2025 BGG rank #16275

Formula 5

2–5 players 15 min Ages 8+ 1.0/5 complexity 5.5/10 rating

About this game

In Formula 5 the theme of the game is a car race. Setup: After assigning each player one car, shuffle all 5 car cards and place them randomly on the table in succession, from first to fifth position. Shuffle and deal 12 race cards to each player to form their hand and randomly place one race card face up below each car on the table to form 5 columns. The remaining car cards form a drawing deck. Game: The game is played in turns. The car in first position plays first, the car in second position plays second and so on. The active player must play a race card from their hand (or draw it form the drawing deck in case of cars without a player) and play it in the column corresponding to their car, overlapped, so that all race cards are always visibile. If the speed (number of all race cards of the same colour as the last race card played in the whole column) is greater than the speed of the car preceding it the car overtakes it. Instead of playing a race card face up each player during their turn may decide to make a pit stop by playing a pit stop card or a race card face down. The pit stop allows the active player to discard as many race cards from their hand as they wish and to draw the same number from the drawing deck, but the speed is considered zero. End: when the cards in the players hands run out, the game ends. The player whose car is in better position at the end of the game wins the game. —description from the pubisher

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Hand Management Racing Card Game

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Setup

1. Assign each player one car. Shuffle all 5 car cards and place them randomly in a row on the table from 1st to 5th position — these are the starting positions. 2. Shuffle the race cards. Deal each player a hidden hand of 12 cards based on their car's starting position: - 1st and 2nd position: 2 pit stop cards + 10 race cards - 3rd and 4th position: 1 pit stop card + 11 race cards - 5th position: 12 race cards 3. The remaining race cards form a face-down drawing deck. If it runs out, shuffle the discards to reform it. 4. Draw 5 race cards from the drawing deck and place one face up beneath each car card to form 5 columns. 5. If playing with fewer than 5 players, cars without a player receive no starting hand cards.

Turn flow

Play proceeds in turns. The car in 1st position plays first, then 2nd, then 3rd, and so on. On their turn, the active player MUST either play a race card or take a pit stop. OPTION A — PLAY A RACE CARD: Play one race card face up from hand and place it in the column beneath their car (overlapped so all cards remain visible). Then determine speed by counting all race cards in that column that match the colour of the card just played. Finally, resolve overtaking: if this car's speed is strictly greater than the speed of the car immediately ahead, swap their car cards (one overtake per turn). OPTION B — PIT STOP: Play either a pit stop card or a race card face down (pit stop side) in the column beneath their car. The active player may then discard any number of race cards (not pit stop cards) from hand and draw the same number from the drawing deck. During a pit stop, the car's speed is 0. Cars without a player draw the top card of the drawing deck instead of playing from hand and never make pit stops. At the end of a round (when all cars have taken their turn), the new round begins with the updated positions determining play order.

Scoring and victory

The player whose car occupies the best race position among all player-controlled cars at the end of the final round wins. Uncontrolled cars are excluded from the ranking. Target score: Best position among players Scoring sources: Race position at game end (1st is best, 5th is worst)

Source: Rulebook

Rules to know

The most useful rules for getting a first game right.

Setup

Shuffle all 5 car cards and place them randomly in a row to determine starting positions 1st through 5th.

After assigning each player one car, shuffle ALL 5 car cards and place them randomly on the table in succession from first to fifth position. These are the starting positions. Position 1st is the leading position and 5th is last.

Setup

Each player receives a hand of 12 cards; the composition depends on starting position.

Based on their car's starting position, each player receives a hidden hand of 12 cards: 1st and 2nd position receive 2 pit stop cards + 10 race cards; 3rd and 4th position receive 1 pit stop card + 11 race cards; 5th position receives 12 race cards (no pit stop cards). Hands are kept hidden from other players.

Setup

Draw 5 race cards from the deck and place one face up beneath each car card to start the 5 columns.

After dealing hands, draw 5 race cards from the drawing deck and place one face up next to (below) each car card. This creates one column per car to start the game.

Setup

Cars without a player receive no starting hand; they draw from the deck on their turn.

If playing with fewer than 5 players, any car not assigned to a player receives no hand of cards at the start of the game. On their turn, these uncontrolled cars draw the top card from the drawing deck, play it face up in their column, and never make pit stops.

Turn structure

The car in 1st position plays first each round, followed by 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

The game is played in turns. The car in first position plays first, the car in second position plays second, and so on through fifth. At the start of each new round, turn order is re-evaluated based on the current positions after all cars have played.

Card play

On their turn, the active player must play a race card face up into their car's column.

The active player must play one race card from their hand face up (race side) and place it in the column corresponding to their car. Cards are placed overlapped so all cards in the column remain visible at all times. This is the standard action for a turn.

Special

A car's speed equals the number of race cards in its column that share the same colour as the last race card played in that column.

After a race card is played, determine the car's speed by counting ALL race cards in that car's entire column (including all previously played cards) that are the SAME COLOUR as the last race card just played. This total count is the car's speed for the purpose of resolving overtaking. Speed is always relative to the column the car currently occupies.

Movement

If a car's speed is strictly greater than the speed of the car directly ahead, the active player swaps the two car cards, moving their car one position forward.

After calculating speed, resolve overtaking: compare the active car's speed to the speed of the car in the position directly ahead of it (i.e., the next lower position number). If the active car's speed is GREATER than the preceding car's speed, swap the two car cards — the active car advances one position and the other car moves back one position. If speed is equal or lower, no overtaking occurs. Only ONE overtake may be performed per turn.

Strategy briefing

Starting Hand Advantage

Cars starting in 5th position receive 12 race cards and no pit stop cards, giving them the most flexible hand. Cars in 1st and 2nd start with 2 mandatory pit stops, which will temporarily reduce their speed to 0 and risk being overtaken. Managing when to take those mandatory pit stops (ideally when no car is behind with high speed) is critical for front-runners.

Colour Stacking for Speed

Speed is determined by counting same-colour cards in your column. Building a column rich in one colour and then playing a card of that colour gives a high speed burst. Saving multiple same-colour cards and playing them in sequence in your column maximises overtaking potential.

Pit Stop Timing

Taking a voluntary pit stop when no faster car is immediately behind you, or when you are in 5th place (where you cannot fall further back), minimises the risk of being overtaken while refreshing your hand for better colour combinations.

Exploiting Consecutive Pit Stops

If you anticipate (or observe in the same round) that multiple cars ahead of you are taking pit stops consecutively, you can overtake all of them in one turn. Watching the turn order and holding off your turn's overtake until this window appears can yield multiple positions gained at once.

Column Awareness After Overtakes

When you overtake a car, that car moves to a new column and its speed changes. A car that was fast in its old column may be much slower in its new column — or may still be fast. Always mentally recalculate the speed of cars in new columns after a swap to anticipate whether you yourself might be overtaken later in the same round.

Endgame Hand Management

The game ends at the conclusion of the round when hands run out. Players in a good position should avoid unnecessary pit stops late in the game that might expose them to overtaking, while players in worse positions should use pit stops to fish for strong colour combinations that can enable overtakes before hands expire.

Common questions and edge cases

A car is overtaken and falls back a position. Can it be overtaken again in the same round?

Yes. When a car is overtaken it moves to a new column, which changes its speed. If another car later in that round has a higher speed than this newly repositioned car, it can be overtaken again in the same round.

Can I overtake more than one car if some of them are doing pit stops?

Yes, but only if the cars on pit stops are consecutive (with no non-pit-stopping car between them and you). In that case you may overtake all consecutive pit-stopping cars in a single turn. You cannot use this to also overtake a car that is not on a pit stop in the same turn.

When two cars swap positions due to an overtake, how does the speed of the car that was overtaken change?

The overtaken car moves back one position into a different column. Its speed must now be recalculated based on that new column — counting same-colour cards matching the last race card played in that new column. This new speed applies if the car is subject to further overtaking attempts in the same round.

If the car in 5th place (last) takes a pit stop, does it fall further back?

No. Positions always run consecutively from 1st to 5th with no gaps. A car in 5th position remains in 5th position regardless of a pit stop, as there is no 6th position to fall into.

My car's speed equals the speed of the car ahead. Do I overtake?

No. Overtaking only occurs when the active car's speed is STRICTLY GREATER than the speed of the car ahead. Equal speed means no overtake.

When must I play my mandatory pit stop card?

There is no specific forced timing — you simply must play it at some point before the game ends (you cannot discard it during a pit stop hand refresh either). You choose when to use it, but it cannot be removed from your hand by any means other than playing it as a pit stop.

Can an uncontrolled car (no player) ever take a pit stop?

No. Uncontrolled cars always play the top card of the drawing deck face up on their turn and never make pit stops, regardless of what card is drawn.

Does the initial face-up race card placed under a car during setup count toward speed?

Yes. Speed is calculated by counting ALL race cards in the entire column that match the colour of the last race card played. The initial setup card is part of the column and counts if it matches.