F1 transcends racing; it’s a global spectacle of speed, strategy and engineering excellence. At its core is the race to win championship points for both drivers and teams. Throughout the season, Formula 1 standings are real-time indicators of competitive essence, aggregating complex race results across a global calendar in a way that requires precise coordination and data management.
The 2025 season has a total of 24 Grands Prix, and the teams and drivers earn World Championship points for finishing in the top 10 at each one. Each team runs two cars, and the points scored by both drivers on each car count towards the constructors’ ranking. If the teams tie in terms of wins, it is decided by whichever driver has more second place finishes and so on until a clear winner emerges.
There have been many close battles for the title over the years, with the championship having come down to a single point eight times. In 2007, Kimi Raikkonen won the title by just a point from Lewis Hamilton. Similarly, in 1984, Niki Lauda beat Alain Prost by half a point at Interlagos.
Despite the closeness of these battles, it is often the case that strategies are geared around maximising team points rather than individual success. Occasionally, this may mean that drivers – sometimes grudgingly – let their slower team mate pass them on the final lap of a race in order to give the team a better chance of winning the championship.