Motor racing

Two cars that go through a corner side by side are Rad an Rad, and the phrase is built by a rule English does not have. German takes the same noun twice, puts a preposition between the two, and strips both of article and ending: not das Rad an dem Rad, only Rad an Rad. The block then works like an adverb, sie fuhren Rad an Rad, and the preposition carries the whole relation. An means touching or level, as in Kopf an Kopf, neck and neck; um means one after the other, as in Runde um Runde, lap after lap; für means step by step, Schritt für Schritt. English chooses its prepositions differently, so translate the relation, not the word. The rest of the list follows a race from the grid to the stewards: aerodynamics, tyres, the pit lane, penalties and the ways a lap goes wrong.