STAGE

3Formula OneAlex Raynham

Introduction

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This ungraded summary is for the teacher’s use only and should not be given to students.

getting into a Formula One team. It explains the

importance of fitness, strength, and the ability to

concentrate.

Chapter 9 (Great drivers) describes the careers of

four great drivers: Fangio, who dominated the early

years of Formula One, Lauda, who continued his

career following a terrible crash, Senna, a Brazilian

sports star who died in a crash, and Schumacher, who

has won more races than any other driver.

Chapter 10 (the circuits) looks at the tracks used

in Formula One racing. The earliest was Silverstone, an

old airfield in a rural setting. Since then, circuits have

been built all over the world. Many are carefully

designed to combine safety and excitement, and they

often include facilities such as hotels and parks.

Chapter 11 (the racing business) considers the

vast sums of money now involved in Formula One.

Television, advertising and merchandising all provide

income, while teams spend fortunes on developing

cars. With so much money at stake, teams have

resorted to cheating on occasions.

Chapter 12 (into the future) describes the issues

that are likely to affect Formula One in the future.

Night racing is a new development that is likely to

become more common. The worldwide spread of the

sport is also likely to continue. Environmental

considerations will also become more important, and

more women may well become involved in the sport.

Chapter 13 (fast, dangerous – and exciting) finishes by highlighting the popularity of Formula One

and its ability to draw crowds, even in countries such

as Jamaica with no tradition of car racing.

Chapter summaryChapter 1 (the greatest race) is a short introduction

to the history of Formula One. It contrasts the early

days, when the races were not televised and the cars

cost relatively little, with the sport as it is now, with

massive audiences, huge sums of money, and

technologically advanced cars.

Chapter 2 (What is formula One?) outlines the

role of the FIA, the body that makes the rules for

Formula One. It gives details of the circuits, the racing

teams, and how teams win points towards the

championship.

Chapter 3 (inside a racing team) describes how

teams develop and test cars and engines, and how

they need to travel around the world and build their

garages at different circuits.

Chapter 4 (race weekend) talks about the race

and the events leading up to it. It explains how drivers

and engineers prepare for the race in the practice

sessions and qualifying session. During the race itself,

drivers communicate with the track team, and must

also be aware of the various flags that may be

displayed.

Chapter 5 (How it all began) is about the early

days of car racing, starting in France in 1895. As cars

became more popular, so did racing, and in the early

20th century people started building special circuits.

Formula One racing began in 1950, and has been

developing ever since.

Chapter 6 (racing cars, then and now) looks

more closely at the technological developments since

the 1950s. Cars have become smaller, lighter, more

efficient and more aerodynamic – and faster as a

result.

Chapter 7 (Making the sport safer) describes

developments in the area of safety. In the early days,

there were no seat belts, protective helmets, or

fireproof clothes. Now, by contrast, cars are stronger,

drivers are very well protected, and everyone involved

in racing is more safety conscious.

Chapter 8 (Becoming a driver) is about the

stages that most drivers go through – typically karting

as a child, then winning races at lower levels before

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STAGE

3Formula OnePre-reading activity

Word search

Look at the definitions and find the words in the word search below.

Q C H A M P I O N K F

O A Z D O O B F Y R A

B F I V I L L A G E N

R U L E C F U W I B X

A E P R A C T I S E Y

K L N T Q U P S P U O

E N V I R O N M E N T

V S E S G C A J E E E

U T H E L M E T D C A

M E C H A N I C I K M

DEFINITIONS

1 the air, water, land, animals, and plants around us

2 a person who enjoys something very much, like sport

3 the liquid that is burnt to make a car go

4 a person who fixes cars and machines

5 a hard hat that protects your head

6 the best player or driver in a sport

7 to make a car go slower

8 something that says what you must or must not do

9 how fast something goes

10 to tell people about something you want to sell

11 a group of people who work together

12 the part of your body between your head and your shoulders

13 to do something again and again because you want to get better at it

14 a group of houses, a very small town

To the teacherAim: To introduce some of the key vocabulary.

Time: 15–20 minutes

Organization: Give a copy of the worksheet to each

student or group of students. Give the students about

ten minutes to find as many words as possible. Then ask

them to match the words they have found with the

definitions (most of which are taken from the glossary).

Go through the words and deal with any remaining

difficulties over meanings. Finally, ask students to

predict why these words might be included in the book,

and to make sentences using some of the words.

Key: 1 environment, 2 fan, 3 fuel, 4 mechanic, 5 helmet,

6 champion, 7 brake, 8 rule, 9 speed, 10 advertise,

11 team, 12 neck, 13 practise, 14 village.

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STAGE

3Formula OneWhile reading activity

Spot the mistakes

Read this summary of Chapter 4, Race weekend, and correct the ten mistakes. The first one has been done for you.

Formula One races are usually on Saturdays. The day before the race, there is a qualifying session. The fastest drivers in the qualifying session start the race at the back of the grid. The place for the fastest driver is called point position.

When the red lights at the start line are turned on, the drivers drive one lap to heat their engines and their tyres. A few seconds before the race, they are watching five green lights. When these lights are turned on, the race starts. Flags give the drivers information during the race. For example, a yellow flag means that drivers cannot overtake, and a blue flag means the race has stopped.

Cars usually have pit stops during the race. The pit crew has about ten people in it. Mechanics can change a tyre in about four minutes. Other mechanics can check the car and fix small problems.

When the winning driver crosses the finish line, a marshal waves a red and white flag.

Now write a summary of Chapter 5, How it all began, and include four mistakes. When you have written it, give it to someone to correct.

Sundays

To the teacherWhere: At the end of Chapter 5 (How it all began).

Aim: To consolidate some of the key facts about what

happens at Formula One race weekends.

Time: 30 minutes

Organization: Make a copy of this worksheet for each

student. Ask students to look at the summary and say

what it is about. Point out the corrected first mistake,

then ask students to rewrite the summary correcting the

remaining mistakes. There are ten mistakes. Allow about

ten minutes for this. When students have corrected the

mistakes, elicit the correct summary from the class.

Now ask students to write a summary of Chapter 5,

How it all began, including four mistakes. When

students have written their summaries, ask them to

swap with their neighbours. Students then correct the

mistakes as in the first part of the activity.

Key: Saturdays – sundays; back – front; point – pole;

red – green; green – red; on – off; blue – red; ten –

twenty; minutes – seconds; red – black.

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STAGE

3Formula OneAfter reading activity

Who’s who?

Match the people with the descriptions.

1 Emile Levassor f, __

2 Juan Manuel Fangio __, __

3 Jackie Stewart __, __

4 Niki Lauda __, __

5 Ayrton Senna __, __

6 Michael Schumacher __, __

7 Nelson Piquet Jr. __, __

a had terrible burns in an accident.

b won his last Formula One championship when he was forty-six.

c received 31 million dollars in 2010.

d fought to make Formula One safer.

e was killed when his car hit a barrier.

f won the world’s first real car race.

g was born in Austria.

h said that two managers had told him to crash.

i had to wait twenty minutes for an ambulance.

j crashed in the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008.

k was a French engineer.

l won a Grand Prix after his gears started to break.

m has won more races than any other Formula One driver.

n was born in Argentina.

To the teacherWhere: At the end of the book.

Aim: To revise some facts about important Formula One

drivers.

Time: 10–15 minutes

Organization: Give each student or group of students a

copy of the worksheet. Ask them to match the names

and the information. See how much students can do

without referring back to the book. Go through the

answers with the class, and ask students if they can

remember any further details about the people and

events in the chart.

Key: 1 f, k; 2 b, n; 3 d, i; 4 a, g; 5 e, l; 6 c, m; 7 h, j.