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Blagger’s guide to… F1

August is a great time for the petrol heads of the world. The month-long wait is finally over and F1 is back full throttle following its summer break. But what if you don’t have a need for speed?

No one wants to be on the receiving end of blank stares after mistaking the meaning of ‘pole position’, trust us.

Fear not, if you’re not already fluent in F1, BOB is here to help you avoid the embarrassment with some good old fashioned blagging.

What you should say…

“I can’t believe there was just one tenth* separating pole**”

*One tenth of a second
**The number one position in the race’s starting grid

“He’s so close, he’ll definitely have DRS* this lap.”

*Drag Reduction System: an overtaking aid used when drivers are within one second of another car

“The one-stop strategy* clearly isn’t working, his tyres are degrading so fast they’re falling off the cliff**”

*An attempt to get the edge on the competition by only stopping once in a race to change tyres

**The point where there’s no grip left on an F1 tyre which makes the car slide

What you shouldn’t say…

Friend: “What do you think of the Halo*?”

You: “Complete game-changer, it’s got to be up there with my top five fave Beyoncé songs.”

*A new safety device set to be introduced in 2018 that’s designed to protect drivers from head injuries

“Dirty air*? Oh absolutely, the car emissions must be terrible”

*A region of extremely turbulent air behind an F1 car that compromises closely following cars

“I’m a big fan of aerodynamics*, sounds like great way to get fit!”

* The study of airflow over and around an object and an intrinsic part of F1 car design