People's Formula
Current season, competition or edition: 2020 People's Formula Championship | |
 Logo of People's Formula | |
| Sport | Motorsports |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Commissioner | Zvezdelin Nakov |
| Country | Verbiza |
| Most recent champion(s) | Srebrin Penchev (2019) |
People's Formula (Verbizan: Narodna formula), also known as PF or NF, is a class of single-seater auto racing in the People's Communal Republic of Verbiza. It is the highest class of racing sanctioned by the Communist Party of Verbiza. Like other "formula" motorsports, the word "formula" refers to a set of rules to which all participants' cars must conform. In People's Formula, the rules are determined by the Communist Party's Department of Culture Committee for Sports.
A People's Formula season consists of several races, called Challenges (Predizvikatelstvo) which take place on purpose-built circuits and public roads.
There are two concurrent championships every season: the driver championship and the constructor (team) championship. Each race, points are awarded to drivers based on their finishing position. Points are also awarded to teams based on the cumulative points of their drivers' finishing positions.
Races
Races, called Challenges (Predizvikatelstvo) take place over the course of the weekend. There are typically 10 races in a season. Races consist of the following events on the following days:
- Friday: Free Practice (1 hour). The teams have the opportunity to drive the track and collect data about car performance.
- Saturday: Qualifying (1 hour). Drivers attempt to earn the fastest lap around the race track. The starting race grid is sorted descending by fastest qualifying lap time.
- Sunday: Race (No more than 300 km or 2 hours, whichever comes first). Drivers race in the Challenge for points.
Points
The table below is a breakdown of how points are awarded to drivers/constructors.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
For example: In a race, Team X might have Driver A, Driver B, and Driver C.
- Driver A finishes 1st, so Driver A earns 15 points.
- Driver B finishes 5th, so Driver B earns 11 points.
- Driver C doesn't finish due to a technical difficulty with the car, so doesn't earn any points.
In this example, Team X would earn 26 points in the constructor championship (15 + 11 + 0).
2020 rule changes
Prior to the 2020 rule changes, points were awarded only to the top 10 competitors. Since the 2020 rule changes, points are assigned in reverse order of the number of cars competing in the race. For example, if there are 15 cars competing in the race, the race winner earns 15 points, the second place finisher wins 14 points, etc.
Constructors
Constructors are motorsport teams that have earned government approval to compete in People's Formula. Typically, in order for a team to gain a slot in People's Formula, it must have had significant experience in some form of engineering, motorsport, or automobiles. There are generally two pathways for gaining a slot in People's Formula: government involvement or grassroots efforts.
For example, the Radulov Manufacturing Concern Motorsport Team was granted a slot because it is a state-owned manufacturer of automobiles and heavy machinery. It earned a slot because it directly works with the government, and because there was adequate interest within Radulov to try its hand at motorsport.
In contract, the Nizini Racing Club is a grassroots organization. It slowly competed in smaller racing series, earned community sponsorships, and won over fans. By the time it applied for a slot in People's Formula, it was already well-known throughout the country.
Drivers
Every team must field three drivers, each of which must be approved as a competent driver. There are two documents one must receive in order to race in People's Formula:
- Motorsport License, Class A from the Communist Party of Verbiza. Requires evidence of previous motorsport involvement domestically or internationally.
- Special Machinery Operations Permit from the Ministry of Public Health. Requires evidence of sound mind and body from a Verbizan physician.
Once a driver possesses the necessary permits, they usually sign with a team for a contract term. Contract terms usually last 3 - 5 seasons, but it is not unusual for drivers to be dropped by their team, be traded with another team, etc.
Each driver can choose a number between 2 and 99.