Formula 1 standings are the real-time indicators of drivers and teams’ progress across a demanding calendar of Grands Prix and shorter, preliminary events known as Sprints. In a sport where a fraction of a second can mean the difference between triumph and disappointment, standings are vitally important.
Drivers and teams earn points for themselves if they finish within the top 10 at each race. Teams that achieve a total of the most points at the end of the season win the coveted Constructors’ Championship title. The champions are awarded a substantial prize fund.
Each team runs two cars in every race. Both cars must finish in the top 10 to score points. Drivers who change teams during the season retain their individual driver points. They also keep the points they earned for their previous teams, if those teams were to finish higher than their new ones in the race.
A total of 25 points are available each race, with a maximum of 43 points for the driver who wins that race. Drivers who complete the fastest lap earn a bonus point.
Dead heats between teams happen regularly – though they’ve never decided the outcome of the championship itself. If two teams are level on points at the end of the season, the winner is determined by counting back results, with the team that has more race wins placed higher than those with more second place finishes and so on.
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