In its 75 years to date, Components 1 has continued to evolve and develop, which means that there have been varied developments alongside the best way.
One space of the game to have undergone a couple of adjustments through the years is the points system. That received us pondering – how totally different would the historical past books look if right this moment’s factors format had been in play from the very begin of the championship again in 1950?
Nicely, now we now have the reply because of our F1 information crew, who’ve been onerous at work recalculating how every season would have turned out based mostly on the fashionable points-scoring system. However earlier than we get to the intriguing findings, let’s recap on simply how the system has developed.
How does the 2025 factors system differ to the previous?
The present factors system – launched again in 2010 – awards the highest 10 drivers, with 25 factors given to the winner, which then scales right down to 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and one level for the Tenth-placed driver.
Factors are additionally given to the primary eight finishers within the Sprint, from 8 for first place right down to a single level for P8. The driving force to have then collected essentially the most factors by the top of the season becomes World Champion.
Since 2019, a driver ending within the high 10 may additionally earn a bonus level by setting the quickest lap of the race, however this was removed for the 2025 season.
The F1 factors system has gone by varied adjustments throughout earlier eras within the sport’s 75 years of historical past; solely the highest 5 scored within the championship’s early years, for instance, with this extending to the highest six in 1960, which then grew to become the primary eight finishers in 2003.
Fewer factors had been additionally awarded – the winner initially clinched eight factors earlier than this grew to 9, 10 after which the modern-day 25 within the years that adopted. The Drivers’ Championship, in the meantime, was determined based mostly on a sure variety of the driving force’s greatest outcomes, a system that remained in play till 1991.
How our information crew recalculated previous seasons based mostly on the 2025 system
Whereas historical past can’t be rewritten, it’s doable to calculate how F1 seasons passed by would have performed out had the modern-era factors system been in impact – and, because of our information crew, we now have been in a position to do exactly that.
To clarify their working, our analysts recalculated the variety of World Championships that every driver would have gained utilizing the 2025 scoring system in races solely (excluding Sprints).
Moreover, this offered additional information on what number of consecutive titles drivers would have taken based mostly on right this moment’s factors format.
The outcomes of each offered some fascinating insights – and a few clear adjustments for sure well-known names. A total of 34 drivers have truly been a Components 1 World Champion – however, had the present factors system been used all through, this might have been decreased to 33.
Some drivers would have gained considerably had the 2025 factors been used throughout their time within the sport – whereas others would have misplaced out. Let’s take a better take a look at the outcomes….
Which drivers would have gained from the 2025 factors system?
Of the drivers to solely narrowly miss out on profitable a title previously, arguably one in all most memorable is Eddie Irvine. After Ferrari crew mate Michael Schumacher was sidelined with a damaged leg, the Northern Irishman battled with McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen for the 1999 World Championship.
Because it was, Irvine missed out by simply two factors – nevertheless, our calculations present that Irvine would actually have change into a World Champion by right this moment’s factors system, making him the one non-title profitable driver to hypothetically achieve the crown in our information.
In actuality, Irvine took the championship lead at Spherical 10 in Germany earlier than shedding it once more at Spherical 12 in Belgium, tying at Spherical 13 in Italy, once more shedding it to Hakkinen following Spherical 14 on the Nurburgring, then retaking it by 4 factors on the penultimate race in Malaysia, earlier than in the end being overwhelmed by Hakkinen by two factors on the Suzuka season finale.
Nevertheless, with the fashionable factors system, Hakkinen’s retirement at Silverstone – a race through which Irvine completed in second – would have allowed Irvine to capitalise to a a lot better extent, which means that the Ferrari driver would have gained sufficient of a bonus to take the title lead from Hakkinen in Austria and proceed to carry it by to the marketing campaign’s finish, with a ultimate benefit of 21 factors.
Maybe essentially the most notable title that will have gained from the 2025 factors system, nevertheless, is Alain Prost. The Frenchman took the crown on 4 events throughout his intensive F1 profession – however this might have been a powerful seven utilizing the modern-day factors format.
The historical past books present that Prost claimed his first World Championship in 1985. Nevertheless, utilizing right this moment’s scoring, that maiden title would have arrived two years earlier. Through the 1983 marketing campaign, Prost misplaced out to Nelson Piquet within the title combat – however our information reveals that, utilizing right this moment’s scoring, the pair would have completed on equal factors. With Prost claiming extra wins than his rival, he would have been the one to be awarded the championship.
After becoming a member of McLaren in 1984, Prost was concerned in one other battle for the crown with crew mate Niki Lauda. This time the French driver missed out by an agonising half a degree, however the 2025 system would have seen him beat the Austrian by 17 factors.
One in every of Prost’s most memorable championship duels got here in 1988, a 12 months through which his notorious intra-team rivalry with Ayrton Senna started at McLaren. The crew’s dominant MP4/4 allowed them to say victory in all however one race, nevertheless it was in the end Senna who pipped Prost by three factors to attain what was a debut title for the Brazilian.
Nevertheless, had 2025’s factors system been in impact, Prost would have gained the championship on 301 factors to Senna’s 275, which means that – along with the titles he truly achieved in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993 – the driving force often called ‘the Professor’ would hypothetically have claimed a complete of seven title triumphs.
Apparently, a father and son duo would even have benefitted from right this moment’s system; our statistics present that two-time champion Graham Hill would have actually gained three titles whereas son Damon Hill emerges as a double World Champion as a substitute of being a one-time victor.
For Hill senior – who took the crown in 1962 and 1968 – our information reveals {that a} third triumph would have are available 1964 based mostly on the 2025 factors format, with the Briton beating precise champion John Surtees by seven factors.
As for Hill junior, his sole championship arrived in 1996, two years after lacking out to Michael Schumacher by only one level. Utilizing right this moment’s factors, nevertheless, Hill would have earned the title in that closely-fought 1994 marketing campaign, through which his rating would stand at 252 factors in distinction to 236 for Schumacher.
Which drivers would have misplaced out from the 2025 factors system?
Whereas the likes of Irvine have gained a title by our information, some precise World Champions would in flip have missed out had right this moment’s factors system been in play.
As talked about above, one-time champion Surtees would have misplaced out on his win to Graham Hill utilizing the 2025 scoring, whereas one other title to see their title hypothetically disappear is James Hunt.
The 1976 season has gone down in F1 historical past for that includes some of the famed championship duels between Hunt and rival Lauda, a battle so full of twists and turns that it spawned the 2013 movie Rush.
In actuality, Hunt beat Lauda by only one level after the Austrian – who had led the standings following the penultimate spherical of the marketing campaign at Watkins Glen – withdrew from the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix amid treacherous climate circumstances.
Nevertheless, had right this moment’s factors format been used, Lauda would have emerged as champion – however nonetheless solely by the high quality margin of two factors.
Moreover, the info reveals that – based mostly purely on factors scored – Jacques Villeneuve would have been overwhelmed by Michael Schumacher within the 1997 season, a 12 months through which the Canadian claimed his one and solely World Championship within the sport.
Because it was, Villeneuve’s complete tally of 81 put him three away from Schumacher, whereas the 2025 system offers the latter 229 factors, marking a seven-point margin over Villeneuve’s 222.
What this doesn’t take note of, nevertheless, is that the German was later disqualified from the marketing campaign following a controversial collision with Villeneuve through the season finale at Jerez, which means that his second place within the championship was voided.
As such, even when he had outscored Villeneuve as right this moment’s factors system would have allowed, the title would nonetheless not have gone to Schumacher. And with Hill having hypothetically taken the 1994 championship in response to our information, because of this the seven-time World Champion would as a substitute have a tally of six.
Different World Champions additionally see their complete variety of titles lower utilizing right this moment’s factors system. As beforehand talked about, Piquet and Senna would have misplaced out to Prost in 1983 and 1988 respectively, which means that the Brazilian drivers would every have two titles somewhat than three.
Moreover, Irvine’s hypothetical 1999 triumph in our findings signifies that Hakkinen would have missed out on scoring back-to-back championships following his win in 1998, placing the Finn on a complete of 1 title as a substitute of two.
What number of consecutive World Championships would drivers have gained utilizing the 2025 factors system?
Schumacher holds the file of essentially the most consecutive title victories at 5, having repeatedly triumphed throughout a exceptional interval of dominance between 2000 and 2004 – and this statistic stays unchanged in our information.
Nevertheless, as soon as once more the important thing title to achieve right here is Prost. Of the Frenchman’s 4 championships, solely two had been achieved back-to-back in 1985 and 1986 – however, had right this moment’s factors system been in impact, Prost would have scored 4 titles in a row, provided that our information sees him take the crown in 1983 and 1984.
His former McLaren crew mate Lauda, in the meantime, additionally advantages on this class, with the info exhibiting that the Austrian would have three consecutive championships to his title beneath the modern-day scoring format.
Whereas he would have misplaced out to Prost on the 1984 title, our findings present that Lauda would have triumphed over Hunt in 1976, which means that he would have achieved a hat-trick alongside his championship wins in 1975 and 1977.
On condition that right this moment’s factors system has been in play since 2010, the four-year-long title-winning runs of Sebastian Vettel (2010-2013), Hamilton (2017-2020) and Max Verstappen (2021-2024) stay unchanged – and, regardless of the format being very totally different throughout his period, Fangio additionally nonetheless holds a consecutive streak of 4 championships in our information.
