How points and the two championships work

Published Invalid Date · figures as of the 2026 season.

Two championships run at once. The drivers’ championship adds up each driver’s points; the constructors’ championship adds up the points of a team’s two cars. Both are decided by the total over the season.

Points in a race

The top ten finishers score: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points. A driver must be classified to score, which means completing at least 90% of the winner’s distance; a car that retires near the end can still be classified. There has been no bonus point for the fastest lap since 2025 (it was awarded from 2019 to 2024 to a driver finishing in the top ten).

A sprint pays 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 to its top eight. Sprint points count in both championships but are kept separate from race wins, podiums and poles in this site’s records.

Shortened races

If a race is stopped and not restarted, the points depend on how much of the distance was completed, on a sliding scale introduced in 2022: no points unless the leader has completed two laps, a reduced scale up to three quarters of the distance, and full points above that. The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, where only a few laps were run behind the safety car, paid half points and led to the rule.

Counting the championships

Every point from every race and sprint counts. From 1950 to 1990 only a driver’s best results counted, which is why a few historic standings on this site show totals lower than the points scored (1988: Senna 90 counted of 94 scored, Prost 87 of 105). The explainer on how the points system changed lists every scale since 1950.

Tie-break. If two drivers finish the season level on points, the one with more wins is ahead; if still level, more second places, and so on down the finishing positions. The same rule applies between teams. The site’s title calculator uses this rule when it says who would be champion.

When a title is decided. A driver is champion once the gap to the second-placed driver is larger than the points still available: 25 per remaining race, plus 8 per remaining sprint. The title scenarios page works this out after every round and shows what the leader needs at the next race.

The constructors’ championship

A constructor is the company that builds the chassis; its entry in the championship may use a power unit bought from another manufacturer. The team scores the points of both its cars in every race, so a team with two drivers in the top ten can out-score a team whose single car wins. Prize money is distributed largely on constructors’ championship position, which is why teams value a sixth-place finish for the second car.

What the figures say

In 36 of the 76 completed seasons the driver who led after round one went on to win the title, and in 19 seasons the champion led after every round. The closest finish was 1984, half a point; the largest margin was 2023, 290 points. The article on how championships are won has the full tables.