Formula 1 standings track each race weekend’s results and award points based on finishing positions. This means that the more consistent a driver is, the more likely they are to secure the championship title. But even the smallest of mistakes or brilliant maneuvers can alter a driver’s standings significantly.
The FIA Formula 1 World Championship was founded in 1950, with the first-ever Grand Prix held at Silverstone Circuit in England. Since then, the sport has grown into an incredibly competitive and complex competition, with thousands of parts – including detailed bodywork, aerodynamic components, turbo-hybrid power units and eight-speed paddle shift gearboxes – powering some of the fastest cars on earth.
Drivers compete in a ten-race season to win the drivers’ championship, with the highest points scorer crowned champion at the end of the year. But the battle for the constructors’ championship is just as fierce – and often more important to teams, given that the higher you finish in the classification, the more prize money you’ll receive.
Pole position is awarded to the driver who quickest in qualifying, and podium finishes are earned by those who finish first, second or third in a race. Drivers who finish on the first step of the podium are rewarded with extra points, and a top-three result in a race earns you a spot in the history books as an FIA Formula 1 World Champion.
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