In its 60-year history, Formula One has seen six different points structures, and for many years the championship also discarded several of a driver's lowest results, presumably to mitigate the damage of getting a couple of DNFs during the season. Here is the list of F1 points scoring systems.

In recent years the points structure has changed to award points to more than the traditional top six finishers—first switching to a top eight structure, and now to a top ten structure. This helps to create some points separation between mid-pack and backmarker teams.

The other significant change between points structures is the changing of the value of a race win relative to second place:

From 1991 to 2002 the value of a win was at its greatest, when the 2nd place finisher received only 60% of the points awarded to the winner. This encouraged drivers to fight for the win, because a driver with several wins and a few DNFs could score higher than a driver who always finished strong but never won a race.

From 2003 to 2009 the value of a win was at its lowest, when the 2nd place finisher received 80% of the points awarded to the winner. This encouraged less risky driving because a steady record of high points finishes was better than risking a DNF by driving aggressively for the win.

Starting in 2010, the value of a win was increased again, with the 2nd place finisher getting 72% of the points of the winner.

The links at the top of the page allow you to compare the current season's point structure to the 2003-2009 era (when the value of a win was at its lowest) and the 1991-2002 era (when the value of a win was at its highest). Note that the 'P' column always shows the current season ranking, so you can easily see where the order gets flipped around under a previous points structure.

Starting in 2019, a bonus point is awarded for the fast lap of the race, but only if the person with the fast lap finishes in the top 10, otherwise no bonus point is awarded. A bonus point for fast lap was previously used from 1950 to 1959.

Starting in 2021, a few rounds added a "sprint qualifying race" on Saturday that awarded points and set the grid for the main race from the results of the sprint. In 2021 three rounds added a sprint qualifying race that awarded the top three finishers 3 pts to 1 pt. In 2022 the original plan to have six rounds host sprint qualifying races was modified to just three, but points were now awarded to the top eight finishers, from 8 pts to 1 pt. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Max Verstappen won the sprint race, the main race, and achieved the fast lap of the race, earning him 34 pts, the largest points haul for a single race in F1 history. In 2023 the sprint race no longer set the grid for the main race. A standard qualifying session set the grid for the main race, and an additional "sprint shootout" session set the field for the sprint race.

When you compare these seasons using older points systems, the sprint race points are not included, partly because the sprint races didn't exist in these earlier eras, and partly because these sprint points would have an oversized effect on these earlier systems where just 10 points was the awarded to the winner.

The 2023 Formula One Season

Notes

All feedback is welcome! I probably won't add any functionality to this page anymore, but maybe I'll revisit it in the future...

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