What is the 75% rule in F1?
The 75% rule decides how many points are awarded when a race is cut short. A race only pays full points if the leader completes at least 75% of the planned distance. Below that, a sliding scale of reduced points applies, down to no points at all if fewer than two laps are run under green-flag conditions.
Why the rule exists
After the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, where full championship half-points were handed out for barely two laps behind the safety car, the FIA scrapped the old half-points system.[2] From 2022 it replaced it with a sliding scale tied to how much of the planned race distance the leader actually completes, so a heavily shortened race no longer pays the same as a full one.[1]
The points tiers
Points are only awarded once at least two laps have been led under green-flag conditions, not just behind a safety car.[1] From there the award rises in bands:
| Distance the leader completes | Points to the top finishers |
|---|---|
| Under 2 green-flag laps | None |
| 2 laps up to 25% | 6-4-3-2-1 |
| 25% up to 50% | 13-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 |
| 50% up to 75% | 19-14-12-9-8-6-5-3-2-1 |
| 75% or more | Full points (25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1) |
Full points, the normal 25 for a win down to 1 for tenth, are therefore only paid out once the leader passes the 75% mark.[1]
When it matters
The rule comes into play in heavy rain or after a major incident, when a race is red-flagged and cannot reach its full distance.[2] It sits alongside the 90% rule, which is a separate test that decides whether an individual driver is classified at all, rather than how many points the race pays.[1]
Related reading
- [1]F1 Commission approves shortened-race points changes (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [2]F1's new short-race points system (Motor Sport Magazine) (motorsport-magazine). Accessed 2026-06-19.