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Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of
open-wheeledauto racing defined by the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform. The F1 world championship season consists of a series of races, known as
Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built
circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. Drivers are awarded points based on their position in each race, and the driver who accumulates the most points over each calendar year is crowned that year's
World Champion. As of the
2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there have been 820 FIA
World Championship races since its first event, the
1950 British Grand Prix.
Seven-time champion
Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most championships, while his 91 wins, 154 podium finishes and 68 pole positions are also records.
Rubens Barrichello has entered more Grands Prix than anyone else—288 times in total—as well as having made an unsurpassed 284 race starts. The
United Kingdom is the most represented nation, having produced a total of 157 different drivers. Eight nations have been represented by just one.
Poland became the latest country to be represented by a driver when
Robert Kubica made his
Formula One debut at the
2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.
