Formula 1: Rumored fundamental change rejected for 2025

Though sprint racing was introduced to Formula 1 in 2021 and the 2019 season saw the introduction of a bonus point for the driver who runs the fastest lap in a Grand Prix, provided that driver also finishes the race inside the top 10, Formula 1 has not introduced a true change to the scoring system since 2010.

The top 10 drivers in each race score points, with Formula 1 operating on a 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 scoring format. Prior to 2010, only the top eight drivers scored points, and they were awarded on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.

There were rumblings that the modern scoring system could be adjusted as early as 2025, with points being awarded to the top 12 drivers instead of just the top 10.

New scoring system for Formula 1 in 2025?

The points for the top seven finishers would have remained the same, but the eighth place finisher would have scored five instead of four, the ninth place finisher would have scored four instead of two, the 10th place finisher would have scored three instead of one, and the 11th and 12th place finishers would have scored two and one, respectively, instead of none.

But the sport's 10 teams unanimously voted against the fundamental change in a recent FIA F1 Commission meeting, meaning that the scoring system is set to remain as is for a 16th consecutive season next year.

The rumors of the change came earlier in the season amid talks that a scoring system expansion would incentivize teams in the midfield battle, especially in the event that a top 10 finish was out of reach.

But just one of the most recent 14 races has seen only a single non-top four team score points, and on five of those occasions, Aston Martin, the fifth place team in the constructor standings, have been outscored by a team lower than they are in the standings.

All four teams positioned from sixth to ninth place have outscored Aston Martin at some point during that stretch, with three of the four doing so, or at least matching them, on multiple occasions.

So even with a clear-cut top four, the recent midfield battle has demonstrated that there was not much of a need for a change to the scoring system.