The system for scoring points in Formula 1 has changed a lot over the years, but the root concept has stayed the same — the higher you finish, the more points you get.
The 2022 season saw a change with sprint qualifying introduced at various circuits on the calendar and 2023 will see another tweak — with allowances made if races are curtailed due to adverse weather (remember Japan last year?)
The current system does allow for plenty of points to be scored, dangling a carrot for those drivers and teams not expected to challenge for the podum, but who still want to finish in the points.
The Sporting News runs through the system below.
MORE: What are F1 drivers banned from doing? FIA 'free speech' rule explained
How many points do you get for winning an F1 grand prix?
The winner of each race gets 25 points, with 18 for second place and 15 if you get third spot on the podium. An extra 1 point is awarded to the driver and team who recorded the fastest lap (as long as they finished inside the top 10 points scoring positions).
Day 1 of testing, done and dusted 💪#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/EMj2fUfpbU
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 23, 2023
How regular points scoring works
Position | Points |
1st | 25 |
2nd | 18 |
3rd | 15 |
4th | 12 |
5th | 10 |
6th | 8 |
7th | 6 |
8th | 4 |
9th | 2 |
10th | 1 |
Sprint points in F1 2023
As well as the one extra point for a fastest lap, sprint qualifying also awards points. So with 24 races scheduled for the 2023 season plus the sprints, there is a maximum total of 672 points available for a driver to score.
The 2023 calendar will see double the number of sprints from last year (three to six), at the following circuits:
- Azerbaijan - Baku City Circuit (April 30)
- Austria - Red Bull Ring (July 2)
- Belgium - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (July 30)
- Qatar - Losail International Circuit (October 8)
- USA - Circuit of The Americas (October 22)
- Brazil - Interlagos (November 5)
There are 48 extra points available for sprint winners over the season.
How sprint points work
Position | Points |
1st | 8 |
2nd | 7 |
3rd | 6 |
4th | 5 |
5th | 4 |
6th | 3 |
7th | 2 |
8th | 1 |
MORE: Drive to Survive series 5 details: New F1 season hits Netflix
Points scoring for shortened races
The regular race scoring system will be used for all races that have completed 75% or more of the scheduled distance, or for a race that was resumed after a red flag stoppage, then ended under green flag conditions for at least two racing laps.
The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix was halted for two hours due to bad weather and a number of first lap incidents, but eventually saw Max Verstappen awarded full points for his win, despite completing only 28 laps and just 40 minutes in racing conditions.
It was the grand prix that sealed the world title for the Red Bull driver, although many argued he should have received fewer points due to the shortened race.
Max Verstappen:
— Osservatore Sportivo (@OsOfficialF1) October 9, 2022
🗣️ "This is crazy! To win here in Japan is really special, I feel really proud that we could do it here. When I crossed the line, I didn’t know that I was World Champion, there was a lot of confusion but I thought it was quite funny".#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/olu1pDjCmw
This is the FIA's system for races that have been shortened, which was brought in after the chaos of the rain-affected 2021 Belgian Grand Prix:
FIA F1 Points Column 1 (two laps – 25% race distance)
1st – 6
2nd – 4
3rd – 3
4th – 2
5th – 1
FIA F1 Points Column 2 (25% – 50% race distance)
1st – 13
2nd – 10
3rd – 8
4th – 6
5th – 5
6th – 4
7th – 3
8th – 2
9th – 1
FIA F1 Points Column 3 (50% – 75% race distance)
1st – 19
2nd – 14
3rd – 12
4th – 9
5th – 8
6th – 6
7th – 5
8th – 3
9th – 2
10th – 1