The scoring system in Formula 1 has changed more than once, in different historical periods taking into account the best results in a certain number of races, adding to the confusion. This sometimes led to strange situations. In 1950, Juan Manuel Fangio earned 27 points and finished the season second, and Luigi Fagioli, who actually earned 28 points, came in third, as only 24 points went to him.
In 1988, Alain Prost earned 11 points more than Ayrton Senna, but the Brazilian became world champion – eleven best results counted. In the end, it turned out that Prost’s seven wins and four second-place finishes weren’t enough to keep him ahead of Senna with his eight wins and three second-place finishes.
It was not until 1991 that a more understandable and logical system appeared in Formula 1, when the results of all races were counted. The 10-6-4-3-2-1 system was in effect until 2003, but the dominance of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in the early 2000s led to the scoring system being revised.
This happened after Schumacher set a new record in 2002, having won the earliest title in time – a Ferrari driver guaranteed himself the title of world champion at the French Grand Prix on July 21, six stages before the end of the championship.
In 2003 it was decided to reduce the gap between first and second place at the finish from 4 to 2 points, while increasing the range of prize racers from six to eight. As a result, the scoring system began to look like this: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1.
Points were awarded in this form until 2010, but after increasing the number of teams from ten to thirteen, it was decided to expand the prize group. Since it was impossible to do this while maintaining the previous 10 points for a win, the points were multiplied by a factor of 2.5 and the prize zone was expanded to the top ten. For example, in Formula 1, the silent operating system appeared: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.
In 2014, as an experiment at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last round of the season, the top ten got double points. This decision did not lead to major changes in the standings (only Sergio Perez won two positions in the championship), so they did not repeat it.
Since 2019, the winner of the best lap in the race gets an extra point if he finishes in the top ten.
In 2021, weekends with a Saturday sprint appeared. In the first year, points were awarded to the top three – 3, 2 and 1 point to the owners of 1, 2 and 3 places in the sprint, and in 2022 this group was expanded to eight cars – eight points were given for the first place in the sprint, one for the eighth.
Formula 1 scoring systems
| year | Personal compensation |
Constructors’ Cup |
| 2022 | 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1; +1 for best lap, all races count In sprint events 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points for places in the sprint from 1st to 8th. |
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| 2021 | 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1; results of all races are taken into account In sprint events 3-2-1 points for 1st to 3rd place in the sprint. |
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| 2019-2020 | 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1; +1 for best lap, all races count | |
| 2015-2018 | 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1; results of all races are taken into account | |
| 2014 | 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 (double in Abu Dhabi); results of all races are taken into account | |
| 2010-2013 | 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1; results of all races are taken into account | |
| 2003-2009 | 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1; results of all races are taken into account | |
| 1991-2002 | 10-6-4-3-2-1; results of all races are taken into account | |
| 1981-1990 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the eleven best flights are taken into account | |
| 1980 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best five of the first seven races and the best five of the remaining seven races will be taken into account. | 9-6-4-3-2-1; results of all races are taken into account |
| 1979 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best four of the seven first races and the best four of the eight remaining races shall be taken into account. | 9-6-4-3-2-1; results of all races are taken into account |
| 1978 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best seven of the eight first races and the best seven of the eight remaining races shall be taken into account. | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1977 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the eight best of the nine first races and the best seven of the eight remaining races will be taken into account. | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1976 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best seven of the eight first races and the best seven of the eight remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1975 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best seven of the first eight races and the best five of the six remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1973-1974 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best seven of the eight first races and the best six of the seven remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1972 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the top five of the first six races and the best five of the six remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1971 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best five of the six first races and the best four of the five remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1970 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best six of the first seven races and the best five of the six remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1969 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best five of the six first races and the best four of the five remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1968 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the top five of the first six races and the best five of the six remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1967 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the best five of the six first races and the best four of the five remaining races will be taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1966 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the five best flights are taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1963-1965 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the six best flights are taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1962 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the five best flights are taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account |
| 1961 | 9-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the five best flights are taken into account | 8-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the five best flights are taken into account; the points of the rider who finished higher |
| 1960 | 8-6-4-3-2-1; the results of the six best flights are taken into account | The same, but the points of the rider who finished higher are taken into account; Indianapolis race results are not taken into account |
| 1959 | 8-6-4-3-2, +1 for best round; the results of the five best flights are taken into account | 8-6-4-3-2; the results of the five best races, the points of the driver who finished higher, are taken into account; Indianapolis race results are not taken into account |
| 1958 | 8-6-4-3-2, +1 for best round; the results of the six best flights are taken into account | 8-6-4-3-2; the results of the six best races will be taken into account, the points of the driver who finished higher will be taken into account; Indianapolis race results are not taken into account |
| 1954-1957 | 8-6-4-3-2, +1 for best round; the results of the five best flights are taken into account; points scored by riders who have replaced each other during the race will be divided equally | The Constructors’ Championship was not played |
| 1950-1953 | 8-6-4-3-2, +1 for best round; the results of the four best flights are taken into account; points scored by riders who have replaced each other during the race will be divided equally | The Constructors’ Championship was not played |
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
