Formula 1 standings are the result of a season-long point-scoring system that determines scores for drivers and teams in a series of international open-wheel, single-seater motor racing races known as Grands Prix. Each driver and team earns points based on their position in each race, with the best 10 scoring World Championship points at the end of the year. The driver and team who have the highest tally at the end of the season are crowned champions of their respective championships.
There are two championships to fight for in Formula 1, the World Drivers’ Championship and the World Constructors’ Championship. The defending champions are listed at the top of each list, while the remaining teams are ranked in alphabetical order after them.
The FIA defines the word ‘Formula One’ as an open-wheel, motorsport competition that features long distance and duration-based driving. The sport’s roots go back to 1906 and the first Grand Prix, when a ten-race series featuring open cockpits took place in France.
Since then, the sport has grown to include a global calendar of races sanctioned by the governing body. The ‘Formula’ in the title refers to a set of rules that all participating cars must follow, and is what sets F1 apart from other types of racing.
In modern F1, each race is scored on the basis of points awarded to each position a driver finishes in, with the winner earning 25 points, followed by the next-best finisher receiving 24 points and so on. The fastest lap is awarded an extra point. Drivers and teams can earn up to a maximum of 44 World Championship points per race, although not all results count towards the World Championship in some circumstances (e.g., the race may be shortened or abandoned).