Formula 1 is made up of two championships -- the drivers' championship and the constructors' championship.
For 24 race weekends of the 2026 season, teams and drivers have been fighting it out to score as many points as they can to finish the season top of each championship. It's not only a huge achievement, but there's also a sizable prize pot.
The first F1 world championship took place in 1950, but the constructors' championship came along a few years later in 1958.
Here's everything you need to know about how the points system works.
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Grand Prix points breakdown
This is the drivers' championship which is the one that fans tend to feel most connected to, as it's an opportunity to get behind their favourite driver and support them throughout the whole season.
The drivers who finish in the top 10 at a grand prix earn points, while those who finish outside the top 10 don't get any points. The winner of a race will get 25 points, and the driver in 10th will get one.
1st) 25 points
2nd) 18 points
3rd) 15 points
4th) 12 points
5th) 10 points
6th) 8 points
7th) 6 points
8th) 4 points
9th) 2 points
10th) 1 point
Sprint race points breakdown
Sprint weekends were introduced in 2021 to replace two of the practice sessions on specific weekends of the season.
This is to give drivers the opportunity to pick up some more points to go towards the drivers' title standings, but also to give fans more competitive racing action.
The winner will receive eight points and the driver who finishes in eighth will pick up the remaining point. Any driver who finishes outside the top eight will not get any points.
1st) 8 points
2nd) 7 points
3rd) 6 points
4th) 5 points
5th) 4 points
6th) 3 points
7th) 2 points
8th) 1 point
Constructors' championship breakdown
Every driver who gets points in the drivers' championship is crucial and will go towards their respective teams points. It's crucial because teams can get prize money, and lots of it, depending where it finishes at the end of a season.
This can be a dramatic difference, even if a team finishes just one place below its rival.
The exact amount of money isn't known, but the prize pool is made up of a percentage of F1's commercial profits that can vary each season.