Formula 1 is considering the first change to the distribution of points in a grand prix since 2010.
However the adjustment is relatively minor and would leave the value of most finishing positions, including a win, unchanged. So what effect would it have.
The plan is to extend the number of points-paying places from 10 to 12. Those who finish between 13th and 20th places would continue to go unrewarded:
The obvious reason for the change is that so many finishes go unrewarded in F1 today. The reliability of the frozen V6 hybrid turbos can almost be taken for granted, many car parts are required to last for multiple races and they are packed with sensors which allow teams to detect and often manage any emerging problems.
As a result, while only the top 10 finishers score points, at least 14 cars finished every race last year. You have to go back to the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix crash-fest for the last race with only a dozen finishers. Not since the 2015 Australian Grand Prix has a race had less than that, so there is little chance the new points-scoring places will go unfilled.
But for many drivers the effect of the change will be negligible. While F1 points system changes have been measured by how they might have swung the outcomes of earlier championships, this one focuses on midfield positions, so it wouldn’t have changed the destiny of any title fight since wins became worth 25 points in 2010.
That year, Sebastian Vettel beat Fernando Alonso to the title by the narrow margin of four points. Under this scoring system Alonso would have picked up two more points, making his defeat even narrower. It wouldn’t have prevented Alonso losing the 2012 championship to Vettel either (both would have two points more).
Lewis Hamilton would have still lost the 2016 title to Nico Rosberg and the 2021 crown to Max Verstappen. In the latter case, the notorious last-lap change of title destiny would still have happened, though the pair wouldn’t have arrived at the finale tied on points, Verstappen having picked up two more points.
So this is unlikely to swing a championship title one way or another. It’s only going to affect the front-runners on those rare days when one suffers a technical problem or damage which leaves them slipping down the running order and wondering whether to park up or not.
This will make the most difference not for the drivers fighting for the top positions but the teams disputing the lower positions – where the differences in prize money matter most. In recent years it would have changed those standings as follows:
| Year | Actual standings | Standings under proposed points |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2. Mercedes 409 3. Ferrari 406 |
2. Ferrari 415 (ahead due to more wins) 3. Mercedes 415 |
| 2023 | 7. Williams 28 8. AlphaTauri 25 |
7. AlphaTauri 53 8. Williams 51 |
| 2022 | 6. Alfa Romeo 55 7. Aston Martin 55 |
6. Aston Martin 97 7. Alfa Romeo 80 |
| 2022 | 8. Haas 37 9. AlphaTauri 35 |
8. AlphaTauri 60 9. Haas 51 |
| 2021 | 8. Williams 23 9. Alfa Romeo 13 |
8. Alfa Romeo 42 9. Williams 36 |
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Clearly, most of the changes are concentrated in the lower half of the points tables, which is to be expected. Some of these swings are quite pronounced: Aston Martin would not have tied on points with Alfa Romeo in 2022, but beaten them by a healthy 17, as Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg picked up extra points on 24 occasions combined.
Other changes of notes in this period which illustrate the impact of the proposed change include:
- Nyck de Vries would have scored a point for AlphaTauri, in his first race for the team
- Lando Norris would have achieved his best ever championship finish last year, rising to fifth ahead of Charles Leclerc
- Daniel Ricciardo would fall two places in the 2023 standings, behind Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu
- Both Haas drivers would have finished two places lower in the 2022 standings
- Nico Hulkenberg would have scored a point for Aston Martin while substituting for Vettel in 2022
- Mick Schumacher would have ended his first F1 season with one point instead of none (Nikita Mazepin still would not have scored)
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The change will largely act to reduce the effect of a single exceptional result on a team’s performance. It will reward consistent points-scoring more highly. Whether this will have the negative effect of discouraging risk-taking remains to be seen, but F1’s points system is already relatively flat and rewards a conservative, points-collecting approach.
However there will be another knock-on effect of the change which has nothing to do with rewarding the teams’ performance. The FIA will stand to earn more, as both teams’ entry fees and drivers’ superlicence fees are tied to how many points they score.
Next year’s calendar will feature the same 24 rounds as this year. Assuming it also includes six sprint events, this change will increase the number of points awarded in a season from 2,664 to 2,856, a 7.2% increase, making the FIA the real winners from this change.
How the revised points system would change the current standings
Drivers’ championship
| Position | Driver – current points | Current points | Driver – adjusted points | Adjusted points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 110 | Max Verstappen | 110 |
| 2 | Sergio Perez | 85 | Sergio Perez | 85 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 76 | Charles Leclerc | 76 |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | 69 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | 69 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | 58 | Lando Norris | 59 (+1) |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | 38 | Oscar Piastri | 41 (+3) |
| 7 | George Russell | 33 | Fernando Alonso | 34 (+3) |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | 31 | George Russell | 33 |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | 19 | Lewis Hamilton | 25 (+6) |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | 9 | Lance Stroll | 12 (+3) |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | 12 (+8) |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | 6 | Yuki Tsunoda | 9 (+2) |
| 13 | Nico Hulkenberg | 4 | Oliver Bearman | 6 |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | 1 | Kevin Magnussen | 5 (+4) |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | 0 | Alexander Albon | 5 (+5) |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | 0 | Esteban Ocon | 2 (+2) |
| 17 | Zhou Guanyu | 0 | Zhou Guanyu | 2 (+2) |
| 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | 0 | Daniel Ricciardo | 1 (+1) |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | 0 | Pierre Gasly | 0 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 0 | Valtteri Bottas | 0 |
| 21 | Logan Sargeant | 0 | Logan Sargeant | 0 |
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Constructors’ championship
| Position | Team – current points | Current points | Team – adjusted points | Adjusted points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull | 195 | Red Bull | 195 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 151 | Ferrari | 151 |
| 3 | McLaren | 96 | McLaren | 100 (+4) |
| 4 | Mercedes | 52 | Mercedes | 58 (+6) |
| 5 | Aston Martin | 40 | Aston Martin | 46 (+6) |
| 6 | RB | 7 | Haas | 17 (+12) |
| 7 | Haas | 5 | RB | 10 (+3) |
| 8 | Williams | 0 | Williams | 5 (+5) |
| 9 | Alpine | 0 | Alpine | 2 (+2) |
| 10 | Sauber | 0 | Sauber | 2 (+2) |
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