Formula 1 transcends mere racing; it’s a global spectacle of speed, strategy, and engineering excellence. But the sport is also intensely competitive, with teams vying for prestige and prize money based on the overall championship standings at the end of the season. These standings – calculated by aggregating race results over a worldwide calendar – require tremendous coordination and data management. And they’re constantly changing, influenced by everything from rule changes to technological developments that shift the way F1 drivers and cars perform.
The best team at the end of the season clinches the FIA World Constructors’ Championship Trophy. However, that’s often not enough to keep all F1 teams happy – especially in a sport where a fraction of a second can make the difference between victory and defeat. And that’s why internal team politics play a crucial role.
It’s not uncommon for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship to go down to the wire. This has happened eight times in the sport’s history, including in 2007 when Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen beat Lewis Hamilton by a point at Interlagos.
The top 10 drivers earn points based on their position, with the winner earning 25 points. Drivers in second place receive 18 points, while those in third get 15 and so on down to the tenth-placed driver who scores just a single point. Up until the 2025 season, drivers could also earn an extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race.
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