Yes. The sports governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) requires the onboard cameras that are fitted to every car (on the top of the roll over structure) to be differently coloured. On the teams’ first or lowest numbered car the camera will fluorescent red and on the second car it will be yellow.

FIA rules state that any driver completing at least 90 percent of the full race distance will be classified, whether or not his car was still running when the winner crossed the finish line.

If the race is stopped before the full or final race distance and a result is declared, the classification will reflect the race order two laps before that on which the race was stopped. For example if a race is halted on lap 55, the classification will be as it was of the end of lap 53.

Yes, and teams sometimes decide to do this if a driver is injured or unwell or if a driver is underperforming.

Teams are permitted to use up to four drivers in a season, and all may score championship points for both themselves and the team. A driver change can be made with the permission of the stewards any time before the start of qualifying. The new driver however must use the tyres and engine allocated to the original driver.

Race officials, or stewards as they are known, wield the power to impose various penalties on a driver during the race if he commits an offence. These offences may include jumping the start, or causing an accident, which in the view of the stewards, could have been avoided. They can also be penalised for unfairly blocking or impeding a driver who is trying to lap them or for safety considerations like speeding in the pitlane. The most common penalty and the easiest to police is the “drive-through” penalty. In this scenario a driver must enter the pits and pass down the pitlane at the designated speed before rejoining the race. They are not required to stop.

A more severe penalty is often referred to as a “stop-go” penalty. In this scenario the driver is forced to enter the pits and proceed at the speed limit to their pit box and remain stationary for ten seconds. During this time teams are not permitted to work on the car.

In extreme cases, the stewards may choose to use a third and much more extreme penalty, by demoting the driver ten grid positions at the next Grand Prix. So if the driver qualifies in second position he will be forced to start from 12th on the grid.

In the case of the drive-through penalty and the ten-second time penalty, a driver has three laps, from the time his team is notified, to enter the pits (failure to do so may result in a black flag and the driver being disqualified from the race).

The only exception to this rule is when the penalty is awarded during the final five laps of the race. In this case the driver may continue and complete the race. However, 25 seconds will be added to his total race time, which may drop him considerably in the final race standings.

The top eight finishers in each Grand Prix score points towards both the drivers’ and the constructors’ World Championships, according to the following scale:

1st place: 10 points
2nd place: 8 points
3rd place: 6 points
4th place: 5 points
5th place: 4 points
6th place: 3 points
7th place: 2 points
8th place: 1 point

The only exception to this is when a race is suspended and cannot be restarted. If less than 75 per cent of the race distance has been completed half points are awarded, and if less than two laps have been completed, no points are awarded.

The driver with the most points at the end of the season is declared drivers’ champion. Similarly the constructor with the most points is declared constructors’ champion.

In the case of a dead heat for a championship place then the driver or team with the higher number of superior race results will be awarded the place. For example, if two teams finish the season top of the table on equal points, then the team with the most race wins will be declared champion.

The start procedure is so much more than the red lights going off at the start of a Grand Prix. The procedure, which is very strict, begins 30 minutes before the formation lap with the pit lane being opened.

At this point drivers may complete a lap of the circuit before arriving at their allocated grid spot. Should a driver wish to do additional sighting laps he must pass through the pits to bypass the grid.

The pit lane closes 15 minutes prior to the formation lap. Any drivers still in the pit lane at this time will have to start the race from there. Ten minutes before the start the grid must be cleared except for team technical staff, race officials and drivers. With three minutes to go all cars must have their wheels fitted.

With a minute to go all cars must have their engines running. All personnel must then leave the grid at least 15 seconds before the green lights come on to signal the start of the formation lap.

Any driver who has a problem immediately prior to the green light must raise his arm to indicate this. Once the rest of the field has moved off marshals will be available to push the car into the pitlane. If the driver restarts the car while being pushed he may rejoin the formation lap.

During the formation lap no practice starts are allowed. Overtaking is also forbidden unless passing a car that has slowed due to a technical problem. Passed cars may in turn re-overtake in order to regain their grid position if the problem is resolved during the course of the formation lap.

However, any driver who is still on the grid when all other cars have moved off on the formation lap, but then subsequently gets away, may not re-pass cars to regain his grid position, but must instead start from the back.

Once all cars have safely taken up their grid positions at the end of the formation lap five red lights will appear in sequence at one-second intervals. These red lights are then extinguished to signal the start of the race.

If a driver has a problem on the grid immediately prior to the start he must raise his arm and the start will be aborted. A new formation lap, which will count towards the race distance, will then be completed.

The only exceptions to these start procedures are connected to the weather. If it starts to rain in the three minutes prior to the start then the abort lights will come on and the starting procedure will revert to the ten minute point to allow teams to change to appropriate tyres.

If the weather is exceptionally bad the race director may choose to abort the start and resume the starting procedure only when conditions have improved. Alternatively, he may decide to start the race behind the safety car.

Teams may refuel their car or indeed reduce the fuel load during practice and then in both the qualifying sessions but the driver must start the race with whatever fuel was left in the car.

After the car has completed qualifying, drivers in positions one to ten on the grid are not permitted to alter the fuel level until the start of the race. Refuelling is allowed during the race. Refuelling when a race has been suspended (normally in the case of a safety car) is forbidden unless a car is already in the pit entry or pit lane.

In the past teams were allowed to bring a spare or T-Car to every race but in a bid to reduce costs these have now been banned and teams must have no more than two cars ready to race.

However teams may bring additional chassis which can be built up in the event of a race chassis being damaged beyond repair.