Glossary

Fastest lap in F1

Answer

The fastest lap is the quickest single lap any driver sets during the race. From 2019 to 2024 it carried a bonus championship point for a top-ten finisher, but the FIA scrapped that point for the 2025 season. Teams still chase the fastest lap for pride and the record books, sometimes fitting fresh soft tyres late when track position allows.

The bonus point, and why it is gone

From 2019 a driver who set the fastest lap of a race scored a single championship point, but only if they finished inside the top ten. The FIA scrapped that point for the 2025 season, so the fastest lap no longer carries any championship reward^[2]. See how F1 points work.

How teams still chase it

For pride and the record books, a driver well clear may still pit late for fresh soft tyres to set a flying lap.
It is only worth doing when the extra stop or the push will not cost track position to a rival.
There was never a fastest-lap bonus point in a Sprint race, and since 2025 there is none in the Grand Prix either^[2].