F1 Out Laps, In Laps and Hot Laps explained

Ever heard commentators mention out-lap, hot lap, and in-lap during an F1 race weekend and wondered what they meant?

Formula 1 with its complex strategies can throw a lot of jargon at new fans. But don't worry! We are here to break down some of the most common phrases you will hear during a race, qualifying, or practice, starting with these terms.

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The Out Lap

The out-lap is the first lap a driver completes after leaving the pit-lane. In qualifying, this slow lap serves a crucial purpose: heating the tyres, brakes, and engines.

It allows drivers to gradually increase the temperature of these components, optimising performance for the hot lap that follows.

As they approach the final corner, they will accelerate to gain some speed before crossing the start/finish line for their all-important hot lap.

However, during the race, drivers will push their cars more as every second counts, but they will be cautious as their tyres won't have the same grip as those of rivals who haven't pitted yet.

The Hot Lap

Also known as the flying lap, this is the lap where drivers aim to set a fast time in qualifying or record a track time in the case of practice.

This lap is performed immediately after the out-lap in qualifying, and drivers get multiple attempts to set the fastest time possible and secure the best grid position for the race.

The In Lap

This is the final lap a driver completes before returning to the pits. The purpose of this lap differs between qualifying and race scenarios.

In qualifying and free practice sessions, the in-lap is a slow, controlled affair. Having already set their time, there's no need to push the car further. The focus shifts to cooling down the tyres and brakes to prevent overheating and excessive wear - which are critical to the car’s preparedness for the following session.

In-laps during a race, however, are a different story. Knowing they will be swapping tyres anyway, drivers can exploit this lap to make up the time they are about to lose during the pit stop.

They can push the car harder and try to widen the gap between themselves and rivals behind before pitting for fresh rubber.

Bonus: The Formation Lap

There's one more lap worth mentioning: the formation lap, also known as the warm-up.

This lap takes place just before the race starts and allows drivers to line up in the order in which they qualified, as well as warm up the tyres, brakes, and engine and ensure that everything is working perfectly well.

That's also where you will see drivers weave from side to side - which is a technique to generate heat across the tyre surface without excessive wear.

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