As exclusively revealed by Autosport over the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Thursday's virtual F1 Commission meeting will have a new points structure from 2025 onwards as one of its agenda points.The FIA, F1 and the 10 teams are set to vote on a tweak to the existing points system that has been in place since 2010 for grands prix. The top seven positions remain unchanged, but from eighth place down there will be a more gradual sliding scale that awards points all the way down to 12th, with just one point separating all those positions.The existing rule on the fastest lap point, which only points finishers are eligible for, is expected to stay in place, and would also extend down to 12th position.
F1's proposed 2025 points system
1 | 25 | 25 |
2 | 18 | 18 |
3 | 15 | 15 |
4 | 12 | 12 |
5 | 10 | 10 |
6 | 8 | 8 |
7 | 6 | 6 |
8 | 4 | 5 |
9 | 2 | 4 |
10 | 1 | 3 |
11 | 0 | 2 |
12 | 0 | 1 |
Fastest lap | 1 (top 10 finishers only) | 1 (top 12 finishers only) |
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Valtteri Bottas, Kick Sauber C44, Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-24, the remainder of the field on the opening lap of the Sprint
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
The bottom five outfits are fighting for scraps and have to bank on any of the frontrunners hitting trouble or having an off-kilter performance, which has become more unlikely in recent years due to the near-bulletproof reliability that trademarks modern-day F1.It also means that if one of the midfielders scores big by catching a lucky break in a chaotic race, it might be all but locked into sixth position for the season. As it stands after five race weekends, Williams, Alpine and Sauber are all yet to score any points.1 | Max Verstappen | 110 | 1 | Max Verstappen | 110 |
2 | Sergio Perez | 85 | 2 | Sergio Perez | 85 |
3 | Charles Leclerc | 76 | 3 | Charles Leclerc | 76 |
4 | Carlos Sainz | 69 | 4 | Carlos Sainz | 69 |
5 | Lando Norris | 58 | 5 | Lando Norris | 59 |
6 | Oscar Piastri | 38 | 6 | Oscar Piastri | 41 |
7 | George Russell | 33 | 7 | Fernando Alonso | 34 |
8 | Fernando Alonso | 31 | 8 | George Russell | 33 |
9 | Lewis Hamilton | 19 | 9 | Lewis Hamilton | 25 |
10 | Lance Stroll | 9 | 10 | Lance Stroll | 12 |
11 | Yuki Tsunoda | 7 | 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | 12 |
12 | Oliver Bearman | 6 | 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | 9 |
13 | Nico Hulkenberg | 4 | 13 | Oliver Bearman | 6 |
14 | Kevin Magnussen | 1 | 14 | Kevin Magnussen | 5 |
15 | Alexander Albon | 0 | 15 | Alexander Albon | 5 |
16 | Esteban Ocon | 0 | 16 | Esteban Ocon | 2 |
17 | Guanyu Zhou | 0 | 17 | Guanyu Zhou | 2 |
18 | Daniel Ricciardo | 0 | 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | 1 |
19 | Pierre Gasly | 0 | 19 | Pierre Gasly | 0 |
20 | Valtteri Bottas | 0 | 20 | Valtteri Bottas | 0 |
21 | Logan Sargeant | 0 | 21 | Logan Sargeant | 0 |
2024 constructors' standings (current classification vs proposed system)
1 | Red Bull | 195 | 1 | Red Bull | 195 |
2 | Ferrari | 151 | 2 | Ferrari | 151 |
3 | McLaren | 96 | 3 | McLaren | 100 |
4 | Mercedes | 52 | 4 | Mercedes | 58 |
5 | Aston Martin | 40 | 5 | Aston Martin | 46 |
6 | RB | 7 | 6 | Haas | 17 |
7 | Haas | 5 | 7 | RB | 10 |
8 | Williams | 0 | 8 | Williams | 5 |
9 | Alpine | 0 | 9 | Alpine | 2 |
10 | Sauber | 0 | 10 | Sauber | 2 |
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing RB6 leads Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F10 and Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing RB6
Photo by: Sutton Images
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01 battles with Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-24
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
On the opposite side of the grid, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said he was "impartial" on the issue, and having experienced the other end of the spectrum at Alfa Romeo, Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur empathised with the smaller teams' plight."I'm not against [it]. And coming from Alfa Romeo, I perfectly understand sometimes the frustration that you are doing a mega weekend, but if there is no DNF in front of you then you finish P11 and the reward is zero," said the Frenchman.The fact that the top teams aren't affected has given the points tweak a possible runway to gain a majority and be approved by the F1 Commission. The FIA is also set to gain from it as teams pay the governing body licence fees based on the number of points earned the previous season, so eight extra points per weekend means the FIA would be in line for a revenue increase of over $1m.And even if some leading team bosses were to be against it in principle, whatever their motives, granting two more points positions is perhaps unlikely to be a hill worth dying on - antagonising the smaller outfits in the process - ahead of future Concorde Agreement talks.Paul Stoddart and Mark Webber celebrate in front of their home crowd
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Even today, scoring a point is a cause for celebration for struggling teams and drivers, a just reward for a spotless weekend well executed. The more F1 rewards finishes outside the top 10, the more scoring points starts losing meaning, and any sense of achievement gets watered down.Still, the latest push to expand the points system appears to have more momentum behind it than before. It is now up to the F1 Commission to make the call on whether it is just an opportunistic "plaster on a big cut", as per Esteban Ocon, to F1's split grid or a long-term improvement to the show as a whole. 2024-04-25T09:25:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd