Formula One is the highest class of open wheeled auto racing defined by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport world's governing body. The “formula” in the name refers to a set of rules which all participants and cars must conform.

The F1 world championship season consists of a series of different races, known as Grand Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and even on closed city streets in some cases. The Most famous of these races is the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.

The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for the drivers and one of the constructors.

The cars race at extremely high speeds, travelling up to 225 miles per hour, and are capable of pulling up to 5g (g= g-force which is a measurement of an object's acceleration. 1g is the force of Earth's gravity which holds us to the ground) in some corners.

Europe is Formula One's traditional center, with the majority of the teams and drivers hailing from the continent. However, the scope of F1 racing has expanded exponentially in recent years, and now Grand Prix races are held all over the globe.

The number of Grand Prix held in a season has varied over the years. Only seven races comprised the inaugural 1950 World Championship season, but the race calendar has tripled in size. Though the number of races had stayed at 16 or 17 since the 1980s, it reached 19 in 2005.

Six of the original seven races took place in Europe, with the only non-European race that counted towards the end taking place in the United States: the Indianapolis 400, which was later replaced by the United States Grand Prix, since it required cars with different specifications from the other races. The F1 Championship eventually expanded to other non-European countries such as Argentina, Africa, Asia, and even Australia.

Traditionally, each nation has hosted a single Grand Prix, which carries the name of the country. If a single country hosts multiple Grand Prix races in a year, they will receive different names. The Grand Prix, some of which have a history that pre-dates the Formula One World Championship, are not always held on the same circuit every year.

The British Grand Prix alternated between Brands Hatch and Silverstone from 1963 to 1986, and now it will be moved to Donington Park for 2010. The only other race to have been included every season of F1 is the Italian Grand Prix. The World Championship event has taken place exclusively at Monza with just one exception in 1980, where it was held at Imola, host to the San Marino Grand Prix until 2006.

In 2007, it was confirmed that new Grand Prix would be added to the schedule. The first was the Singapore Grand Prix, which will be held at the Singtel Singapore Circuit. The second was the Indian Grand Prix, which is taking place in Delhi, India. Other changes included the removal of the United States Grand Prix from the schedule, and the move of the European Grand Prix to Valencia, Spain.