The F1 points system in 2026 awards championship points to the top ten finishers of each Grand Prix on a 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 scale, and there is no longer a bonus point for the fastest lap. The same points feed two separate titles decided by the FIA at season’s end: the Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors’ Championship. Below is exactly how the scoring works today.
The 2026 Grand Prix points table
Only the first ten cars to finish a race score points. Everyone from eleventh place down receives zero.
| Position | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 25 |
| 2nd | 18 |
| 3rd | 15 |
| 4th | 12 |
| 5th | 10 |
| 6th | 8 |
| 7th | 6 |
| 8th | 4 |
| 9th | 2 |
| 10th | 1 |
What happened to the fastest-lap point?
From 2019 to 2024, a driver could earn one extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race, but only if they also finished inside the top ten. The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council scrapped that bonus for the 2025 season, and it remains gone in 2026. The rule was dropped after teams began gaming it, sometimes pitting a driver running well outside the points late in a race purely to grab the fastest lap and deny a rival the extra point. So in 2026, the maximum a driver can score in a single Grand Prix is a clean 25.
Drivers’ Championship vs Constructors’ Championship
Every point a car scores is counted twice. It goes to the driver’s personal total for the Drivers’ Championship, and it is added to the team’s total for the Constructors’ Championship. Because a team runs two cars, its constructors’ tally combines both drivers. That is why a team can win the constructors’ title through strong, consistent finishes from both cars even if neither driver wins the drivers’ title. The constructors’ standings also determine how much prize money each team receives, so the stakes are high up and down the grid.
How sprint weekends add points
At selected events, F1 runs a shorter Saturday race called a sprint. Sprints pay points on their own, shallower scale to the top eight finishers: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. These are added on top of whatever a driver scores in Sunday’s Grand Prix, so a sprint weekend offers more total points than a standard one. Sprint points still count toward both championships in exactly the same way as race points.
How ties are broken
If two drivers or teams finish the season level on points, the FIA uses a countback. The title goes to whoever has more wins. If wins are also equal, the count moves to the number of second places, then third places, and so on down the results until the tie is broken. This “most wins first” principle rewards drivers who convert strong weekends into victories rather than simply piling up steady midfield finishes.
Points across a full season
A Formula 1 season runs over many rounds, and the championships are decided by the running total of points, not by any single race. Consistency is therefore just as valuable as raw speed: a driver who finishes on the podium every weekend can outscore a rival who wins occasionally but often retires or ends up out of the points. Because only the top ten score, simply reaching the finish reliably and staying inside that group is itself a meaningful achievement for midfield teams.
There is no dropped-scores rule in modern F1, so every point a driver or team earns across the year counts toward the final standings. That makes reliability, avoiding crashes, and steering clear of penalties central to a title campaign, right alongside outright pace.
A quick history note
The current 25-points-for-a-win structure has been in place since 2010, when F1 expanded the scale to reward winning more heavily than the older systems did. The main change in recent years was the removal of the fastest-lap bonus after 2024, which simplified scoring back to pure finishing position in the Grand Prix. Sprint points, added when the sprint format arrived, remain the one extra way to score across a race weekend.
Why the system is built this way
The steep gap between first (25) and second (18) rewards winning, while still paying meaningful points deep into the top ten so midfield teams have something to fight for every weekend. Combined with the closed one-second racing tools that replaced DRS, and the strategy that flows from each pit stop, the points structure keeps both titles alive as long as possible. Track position is where it all starts, which is why pole position is so valuable across a long season.
Frequently asked questions
How many points does an F1 win pay in 2026?
A Grand Prix win pays 25 points. The remaining points-scoring positions receive 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 down to tenth place.
Is there still a point for fastest lap?
No. The bonus point for setting the fastest lap existed from 2019 to 2024 and was removed for the 2025 season. It does not exist in 2026.
How many points is a sprint race worth?
Sprint races award points to the top eight finishers on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale, separate from and smaller than the main Grand Prix points.
What is the difference between the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships?
The Drivers’ title goes to the individual driver with the most points. The Constructors’ title adds together the points scored by both of a team’s cars across the season.
