F1 standings have a major impact on the teams’ race strategy – especially when deciding where to start and how aggressive to push at the beginning of a Grand Prix. This is partly because of the way that points are awarded – a win awards 25 points, with 18 for second, 12 for third and 10 for fourth. A driver who finishes in the top ten earns bonus points as well, and the driver who has the most points at the end of the season is declared the World Champion.
Since the first F1 season in 1950, there has been a World Drivers Championship and a World Constructors Championship – the latter is awarded to the team with the most points scored across the year. The Drivers’ Championship is decided by adding up every point a driver scores across the Grands Prix and Sprint races, while the Constructors Championship is determined by the total points scored by a team’s two drivers.
As the sport evolves it has had to adapt to changes in the business and social landscape of racing, with sponsorship and other sources of revenue becoming increasingly important to the sport. Technological developments have also improved safety, with the halo crash protection system now mandatory for all drivers since its introduction in 2021.
Dead heats between teams do occur, though rarely with any significant impact on the destination of the championship. The last time this happened was in 2014 when Sauber finished above Caterham, courtesy of the former having two 11th place finishes to the latter’s single point.