Badoer, Luca
Former long-time Ferrari test driver and the holder of two notable records in F1: the most races started without scoring a point - 50 - and most test laps completed. Because we're a nice bunch, we don't like to talk about his two-race return to driving duties in 2009 when he qualified last for the European and Belgian GPs.
Bahrain
Kingdom state which hosts the annual media controversy which is the Bahrain GP. Also held two winter tests at the start of 2014. And tends to be quite sunny.
Balance
The ambiguous term used to describe and gauge the virtues of a car's set-up. Also one of the most uttered words heard over the pit-to-car radio system during practice sessions.
Balanced, Car
The car quality a driver wants more than anything else (well, apart from a win or two perhaps)
Ballast
The weights added to a car in order to comply with safety specifications and alter a car's weight distribution in order to improve its aforementioned balance.
Barcelona
The venue for May's Spanish GP. Notorious for producing the year's dullest grand prix - unless it rains. And holding Mercedes' 'private' tyre test with Pirelli in 2013.
Bargeboards
The pieces of bodywork that serve to enhance aerodynamics and which sit vertically between the front wheels and the sidepods.
Barrichello, Rubens
F1's most experienced driver by stint of competing in more races than any other, an 11-time race winner and two-time world championship runner-up. Had been aiming for a 20th season in 2012 until Williams replaced him with a younger (fellow Brazilian) model. See also: Senna, Bruno; Williams.
Beached
The unflattering term for when a driver has spun off the road and got his car stuck in a gravel trap. See also: The long walk home.
Bending the rules
The age-old phrase used to justify cheating.
Benetton
The fashion brand famous for pastel-coloured jumpers which bought the Toleman F1 team and in the mid-1990s won back-to-back Drivers' Championships with a young Michael Schumacher. See also: Schumacher, Michael; Renault.
Bernie
F1's 85-year-old ringmaster whose Christian name is actually Bernard. See also: Ecclestone, Bernie.
Berger, Gerhard
Potty-mouthed Austrian who won races for Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren in the 1980s and 1990s. Later ran BMW's F1 programme for a while and was a co-owner of Toro Rosso.
Bianchi, Jules
Ferrari protege and Marussia driver who tragically died aged 25 in July 2015 nine months after suffering severe head injuries in a horrific accident in wet conditions at the Japanense GP. #CiaoJules
Black flag
The item waved to an errant driver request their return to the pits for the F1 equivalent of an early bath.
Blistering
The term used to describe the degradation of a car's tyres when it overheats and the blister - essentially a chunk of rubber - breaks off. See also: tyres, Pirelli.
Blown diffuser
The complex concept pioneered by Red Bull and Renault that boosted downforce through the additional use of exhaust gases blown through the rear diffuser. Effectively outlawed for 2012 after attempts to ban the device in the middle of the 2011 season ended in a popular fit of head-scratching. See also: diffuser, hot-blown diffuser.
Bodywork
The carbon-fibre parts fitted onto the car's monocoque to improve aerodynamics. Also the parts seen flying in all directions following a shunt.
Booing
What Sebastian Vettel was subjected to throughout 2013 whilst on the podium celebrating the latest of his innumerable victories. Countryman Nico Rosberg came in for similar brickbats mid-way through 2014.
Bottas, Valtteri
Very highly-regarded Finnish driver and reputed Ferrari target who replaced Bruno Senna as a race driver for Williams and continues with the Grove outfit alongside Felipe Massa in 2016.
Boullier, Eric
Former Lotus team principal who switched to McLaren in February 2014 to take up the newly-created role of racing director. Prone to bouts of Shakespeare in McLaren's post-race press releases, such as when Eric paid tribute to “our mechanics, a mettlesome troupe who have been working with indefatigable tenacity". Quite.
Box
The single word used by race engineers to instruct their driver to pit at the end of the lap.
Box, Box, Box
The words, or any multiple thereof, used by a team to instruct their driver to pit following the failure of the aforetyped single-word instruction to either be heard or heeded.
BOX, BOX, BOX
The shouty emphasis-laden instruction given to drivers from exasperated pitwalls when polite requests have been ignored.
BMW
German manufacturer which first entered F1 as a constructor in the 1950s, returned in the 1980s as an engine supplier and then becoming a team in its own right - and name - following the purchase of Sauber in 2005. Famous for strictly adhering to yearly targets and, after missing the first of these four years later, deciding to sell their team back to Peter Sauber and leaving the sport at the end of 2009.
Brabham, Jack
Legendary three-time world champion and the first driver from Australia to conquer the F1 world. Also the only driver to win the title (1966) in a car bearing his own name. Sir Jack died aged 88 in May 2014.
Brabham
Team set up by aforementioned Jack in 1962 which won a number of World Championships - including, at a later date and on a couple of occasions, under Bernie Ecclestone's ownership.
Brake bias
The term used to description the ratio of braking force between the front and rear wheels.
Brake by wire
System introduced in 2014 as a by-product of hybrid engine technology use, whereby the rear brakes of a car are controlled electronically rather than hydraulically.
Brake horsepower (BHP)
The power output on an engine, assessed by measuring the force needed to brake it. The turbo cars in the current generation F1 cars are capable of producing around 800-900bhp, across the engine and ERS.
Brawn
Former name of the team now running under the badge of Mercedes which rose from the ashes of Honda and won both World Championships in 2009. See also: fairytale.
Brawn, Ross
Famed - but now former - team boss of Mercedes and Ferrari who, along with winning the World Championship in the team bearing his own name in 2009 (see above), oversaw all of Michael Schumacher's record seven titles with Benetton and Ferrari. Also famous for munching bananas in between devising astounding strategies on the pit wall.
Brundle, Martin
The voice of Formula 1 and expert analyst on Sky Sports F1 who was also a pretty handy driver during stints at Tyrrell, Zakspeed, Brabham, Benetton, McLaren, Ligier and Jordan in the 1980s and 1990s.
B-spec
The slightly dated term used to describe a car which has been changed so much from its original design that it is essentially brand new.
Bubble, On the
The commentator's favourite term for a driver who is on the cusp of qualifying elimination.
Budget Cap
The highly controversial proposal by former FIA president Max Mosley in 2009 - and floated once more in recent months - devised as a way of dramatically reducing costs and attracting new teams to the sport. Arguments between the FIA and FOTA briefly took the sport to the brink of a devastating split. See also: RRA; Max Mosley; FOTA.
Bumps
The uneven circuit conditions which are a literal and metaphorical pain for drivers but an exciting variable for fans. In particular, Interlagos and Singapore have been notably bumpy tracks over the years.
Button, Jenson
2009 world champion, most-appearing British driver in F1, former team-mate of Lewis Hamilton at McLaren and all-round nice guy.
Button, John
Jenson's father and hugely popular paddock figure who sadly passed away in January 2014 at the age of 70.
More from The F1 Dictionary
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