What is "P" in F1? A Breakdown of the Position Terminology
If you‘ve just gotten into Formula 1 racing, you may be confused by one particular letter that gets thrown around a lot – P. Fans and commentators seem to use P1, P2, P3, P Zero, and more. So what gives?
In short, P stands for "position" in F1. It indicates everything from where cars qualify the order they run on track, to the power status of vehicles in the garage. We‘ll cover all the main uses of this single letter below.
But first – let‘s explore why position matters so much in the fast-paced world of F1 with some key stats:
| Stat | Description |
|---|---|
| 8 out of 12 | Number of races won from pole in 2022 |
| 80% | Avg pole to win conversion since 2015 |
| 0.698s | Avg pole advantage gap in 2022 |
| 71 | Total poles for record holder Lewis Hamilton |
As you can see, starting up front gives drivers a dominating advantage. It‘s no wonder "P" represents such a critical concept!
Now let‘s jump into the specifics on all the P terminology:
P1, P2, P3: Practice & Qualifying Positions
The numbered P designations are used in two key parts of an F1 weekend:
A. Practice Sessions
Before qualifying and the race, drivers get 3 practice sessions to test setups, work strategy, and learn the track. These practices are numbered:
- P1 – Free Practice 1
- P2 – Free Practice 2
- P3 – Free Practice 3
So if Lewis Hamilton tops the P2 timesheet on Saturday morning, it means he set the fastest lap during that session.
B. Qualifying Results
In qualifying, cars run one-by-one to set the fastest single lap possible. The P1, P2, P3 format then indicates starting order:
- P1 – Pole Position (fastest qualifier)
- P2 – 2nd place qualifier
- P3 – 3rd place qualifier
Claiming six straight P1 starts, Max Verstappen dominated qualifying in 2022. But can he fend off a resurgent Hamilton in 2024??
Get to know these P1-P3 abbreviations well – they‘ll clue you into who‘s performing each session!
P0, P1, P2 – Car Power Modes
When cars pull into or out of the garage, you‘ll hear radio chatter about going P0, P1, or P2. What gives?
This numeric system indicates the power status of the vehicle:
- P0 – Car is completely shut off, battery disconnected
- P1 – Electronics turned on, battery connected but engine off
- P2 – Engine fired up, ready for the driver to head out
It‘s important for teams to carefully manage this power flow. For example, cars switch to fuel-saving P0 during red flag track stoppages. And mechanics hurriedly fire them back up to P2 for a race restart!
P Zero – Special F1 Tires
The official tire supplier of F1 is Pirelli. And each slick tire designed specifically for Formula 1 bears a special name – P Zero.
This nomenclature comes from Pirelli‘s road car tire lineup, where P Zero represents the highest-performing premium model. And these F1 tires certainly need extreme capabilities to handle 3G cornering forces and 215mph top speeds!
Engineers from Pirelli and all 10 F1 teams work closely together in the Pirelli F1 Team to create bespoke compounds for every race. With such a major impact on strategy and laptimes, tire management is crucial.
[[Image showing F1 car with colored Pirelli tires in action]]As you can see, while P may be just a single letter – it represents a multitude of vital concepts in the world of Formula 1! Now you can impress your friends as you analyze FP2 timesheets and compare P Zero compounds.
Now that you know your P‘s, let‘s cover more of the unique language that makes F1 well…F1!
Car Numbers
Up until 2014, drivers didn‘t get to choose their own number – it was assigned based on WDC finishing order from the previous season.
But now each racer picks a permanent # from 2-99 to use their entire career. This allows fans to better associate with specific drivers.
Some car numbers to know:
- #1 – Reigning World Champion
- #16 – Charles Leclerc
- #44 – Lewis Hamilton since age 10 karting
- #47 – Mick Schumacher pays tribute to his dad Michael‘s titles
- #63 – George Russell‘s first ever go-kart number
Retired numbers like #17 for Jules Bianchi and #7 for Michael Schumacher are no longer issued out of respect.
F1 Twitter Handles
If you follow the exciting world of F1 Twitter, you‘ll notice most teams and drivers adopting a unique naming convention:
#@DriverNumber
So Lewis Hamilton‘s account is @LewisHamilton44 and Max Verstappen runs @Max33Verstappen.
This allows fans to easily find their favorite racers, while helping drive brand recognition of car numbers now associated with particular stars. Pretty clever!
Red Flags
No, this isn‘t about Ferrari‘s questionable strategy calls. When a practice, qualifying, or race session is stopped due to dangerous track conditions it‘s called a red flag.
Expect more red-flagged qualifying sessions in 2024 as new rules prohibit refueling during the three-phase format. So any crash will likely pause the clock.
Black & White Flags
Finally, while red flags stop action – black & white flags are given to drivers during the race as warnings from stewards. Typically for track limits violations or unsafe maneuvers.
Multiple black & whites can quickly become black AND white dial of death penalties where drivers are disqualified or forced to pit. So racers beware!
See – there‘s a whole language and culture unique to the world of F1. Hopefully breaking down the meaning of "P" and other popular lingo gives you insider knowledge into this incredible motorsport. Let me know what other questions you have in the comments!
