Formula 1 has agreed a series of new points system which will apply to shortened races, following criticism of the handling of last year’s rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix.
The series awarded half-points for the race at Spa last year despite the results being taken on the basis of a single lap of running behind the Safety Car. This scenario will no longer be possible following the agreement of new rules by the F1 Commission.From 2022, F1 will not award any points unless the race leader has completed at least two laps without the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car being deployed.
For other races which end before the complete distance has been covered, a series of different points systems will apply.
If a race ends before one-quarter distance has been completed, only the top five finishes will score points. The winner will receive six points.
Approximately half points will be awarded if the race is stopped between one-quarter and one-half distance, with the winner taking 13 points. The top nine drivers will all score.
If the race is stopped between one-half and-three quarter distance, the top 10 drivers will score points, the winner receiving 19.
F1 grand prix points systems for 2022
| Position | Two laps or fewer | Up to 25% distance | 25-50% distance | 50-75% distance | 75-100% distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 25 |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 18 |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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David
14th February 2022, 16:52
Seems somewhat overcomplicated. But at least the requirement to run laps under green is made clear.
Imre (@f1mre)
14th February 2022, 17:10
Very overcomplicated for something happening once every 10 years. They only needed to add the 2 laps under green rule and remove the fastest lap point for shortened races.
Martin (@f1hornet)
14th February 2022, 17:45
I agree, far too complicated. Not only that, but the points awarded for racing just over half race distance are now about 75% of full points (or even 100% for 9th and 10th). That seems too much, especially given such a race is likely to have finished somewhat arbitrarily, and so drivers may have lucked into position thanks to the ordering of pit stops.
The rule about two green flag laps is good though.
Robbie (@robbie)
14th February 2022, 19:45
I don’t see what is complicated about this at all. It gets rid of the ‘awkwardness’ of the half points, and spells out in plain language what the points will be should a race need to be shortened by varying amounts. All there for everyone to see and use when needed, in black and white.
JohnH (@johnrkh)
14th February 2022, 21:37
@robbie
So were the safety car rules but look at what happened in Abu Dhubi.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
15th February 2022, 4:42
@robbie that’s probably fair enough provided the actually follow the rules as written.
My worry is actually what sort of pressure will the Race Director be put under to ensure two laps of “racing” happen in spa like conditions just so they can declare that its been a race?
Seems to me that there’ll be a temptation to put cars and drivers at risk but that being said, I think Spa was an aberration that essentially broke the rules anyway and is unlikely to happen again any time soon.
Robbie (@robbie)
15th February 2022, 15:59
@johnrkh @dbradock I understand where the sarcasm comes from, but realistically the rules are followed 99% of the time, and I would think with the changes coming from FIA surrounding race direction etc there will be even less need of concern over something such as pressure to ensure two laps in Spa like conditions. Note the 2 laps must be completed without the aid of a safety car or VSC, so the odds that they’ll be doing that in Spa like conditions is I would say slim to none.
Gusmaia
14th February 2022, 22:22
Just another example of F1 solving the wrong problem.
Althought given half points influenced the WDC result, most of the controversy came from the evident purpose of making the event to count as a race ran on the Sunday, even if iyt was ont possible to greenflag it.
It is not only complicated but gives more leeway for race directors to red flag a race just to benefit the event promoters.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
15th February 2022, 5:24
But what about a sprint race that doesn’t reach half distance???
Martin (@f1hornet)
15th February 2022, 10:12
I think that’s actually a really good question! I haven’t heard of any provision for a shortened sprint race, and now they’re awarding more points for them, it is an issue.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
14th February 2022, 17:04
2021 was a fantastic year for F1 but it will forever pop up in quizzes due to debacles like Spa and Abu Dhabi.
Whelp
14th February 2022, 20:31
And Brazil and Jeddah no doubt
Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
14th February 2022, 21:17
But shhh, don’t mention Silverstone.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th February 2022, 3:59
Or hungary; baku was also unlucky but at least the mercedes team wasn’t involved, unlike the other 2 cases..
ady (@sixwheeler)
15th February 2022, 5:47
They’re talking about dodgy decisions from officials, whereas you’re talking about luck / fate / racing gods / magic spells / wizards, it’s 2 different things
The Dolphins
14th February 2022, 17:23
I can see the desire to avoid half-points but it would have made more sense to define the 25% bracket and apply multiples to the subsequent 3. As it stands now it looks like the points awarded to the podium finishers in all scenarios is more or less evenly divided but the further down the grid you go the less fair it seems; take a look at p6 for example, it goes from 0 to 4 to 6 to 8 points.
frogster
14th February 2022, 18:01
2 laps of racing is not a grand prix.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
15th February 2022, 4:04
I thought a Grand prix was all the competitive events related to a race over the weekend at a place. For F1 that normally either means Qualifying and the Race or Qualifying, the Sprint Race, and then the Race.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
14th February 2022, 18:05
The 50-75% bracket is a mess. From 6th to 7th is a one-point gap, then there’s a two-point gap between 7th and 8th. Hopefully we’ll never actually see this used before everyone agrees it was a dumb idea and comes up with something better.
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
14th February 2022, 18:05
I don’t think they should award any points for less than 25% race distance.
Sumedh
14th February 2022, 18:19
The minimum 2 green laps would have been sufficient.
3 different points system is just messy.
regs (@regs)
14th February 2022, 18:26
Up to 25% could follow old point system – 9-6-4-3-2-1.
And add 3 points to pole position.
Jere (@jerejj)
14th February 2022, 18:27
Unnecessarily messy, albeit the two green-flag lap requirement is good.
No more half points for anything below 75% like used to be the case, although 75 is still the minimum requirement for full distribution.
oscar_nicero (@oscar_nicero)
14th February 2022, 22:12
Completely agree. Here is my fix:
19
14
11
9
7
5
4
3
2
1
Denis (@denis1304)
14th February 2022, 20:24
Drivers risking their lives in awful conditions and than get no points at the end. Nice FIA.
Robbie (@robbie)
14th February 2022, 20:38
@denis1304 Happens to the bottom 10 drivers every race, rain or shine.
someone or something
14th February 2022, 21:04
13 and 19 points for a win – that triggers an OCD I didn’t know I had.
Their logic apparently consisted in halving/three-quartering the points and then rounding up to the next integer. Half-points are messy, I get it. But that didn’t stop them from rounding down from 0.5 to 0 for poor 10th place in a less-than-half-distance race.
My point being, they could’ve done the same for the winner. 12-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 and 18-14-12-10*-8-6-4*-3-2-1 look so much more like actual scoring systems than those atrocities starting with literal prime numbers.
* This brings me to my next point. I want to find the person who proposed the three-quarter points system, and slap them. With a print-out of the 2022 technical regulations.
19-14-12-9-8-6-5-3-2-1. There is so much wrong with that, I literally cannot even.
So, according to this, 2nd place is worth two points more than 3rd. Okay. But 3rd is worth three points more than 4th? Pardon me? What kind of logic is that? And without a iota of shame, this abomination goes on exactly like that. 4th place? Worth a measly point more than 5th. Same for 6th and 7th. But 5th place is worth two points more than 6th, and 7th two more than 8th.
What’s the lesson here? In some races, under particular circumstances, finishing directly ahead of a rival is rewarded better if you don’t finish as high up as possible, but find a way to drop both you and your rival by a place or two. That’s crazy.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
14th February 2022, 22:35
You think half points are messy? In the 1950s when points were awarded for fastest lap, but laptimes were only recorded to 0.1s, the fastest lap point was shared between any drivers who got the same laptime. On one occasion drivers shared out 1/7 of a point each.
someone or something
14th February 2022, 23:24
You’re preaching to the choir. 1954 was the year, Silverstone was the track, 9/14th of a point the messy, messy result.
That doesn’t make half points non-messy, though.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th February 2022, 4:02
True, it’s a joke points system.
MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
14th February 2022, 22:14
So in a new Spa Situation will we get a call from race control that only car number [Insert pole sitter] may overtake the safety car So he can do two racing laps?
steviejay69 (@sjay02)
14th February 2022, 22:27
Would only be car #1 that would receive such an instruction ;)
Seriously, what a fudge. Yes, another reason why the Verstappen championship of 2021 is tainted. That makes two race situations he benefitted from that can’t occur again.
But, as has been mentioned above, whomever dreamt this up needs firing.
MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
15th February 2022, 11:14
@steviejay69 sorry i think i just reported you by accident
melanos
14th February 2022, 23:00
That is the real problem
People says it’s complicated but that it is not the point. OK, it is hard to remember all those numbers, but in the unusual case the race finishes with < 75% distance you can always check it
What is totally absurd is that the difference in points between consecutive positions can diminish as you finish higher up. It should always stay equal or bigger, but never diminish
And it is not too hard to fix. 19-14-12-9-8-6-5-3-2-1 could be 19-14-10-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for example, to give a high incentive for the winning/podium positions. Or 19-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1, more even. Or whatever other combination that does not break the rule.
melanos
14th February 2022, 23:03
sorry, it was a response to someone or something
JohnH (@johnrkh)
15th February 2022, 3:32
More complicated less transparency gives more room for manipulation.
Rob (@)
15th February 2022, 5:39
>two laps or fewer
just add extra caution laps!
Rob (@)
15th February 2022, 5:40
and that’s why you read the article
bogolo moremong (@bogolo)
15th February 2022, 7:42
Still no mention of Fan’s compensation?
Wayne
15th February 2022, 7:43
Lol this just highlights that verstappen benefitted from nonsensical rules last year atleast 2 times. Its like common sense even at those high places are sometimes lacking. What a laugh. What a joke! Our beautiful sport down the drain. For the show. Guess its called motor racing…
erikje
15th February 2022, 9:02
Compared with the four times Lewis benefitted still not on par then.
vjanik (@vjanik)
15th February 2022, 8:10
Oh my god. Please just stop. This is getting silly.
slowmo (@slowmo)
15th February 2022, 9:36
Would have preferred they just said you had to complete 2 green laps and then reach 50% race distance to receive any points or 75% for full points. It seems like the entire point of the new rules here is so they can claim they’ve had a race so they don’t have to pay back race promoters for a wash out race. That’s fine if that’s their goal but don’t try to pretend it’s something else in your announcement.
tielemst
15th February 2022, 10:27
Can’t see the complicated problem. It’s not that someone needs to calculate the result from the top of the mind. Feed it to the computer and the result comes out. Whether it’s fair is another discussion that has been as old as the points system itself. Not to mention the slightly more recent discussion of who decides when there are laps under green or not. But the points system as a solution to the amount of laps raced isn’t illogical by itself IMO.
Asanator (@asanator)
15th February 2022, 10:28
Well done F1 for massively complicating something that should have been so simple.
Tom
15th February 2022, 13:38
I’m devastated at the lack of half-points, honestly. Was always a fun little bonus, a novelty. This is just boring and sterile