Strategy

How do F1 points work? The scoring system explained

Answer

Formula 1 awards championship points to the top ten finishers of each Grand Prix on a 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 scale, so the most a driver can score in a race is 25. The bonus point for the fastest lap was scrapped for the 2025 season. Sprint races pay the top eight on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. Points count toward both the drivers' and constructors' championships.

Grand Prix points

Only the top ten finishers in a Grand Prix score, on a scale used since 2010: 25 points for the win, then 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 point for tenth^[1]. Everyone from eleventh down scores nothing, which is why the fight for the final point can be as fierce as the fight for the podium.

Position	Points
1st	25
2nd	18
3rd	15
4th	12
5th	10
6th	8
7th	6
8th	4
9th	2
10th	1

No more fastest-lap bonus point

From 2019 a driver who set the fastest lap of a race scored a bonus point, but only if they finished in the top ten. The FIA scrapped that point for the 2025 season, so the most a driver can take from a single Grand Prix is now 25^[3]. The fastest lap still counts for pride and the record books, but it no longer affects the championship.

Sprint points

On sprint weekends the shorter Saturday Sprint pays its own points to the top eight finishers, on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale^[2]. A Sprint has never carried a fastest-lap bonus^[2]. Sprint points are added to the same championship tallies as the Grand Prix.

Two championships, one set of points

Every point a driver scores also counts for their team. Each car's points are added together for the constructors' championship, so a team with two consistently strong cars can win the constructors' title even without the driver who wins the drivers' title^[1]. You can follow both tables live on the standings page.

Why the steep curve matters

Where to go next

What it takes to be classified at all: the 90% rule
The Saturday format: how F1 sprint weekends work
The live tables: championship standings