Backmarker? Camber? Dirty air?: How to talk Formula One

Formula One racing cars are, like, really fast.

And that, right there, is pretty much the beginning, middle and end of all that we know about Formula One.

But relax, fellow F1 neophytes, we’re here to bone up on our racing terminology together so that we’re not a bunch of flat tires amid all the fun when the vroom-vroom machines return to Vegas.

With this in mind, here’s a starter’s guide to a few F1 terms you need to know.

Backmarker

What it means: A slower, no-hope car that gets lapped during the race, maybe more than once.

In layman’s terms: Sometimes you lay rubber and sometimes you lay an egg. This is an example of the latter.

Ballast

What it means: Weights attached to the car both for balance and to ensure that it meets the minimum weight requirements.

In layman’s terms: They’re like the ankle weights you wear when jogging.

Camber

What it means: The angle of the tire in relation to the road. Very important, as it affects both tire grip and wear.

In layman’s terms: You know how football players choose their cleats depending on the type of field they’re playing on as well as its condition? Camber works kind of like that, adjusted for the track and the weather.

Chicane

What it means: A portion of the track featuring at least two sharp turns in tight sequence in opposite directions. It’s a safety feature meant to slow cars down.

In layman’s terms: A curvy part of the track that looks kind of like the letter S.

Dirty air

What it means: The hot air expelled behind a car that can negatively affect the aerodynamics of a car following closely behind.

In layman’s terms: Basically, it’s the opposite of drafting.

DRS

What it means: Short for drag reduction system, this enables drivers to increase speeds by opening a flap on the car’s rear wing.

In layman’s terms: It makes the vroom-vroom machines even vroom-vroom-ier.

Drive-through penalty

What it means: A penalty that requires a racer to drive through pit lane below a specific speed limit after committing an infraction.

In layman’s terms: To borrow a line from “The Big Lebowski”s Walter Sobchak, “Smokey, this is not ’Nam … there are rules.”

Flags

Among the various flags waved at an F1 race:

Black flag

What it means: You’ve been disqualified.

In layman’s terms: Bad boy!

Blue flag

What it means: You’re about the get lapped and need to let the faster car pass.

In layman’s terms: Get out of the way, chief.

Green flag

What it means: Go!

In layman’s terms: Go!

Red flag

What it means: The race has been stopped, usually because of an accident or bad weather.

In layman’s terms: Pretty much like encountering a red flag — literal or figurative — anywhere else.

Yellow flag

What it means: A warning of a hazard on the track.

In layman’s terms: Hit the brakes, lest you hit something else.

Grand Chelem

What it means: This feat, aka the Grand Slam, is when a driver manages to earn pole position, record the fastest lap and subsequently lead every lap en route to victory. Only a little over two dozen drivers have ever achieved this.

In layman’s terms: The height of winning, like earning an Oscar, a Grammy and an Emmy all in the same year.

Paddock

What it means: The area behind the pit that houses equipment, racing officials, media members and other behind-the-scenes staff.

In layman’s terms: A locker room with exhaust pipes.

Scrutineering

What it means: A pre-race inspection done to ensure that vehicles are following all current regulations.

In layman’s terms: The racing equivalent of an athlete being tested for performance-enhancing substances.

Yaw

What it means: According to Formula1.com: “A term used to describe the movement of an F1 car around an imaginary vertical axis through the centre of the car. Often talked about in conjunction with pitch (movement around an imaginary horizontal axis across the centre of the car) and roll (movement through an imaginary longitudinal axis along the car’s centreline).”

In layman’s terms: Um, we don’t know, either. We’re still learning, too.

Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @jbracelin76 on Instagram