[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

Agree.... But it's not the only thing that can be weird. Other items that may seem complex to someone who is totally new to motorsports.

* The need to use different tires during the race
* Multi-phase qualifying
* Virtual vs. classic safety car
* And don't even try to explain the things we argue about on a regular basis (leaving racing room) because we are veterans and we can't even agree.

I actually think DRS is pretty easy to explain. "If you catch the driver in front of you, it helps you pass them. They can do the same to you." It's not great, but it is simple.

Richard

I tend to agree with this.
How do you explain to a first time viewer what happened behind the SC at the last race in 2021?


And for those how genuinely do want a quick reference for people new to the sport (noting that DRS is explained in 64 words):

'Slang Terms Used in Formula One

Backmarker
Trailing drivers are often lapped by the leading drivers. The trailing drivers are referred to as backmarkers just as we refer to back benchers in schools and colleges.

Blistering/Graining
Blistering is when the cold surface of the track causes pieces to blow out of the tyre surface because the inside of the tyre is warmer. Graining is just the opposite. It is a situation when the tyres are cold and the hotter surface outside causes the rubber chunks to come off and stick to the tyre.

Bottoming Out
When the underside of the car comes in contact with the track, it is referred to as bottoming. It happens because of uneven tracks and in cases of sudden rise or crest. You get a shower of sparks when a car bottoms out because F1 cars use titanium skid blocks underneath their chassis.

Box
‘Box’ is a reminder to the drivers coming from a controller in the pits that they have a pit stop coming during the lap or in the next lap. The word is derived from the German word ‘Boxenstopp’ which means a pit stop.

Brake Bias
Brake bias is what allows the drivers to adjust the difference between how much the front wheels and the rear wheels brake. Normally, both the front and rear wheels will break equally when the driver pushes down on the brake pedal. In wet conditions, the driver may want to increase the braking in the rear tyres and reduce it in the front wheels.

Drivers adjust brake biases throughout the course of a race to balance the car depending on the condition of the tyres and the amount of fuel left in the tanks.

Dirty Air/Clean Air
Dirty air is the turbulent air left in the wake of the preceding car. The car coming in the wake of the leading car will experience a drag because of the dirty air. Clean air is the undisturbed air encountered by a car speeding all on its own. The air flows smoothly around the car’s streamlined surface but leaves dirty air in its wake.

DRS
Drag Reduction System (DRS) is allowed to be used in only marked zones on the track. Turbulent air behind the leading car can lead to a drag on the car following it closely, reducing the down force. A flap on the car is then used to reduce the drag and increase the down force which can help the car in overtaking on a straight.

Falling Off the Cliff
Falling off the cliff describes the situation when the tyre compounds deteriorate unusually rapidly during the race. Ths slows down the car and renders it uncompetitive. Drivers say “ my tyres fell off the cliff and I had to pit stop early” to describe their predicament.

Flatspot
When a car driver locks his front brakes, the front tyres skid along the surface of the track rather than roll across it. This wears the tyres giving it a prominent flat spot. A flat spot on the tyres results in unscheduled pit stops spoiling the chances of the driver in the race.

Green Track
A green track is an almost unused track that drivers encounter on the first day of practice. The track has little rubber laid down onto it affording the cars less than optimum traction on the dry.

Lift and Coast
If a driver feels that he is going to run out of fuel before the end of the race, he has to conserve his fuel. The driver then lifts off the throttle and cruises. The driver is said to be ‘lifting and coasting” into the braking zone at the cost of speed.

Marbles
Tiny pieces of rubber that are shredded off the tyres while cornering are called marbles. They accumulate off the racing line and driving on them can be dangerous as the car loses traction.

Oversteer/Understeer
When a car is cornering and the rear wheels of the car lose grip and step out of line, the driver is said to have oversteered. On the other hand, if the front wheels lose grip and the car takes a shallower turn than the driver intended, the car has been understeered.

Polesitter
A polesitter is the driver who sets the fastest lap in Q3 of the qualifying sessions. Pole sitters have an advantage if they get away from the pack and hold the lead into the first corner.

Power Unit
The engine of a modern-day F1 car has ‘power units’ rather than just engines as in the olden days. This unit consists of six components. The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), the Turbo Charger (TC), the Motor Generator Unit – H (MGU-H), Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic (MGU-K), the Energy Store (ES) and the Control Electronics (CE) taken together is called the Power Unit. These components combine to give an F1 car just below 1000 bhp of power.

Tankslapper
A driver is said to have got a tankslapper when a sideways movement causes the rear end of the car to step out of line.'