Following OJ on His Journey to Racing Glory: Understanding the Different Types of Auto Racing
As you have now probably come to know, Apex Doodles is an NFT project that is merging art and motorsport. The artwork that prominently features on our NFTs was created by Oscar Joyce, an up-and-coming Formula 4 driver who also happens to be the founder of our project.
Leveraging NFT technology, we aim to build community, create authentic fan experiences, and support Oscar Joyce (OJ) on his journey to becoming a Formula champion.
Today, we have decided to take an educational deep-dive into the world of auto racing, exploring the different kinds of racing leagues that exist. On this list, you’ll find everything from iconic Formula 1–4 leagues to Nascar racing as well as other upcoming racing disciplines that are about to take the world by storm.
Motorsport has always played an important role in the automotive industry. Over the years the sport has exponentially risen to become a global phenomenon with many races being held around the world at several historic racing tracks. Some of these famous race tracks include Silverstone in the UK, Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy and more recently the Dubai Autodrome in the UAE.
However, motorsport is a broad sport with different classes of motor racing that exist, and it can be difficult to differentiate between them. Most of the cars also usually look pretty similar between the various classes, and the races are not that different either.
Formula 1
Formula 1 is, of course, the apex of formula racing. Racing in Formula 1 is the ultimate dream for most professional drivers and OJ is no exception. He has competed in Formula 4 and he is working hard to progress. You can support OJ on his journey to being a Formula 1 racing champion by joining other Apex Doodles Collaborators today. All you need to do is simply visit our Genesis NFT Collection on OpenSea and purchase an NFT of your liking.
Compared to the other levels of formula racing, Formula 1 cars are by far the most powerful, most prestigious, most technologically advanced, and arguably the fastest cars around. These cars have used a wide variety of engines over the years, their engines are massively powerful, and depending on how they are set up or tuned, they can produce close to or in some cases exceed 1,000 horsepower!
Formula 1 teams depend on engine suppliers such as Ferrari, Mercedes, Honda, and Renault. Recent tech advancements such as hybrid powerplants have also found their way into F1 for both greater performance and increased efficiency. Apart from hybrid powerplants, the cars also make use of a kinetic energy recovery system (ERS-K) that makes it possible to save the kinetic energy lost during braking and later on provide it to the wheels when there is a need for more speed.
The cars themselves are mostly made from carbon fibre and other strong but super lightweight materials. Each Formula 1 team has the liberty to design the chassis for their cars as long as they stick to established guidelines and regulations.
As Formula 1 is an international racing series, the races are held in locations and racetracks all over the world. Each Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place throughout the weekend and is made up of three practice sessions, one qualifying session, and the race itself.
Stay tuned to OJ’s career. One day, he hopes to reach F1!
Formula 2
Formula 2 is, as the name suggests, the second-highest tier of formula racing. While Formula 2 is not nearly as popular as Formula 1, it has been around for about as long as Formula 1.
In Formula 2, All Formula 2 teams have to use the same chassis and the same engine.
This is different from what happens in F1 where each team gets to design their chassis and select one engine from a few different options. In terms of weight, Formula 2 cars do weigh a bit less than Formula 1 cars, but because they are not as technologically advanced as their counterparts, this makes the cars about 10 seconds slower than Formula 1 cars around any given track.
The race format of a Formula 2 race is also very different from how it is in Formula 1. Formula 2 races are held throughout the weekend, with a different schedule. Formula 2 has a unique way of determining the starting grid for these sprint races. While it uses the placement of the drivers during qualifying as in any other league, with Formula 2 the order of the top 10 drivers is reversed. For example, if a driver were to come out 10th during qualifying, they would start at the first position for the first race.
Formula 3
Formula 3, of course, is one tier below Formula 2. You may be interested in knowing that all of these different tiers of formula racing exist as feeder series for Formula 1. These tiers help drivers build and perfect the skills and experience needed to succeed in Formula 1, but at only a fraction of the cost.
In other words, Formula 2 and Formula 3 are just the training ground to try and get into Formula 1 for most drivers and teams.
Formula 3 cars are no different from Formula 2 cars, only slightly different in their basic appearance. The main difference between them is that the engines in Formula 3 cars are naturally aspirated, with no turbocharging. As a result, Formula 3 cars usually generate between 380–400 horsepower, with a minimum weight requirement of about 670 kg including the driver and fluids.
The race format of a Formula 3 race weekend is similar to that of a Formula 2 race weekend. There is usually a practice session and a qualifying session on Friday, Saturday consists of two sprint races, and the feature race is held on Sunday.
Formula 4
Aside from Formula E, which is for electric vehicle racing, Formula 4 is the newest tier of formula racing that currently exists, with the first Formula 4 race being held in 2014.
Formula 4 is where Oscar Joyce has been competing for some time now and he is now advancing to higher leagues as mentioned earlier.
Unlike the other types of formula leagues, Formula 4 holds no worldwide championships. Instead, individual countries host their championships. But besides that, these individual championships do not operate as independent bodies as they have to comply with the same rules and regulations.
Formula 4 cars are similar to Formula 2 and 3 cars, but there are other differences between them. For example, Formula 4 race cars aren’t stuck with using the same chassis and engine as everyone else; they have a choice of different chassis and engines.
Formula 4 uses 4-cylinder engines giving a maximum output of around 160 horsepower. There’s no limit in terms of what the engine’s displacement can be and the engines can be either naturally aspirated or turbocharged.
As Formula 4 championships are hosted by individual countries, race weekends differ and are formatted differently. In general, however, the format is pretty standard; Fridays are for practice sessions and then qualifying sessions are held either late on Friday or early on Saturday.
NASCAR
NASCAR is one of the most popular and leading car racing companies in the world. Established in 1948, the company went from strength to strength, and there are currently 1,500 races held under the NASCAR banner each year, predominantly in North America.
As a motorsport league, NASCAR is best known for its oval tracks. The idea of the oval track is that NASCAR becomes less of a competition of skill, but the quality of the vehicles. Driver skill is going to take a bit of a role (learning how to draft, track positioning, etc.), but just going around in a circle helps to showcase what the vehicle can achieve.
NASCAR runs around 1,500 races per year throughout the world. Although, once again, the bulk of these are going to be held in the United States and Canada.
The competitions are broken down into a few broad categories, each with its collection of events under them.
Radical Series
The Radical SR1 Cup is the UK’s fastest and most exciting club racing championship, which makes racing prototype-style sportscars more accessible than ever before.
Drivers of all backgrounds have taken advantage of the detailed on-track tuition and support offered by Radical Sportscars since the championship’s launch in 2013. The Radical Challenge Championship is a thrilling mix of sprint and endurance races at the UK’s leading circuits.
Each Radical Series race weekend features a 20-minute qualifying session, two fast-paced 25-minute sprint races and one 45-minute endurance race including a 15-minute qualifying, incorporating a mandatory pit-stop for all classes.
Big announcements to come!
OJ is continuing his ascent in the motorsport world. 2023 will be a year of tremendous progress, and we want our community along for the ride. We have big announcements coming soon — so stay tuned to our Telegram and Twitter. We’re going to be off to the races this year.
