders to have won world championship titles in three different categories, after Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Valentino Rossi, and is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with eight Grand Prix World Championships to his name, six of which are in the premier class. Márquez became the third Spaniard after Àlex Crivillé and Jorge Lorenzo to win the premier class title, and is the most successful Spanish rider in MotoGP to date, with 59 wins. In 2013 he became the first rider since Kenny Roberts in 1978 to win the premier class title in his first season, and the youngest to win the title overall, at 20 years and 266 days of age.
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo is an Italian-Australian racing driver who is currently competing in the 2022 FIA Formula One World Drivers Championship driving for the McLaren Formula One team, under the Australian flag. He made his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HRT team as part of a deal with Red Bull Racing, for whom he was test driving under its sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso. Ricciardo's driver number is 3. He has achieved 8 Grand Prix victories in Formula One.
Valtteri Viktor Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who competes in Formula One with the Alfa Romeo team, having previously driven for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021 and Williams from 2013 to 2016. Bottas has scored 10 race wins and 67 podiums. He contributed to five constructors championship wins for Mercedes, and has been drivers' championship runner-up twice, in 2019 and 2020.
RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV, WOW Presents Plus, and, beginning with the ninth season, VH1. The show documents RuPaul in the search for "America's next drag superstar." RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. RuPaul's Drag Race employs a panel of judges, including RuPaul, Michelle Visage, an alternating third main judge of either Carson Kressley or Ross Matthews, and a host of other guest judges, who critique contestants' progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on drag queen and drag racing, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme. To date, there have been thirteen winners of the show: BeBe Zahara Benet, Tyra Sanchez, Raja, Sharon Needles, Jinkx Monsoon, Bianca Del Rio, Violet Chachki, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, Aquaria, Yvie Oddly, Jaida Essence Hall and Symone.
Kevin Jan Magnussen is a Danish racing driver competing in Formula One for Haas F1 Team.
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro, otherwise known as Carlos Sainz Jr. or simply Carlos Sainz, is a Spanish racing driver competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is the son of Carlos Sainz, a double World Rally Champion, and the nephew of rally driver Antonio Sainz.
Alexander Albon Ansusinha is a Thai-British Formula One driver for Williams. Albon previously raced in Formula One for Scuderia Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing and in DTM for AF Corse.
Max Emilian Verstappen is a Belgian-Dutch racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Champion. He competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One with Red Bull Racing. He is the son of former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen.
The 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 70th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)'s Formula One motor racing. It featured the 67th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which is recognised by the sport's governing body, the FIA, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Teams and drivers took part in twenty-one Grands Prix—making for the longest season in the sport's history—starting in Australia on 20 March and finishing in Abu Dhabi on 27 November as they competed for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships.
George William Russell is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. He was the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion for ART and the 2017 GP3 Series Champion. Following his Formula 2 championship win, Russell signed for Williams in 2019, making his debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, although he stood in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Russell achieved his first F1 podium with Williams at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. He is also a part of the Mercedes Young Driver programme.
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc is a Monégasque racing driver, currently racing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. Leclerc won the GP3 Series championship in 2016 and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017.
