F1 is one of the world’s biggest and most exciting sports – and it’s not just about speed, power and money. The championship is also about team work and a fierce battle for prestige and bragging rights. The teams battle is called the Constructors Championship, and a team’s two drivers score points for the team each time they finish a race. The team with the most points wins this prestigious title, which has substantial financial implications for teams through prize money distribution.
Driver standings are determined by adding the points a driver earns in each Grand Prix and associated sprint races. The top 10 drivers in the standings are crowned champion, with 25 points awarded for first place and 18 for second. There has never been a tie for the Drivers Championship in 74 years of F1 racing, and it’s very rare that two drivers finish equal on the final podium.
There is a lot of pressure on the team number two drivers to back their faster team mate, and sometimes they have to make sacrifices in their own race strategy to help their team mates. This could be letting a team mate past them, or running different strategies in order to maximise points. This can be a difficult balancing act, but one that is necessary to ensure the best possible outcome for the team – and in most cases, the fastest driver will win. In this case, it was McLaren and Lando Norris over Ferrari’s Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.