The Anglo-Italian squad grabbed attention with its raft of steady floor upgrades in recent months, that according to McLaren team boss Andrea Stella had made the AT04 the best car in low-speed corners by the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

It allowed the team to have a late go at Williams for seventh in the constructors’ championship, but from sixth on the grid a one-stop gamble for Yuki Tsunoda didn’t pay off as he dropped to eighth, which left AlphaTauri three points adrift.

While its aggressive approach to introducing upgrades has given the team a performance boost towards the latter third of the season, it has also exaggerated its straight-line weakness.

“Some of the focus has been on the slow-speed corners. It was a bit of a weakness,” said the team’s head of trackside engineering Jonathan Eddolls.

“I would say the area we still need to address for next year is the aerodynamic efficiency. Because yes, we are quite competitive in the slow-speed corners. But we’ve got the downside, we’re one of the slowest cars on the straights.

“We make the time in the corners, but then we’re losing on the straights. I think we need to reintegrate, redress the balance of load in the corners and aerodynamic efficiency. But that’s being worked on for next year.”

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04

When put to him that AlphaTauri’s massive floor gains piqued interest from rival teams up and down the paddock, Eddolls said it was an area in which the team had missed its targets, so there was much more time to be gained once it had found the right development direction.

“We started the season a long way off, on the back foot, so there was plenty to find,” he said.

“But I think it’s fair to say that the factory, Bicester, aerodynamics and Faenza have done a really good job at identifying the weaknesses of that car and then working hard to try to address those.

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“Part of the problem is understanding the weaknesses and then I think they did a very good job of figuring that out. We’ve been updating the car all year, but to get points, obviously, you’ve got so many cars in front, it’s taken quite a while to get to this stage.

“Firstly, you change the targets, then you have to develop around those targets, then you find parts, then you’ve got to make the parts, then you bring them to the track. So it’s only from Singapore, since the second part of the season that really we’ve been seeing the fruits from that.”

The pair made contact early in the race, leaving Gasly with diffuser damage that cost him downforce and lap time.

The FIA stewards looked at the incident, but opted to take no action. Explaining their decision they noted: “Car 10 locked its front right tyre into Turn 6 resulting in that car approaching the turn on a slightly different line at a slightly lower speed, which was obviously unexpected by the driver of car 44.

“Car 44 made light contact with the rear of car 10 in the turn. The stewards determine that no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame.”

Gasly, who a few laps after the contact was also left frustrated by a strategy call that dropped him behind team-mate Esteban Ocon, eventually finished 13th.

“It wasn’t my day,” he said on Sunday. “Most of the damage was done when Lewis came at the back of my car and just destroyed the whole diffuser at the back of it. After that I was losing a lot of points of downforce.

“I braked late. I was surprised that he went even later – he would have gone straight if I wasn’t there. I started to have a bit of front graining, I locked up a bit, but still made the corner.

“I think he just missed the braking point, and then basically ran up the back of my car. It was quite an impact, and it was just enough to break and lose some parts of the diffuser. So not great.”

Photo by: Alpine

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Asked about the lack of any penalty, he said: “I mean, it’s harsh, because on one side, I can lose 15-20 seconds of race time. Nothing, let’s say, of my control. So on one side it’s hard.

“On another side, yeah, he made a mistake and came in the back of my car. So it’s a tough one. But it clearly cost me quite a lot today.”

Gasly insisted the call that led to Ocon getting ahead was wrong, while conceding that points remained out of reach anyway.

“Obviously I wasn’t happy with the strategy call,” he said. “And this will be reviewed and we made a mistake and I’m sure we’ll learn from it.

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“It should not happen, I think, the leading car always has priority. And we know it should not happen. I’m sure we’ll learn from it. I’m sure it won’t happen again.

“But then with all the downforce I was losing, [we’re] talking four-tenths a lap for 40 laps, maybe there was a P10 to fight for with [Lance] Stroll, but I don’t think there was much more than that today. So, not the easiest race to finish the year.”

Formula 1 fans will notice that every grand prix lasts both a different number of laps and length of time, which makes it unlike some other motor racing categories in the world.

This is because the series runs to a specific distance rather than amount of time – like the Le Mans 24 Hours, 12 Hours of Sebring and more – due to the various circuits its calendar holds. This is to ensure every race is roughly the same length, because 70 laps around Silverstone could take double that of 70 laps in Montreal.

So instead of a clock in the corner of the live feed, it is a lap count to tell fans how close the race is to finishing.

Many different factors therefore contribute to how long an F1 grand prix is as some have taken close to five hours to finish while others are done within 60 minutes. So here is everything to know about the rules around race length, controversy that has happened over the years and more.

F1 race weekend format

Before knowing about how long an F1 grand prix is, it is important to first be clear about the weekend’s format and what comes before the race.

For a traditional weekend the series starts with two, one-hour practice sessions on a Friday. It gives teams a good chance to run different car set-ups, complete testing programmes, try out upgrades and if it is a new track – like Las Vegas in 2023 – then Friday is an opportunity to learn more about the circuit.

There is then a third and final practice session on Saturday and that is an opportunity for teams to start testing their one-lap pace ahead of qualifying later in the day, which determines the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.

However, 2021 saw the introduction of a sprint race. This happens on select weekends in the year and over 2023 there were six: Austin, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil and Qatar. This was brought in as an alternative to the traditional weekend, as there is racing on Saturday and Sunday.

So on a 2023 sprint weekend, a practice sessions begins things on Friday but that is the only practice session of the weekend. What follows on Friday is qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix, with sprint qualifying and then the sprint race on Saturday.

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, the rest of the field at the start

How many laps are there in an F1 race?

Every F1 race has a different number of laps because the minimum length of a grand prix is 190 miles (305 kilometres) so they are given the scheduled number of tours it takes to approximately reach that mark.

This means grands prix on smaller tracks have more laps than those on bigger ones – for example Zandvoort is only 2.6 miles (4.259km) in length which is almost half that of Spa-Francorchamps. As a result, the Dutch Grand Prix is 72 laps while the Belgian GP is just 44, yet drivers complete the same race distance at both events.

However, there is an exception to this rule and that is Monaco whose minimum race distance is 160 miles (257km). While it is the calendar’s smallest circuit at just over two miles (3.337km), it is also a slow lap as Max Verstappen’s average speed when he won the 2021 race was 98mph compared to 179mph for his victory in Bahrain, which also had a safety car and therefore impacted the overall total.

This meant several years ago when F1 cars were slower than they are today, it was tough to complete 190 miles around Monaco while operating to the two-hour time limit grands prix are given.

Monaco also has the most number of laps (78) of any circuit, yet drivers are still only completing 160 miles which further highlights why it needs to run to a lower minimum distance.

Sprint races are now a factor as well. This is a 62-mile (99.8km) dash to the line which essentially makes it a shortened version of the Sunday race, with approximately a third of the points being awarded.

Just like the grand prix, sprint races can vary in the number of laps depending on the circuit. There were just 11 for the sprint race at Spa in 2023, as opposed to 24 laps at the Red Bull Ring with Baku (17), Circuit of the Americas (19), Losail (19) and Interlagos (24) differing as well.

Scheduled distance of every F1 grand prix in 2024

How long does an F1 race take?

Although each race has a scheduled number of laps, it is still against a clock to get the full distance done.

That is because F1 has two hours to complete the scheduled distance from lights out, but for differing factors whether it be multiple safety cars, slow laps etc, sometimes it cannot be completed within the time limit. Therefore, if a race hits two hours then the grand prix finishes at the end of the next full lap regardless of how many tours have been completed.

Photo by: Patrick Vinet / Motorsport Images

A marshal waves the red flag

In addition, that two hours is only given for track time yet the race might come to a halt because of a red flag. Therefore, in case of such F1 has a three-hour window to get two hours of track time completed from the moment the grand prix has officially begun.

But usually, races reach the scheduled distance without coming close to the time limit. As seen below, the grands prix in 2023 have approximately taken 90 minutes for the race winner to take the chequered flag.

*Total time includes any stoppages

Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, 1st position, leads Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14, 2nd position, as the chequered flag is waved

This rule was implemented after the controversial, rain-hit 2021 Belgian GP which was simply a two-lap procession behind the safety car as conditions were deemed unsafe to race in. Despite no actual racing laps being completed under green flag conditions, all F1 needed at the time was at least two tours behind a safety car for half points to be awarded.

It put the series under the cosh because some accused F1 of just trying to get to that two-lap minimum before awarding points, instead of finding other alternatives so that fans could actually watch some racing. It was therefore hard for some to call it a ‘race’, despite a significant chunk of points being awarded.

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

The cars underneath marquees during the red flag period

What is the longest race in F1 history?

The famous 2011 Canadian GP holds the record for being the longest F1 race in history at 4h04m39.537s. That day Montreal was hit by heavy rainfall and it was that bad the race had to start under a safety car.

Green flag conditions did not arrive until five laps in where Sebastian Vettel led the grand prix but Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber collided at Turn 1 in their battle for fourth. It cost both drivers several positions and on lap seven when attempting to climb back up the order, Hamilton was put into the pitwall by then McLaren team-mate Jenson Button as visibility proved tough, and the 2009 world champion could not see him coming through.

This caused another safety car period and Button used it as an opportunity to switch to intermediate tyres with conditions improving. But it was not so simple for the McLaren driver as he was first given a drive-through penalty for speeding behind the safety car, before heavier rain soon fell meaning he had to switch back to full wets.

The rain became harder and by lap 19 another safety car period was called, before the grand prix got red-flagged six tours later because of the conditions. It was then suspended for just over two hours until the weather began to improve again.

Another safety car period led the first eight laps after the restart, but green flag conditions only lasted one tour. This is because the safety car was once again required as Fernando Alonso collided with Button at Turn 3 which left a puncture on the McLaren but the Ferrari car in the wall.

Button therefore pitted and was down in 21st when the race restarted three tours later on lap 40. But upon the restart, Button with his fresher tyres coped with the conditions much better than others as he rapidly progressed through the order and was 14th by lap 44.

From this point on the race was uninterrupted and Button ultimately claimed the most unlikely of victories, after Vettel ran wide at Turn 6 on the final lap to give the McLaren driver the race lead. Button subsequently took the chequered flag after a record six safety car periods and a red flag interval.

The 2011 Canadian GP also belongs to the list of F1 records that will never be broken. In the aftermath, F1 introduced a four-hour time limit for grands prix to be completed – later reduced to three for 2021 – meaning no race can exceed that of Montreal in 2011.

Photo by: Erik Junius

The 2021 Belgian GP is F1’s shortest ever race

What is the shortest race in F1 history?

The 2021 Belgian GP holds the record for the shortest F1 race in history at 3m27.071s, which caused Hamilton to say fans were “robbed” of a grand prix.

After over three hours of delays and suspended starts, the safety car finally led drivers out of the pitlane which officially commenced the race. Two laps were completed behind the safety car before the race got suspended during a third lap and not to be resumed, which handed victory to Verstappen.

O’Ward impressed on his latest appearance in McLaren’s F1 machinery by finishing second in Abu Dhabi’s post-season test, completing 103 laps in the 2023 MCL60 to put himself just 0.269s behind Alpine’s leading Esteban Ocon.

His outing came days after being announced as one of McLaren’s 2024 reserve drivers, having already completed private tests in the 2021 MCL35 as well as several FP1 sessions.

O’Ward will focus on his 2024 IndyCar campaign before joining the F1 team in his reserve role from September’s Singapore Grand Prix onwards.

His Abu Dhabi test is the latest step towards a dream F1 seat, although the 24-year-old Mexican says his priority remains to win an Indy 500 for McLaren after narrowly losing out to Marcus Ericsson in 2022.

When asked if he felt closer to an F1 seat than ever, O’Ward said: “Absolutely, every time you do more FP1s or more testing, that’s just more time in the car.

“And that means someone is ultimately believing in you and giving you that opportunity to be ready if those doors do open.

“I’m fully focused on what I have to do in IndyCar because I want to give the 500 win to McLaren, I want to be the one that gives it to them because I’ve been with them for four years, starting my fifth next year.

“And then it would be quite the Cinderella story to tackle the challenge in Formula 1 and be a contender, not just to come here and have fun.”

Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images

Patricio O’Ward, McLaren MCL60

When asked to expand on his 103-lap test, O’Ward said he was pleased with how he continued finding gains until his final soft-tyre runs.

“From the start of the day to the end of the day, and even from my second to last soft run to my last soft run, the learning that I was doing corner by corner was huge,” he explained.

“I think I’m fairly close [to the limit]. I think there’s still [a bit] to go, but I got to a really nice place today where I felt like I was on top of the car.

“I did over 100 laps today and my neck was a champ, I’m so proud.

“You have no idea how much work I’ve done on my neck the past two years. I have destroyed it day and day after day to withstand what these cars are capable of.”

O’Ward feels his F1 duties will make him a better driver regardless of his future career path, as he gears up to improve on his fourth place in 2023’s IndyCar standings.

“If you want to be a champion, you need to put yourself into these uncomfortable positions in order to grow,” he explained.

“It takes a lot of work, a lot of fine detail and it can get really frustrating sometimes, but I’ve had to work really hard to get where I’ve gotten to, so for me it’s a nice challenge to accept.

“If it ends up happening, fantastic. I know I’m good enough to be here. But if it doesn’t, it’s just going to make me better everywhere else.”

The 2023 F1 season has drawn to a close after Max Verstappen capped off a championship-winning year with victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – but has the 2023 season actually finished? 

Teams and drivers have not packed up just yet, as they are staying in Abu Dhabi for this week’s post-season test at Yas Marina Circuit. 

It will take place on Tuesday 28 November and gives teams the opportunity for one last shakedown of their cars before they get stored away. 

But as these cars are not being used again, what is the purpose behind the post-season test and who is driving? Here is everything to know. 

What is F1’s Abu Dhabi post-season test? 

F1’s post-season test is the last bit of track action for the year which takes place just two days after the Abu Dhabi GP season finale. It runs across the day with morning and afternoon sessions as teams try to extract every last bit of knowledge that they can get from the car. 

Yet not all 20 F1 drivers have to partake. Teams must designate one of its cars to a young driver who has no more than two grand prix starts – similar to the FP1 rules. And this has therefore seen many F2 drivers, or those who are about to graduate to F1, previously take part in the test. 

In 2022 Oscar Piastri tested for McLaren ahead of his rookie season, while Liam Lawson (Red Bull), Robert Shwartzman (Ferrari), Frederik Vesti (Mercedes), Jack Doohan (Alpine), Theo Pourchaire (Alfa Romeo), Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin), Pietro Fittipaldi (Haas), Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) and Logan Sargeant (Williams) all drove the test as well. 

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Robert Shwartzman, Ferrari SF-23

The other car is for drivers with a valid superlicence and is designated for Pirelli tyre testing, so that F1 can learn more about the different compounds and how to improve for the following season. 

Ferrari scored a 1-2-3 in 2022, as Sainz, Leclerc and Shwartzman took the top three spots (Sainz and Leclerc sharing the car) while Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen completed the top five. As seen with Ferrari, some teams opt to run both drivers (one in the morning and the other in the afternoon) alongside a rookie but not everybody does that as the Scuderia, Mercedes, Red Bull and Aston Martin were the only ones to do so in 2022. So Alfa Romeo, for example, ran Valtteri Bottas alongside Pourchaire which meant Zhou Guanyu missed the test. 

Nonetheless, it is pretty much a normal testing session as teams run different programmes, try new things and extract as much feedback from the drivers as possible. The only difference being is who drives one of the cars. 

Why does F1’s Abu Dhabi post-season test matter? 

Although grands prix for the year are done, everybody knows where they finished and the different F1 cars will not be used again, the post-season test still brings importance. 

It is mainly for the drivers who are set to join a new team. For example in 2022, Fernando Alonso drove for Alpine in the season finale but was in Aston Martin colours for the post-season test just two days later as was the case for many others switching allegiance. 

The test gives an important opportunity for newcomers to gain some understanding of their new team, whether it’s the car, staff members or how everything operates. It is also the chance for drivers to complete a seat fitting with their new outfit before taking to the circuit. 

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing RB19

Once on the track, the post-season test gives newcomers early impressions of how the car works which is therefore important feedback for the team, because they can then make changes to suit its new driver. 

Even though it is at the end of a season, every bit of track time counts. It’s important to consider though pre-season testing only lasts a few days, so those switching teams already have limited time to get used to their new car meaning the Abu Dhabi post-season test provides another opportunity to get up to speed. 

However, the driver market for 2024 has been very stable. At the time of writing, 19 of the 20 drivers are staying put with Williams yet to confirm Sargeant’s future. 

Yet this year’s test is still important. Teams will be testing the Pirelli tyres for important information, while it’s a great opportunity for young drivers. It gives them more opportunities to test an F1 car and show their respective teams what they can offer. 

Who is driving in F1’s 2023 Abu Dhabi post-season test? 

Teams will be running many young drivers that have already featured for them in certain FP1 sessions across 2023. McLaren, for example, had IndyCar’s Pato O’Ward in their car for first practice at Yas Marina Circuit and he will be driving for the team again in the post-season test. 

There is also Oliver Bearman, who will have an outing in the post-season test after driving for Haas in FP1 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. However, he will be driving alongside Haas’ long-term reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi instead of Nico Hulkenberg or Kevin Magnussen. 

Meanwhile, Williams and AlphaTauri are giving out F1 debuts. Honda protégé Ayumu Iwasa will have his first taste of F1 machinery with AlphaTauri ahead of his move to Super Formula in Japan next year, after finishing fourth in the 2023 F2 championship. 

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Pato O’Ward, McLaren MCL60

Then there is Franco Colapinto, who came fourth in the 2023 F3 standings. He will be testing for Williams at Yas Marina Circuit in his first F1 outing just days after making his F2 debut, where Colapinto finished 19th in the sprint race but retired from the feature race in Abu Dhabi. He will share driving duties with Zak O’Sullivan.

Can I watch F1’s 2023 Abu Dhabi post-season test? 

F1’s Abu Dhabi post-season test will not be live televised, so the best way to follow the action is via Autosport’s social channels. There you will find continuous updates of the action, as well as photographs from the track as teams and drivers conclude the 2023 season.