Consistency wins championships
In Formula 1, race wins grab the headlines—but titles are built on relentless, repeatable points. Over a 24‑race calendar with six sprints and no bonus for fastest lap (discontinued from 2024), the surest path to the crown is simple: minimise zero scores and keep finishing inside the top ten. Champions succeed not because they are flawless every weekend, but because they avoid the big swings that turn momentum into mayhem. This article explores why consistency is the championship superpower, using 2025 as a live case study and the sport’s history as context.
The modern points landscape, explained
Since 2010, full‑distance grands prix have awarded points to the top ten finishers on a 25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1 scale. The introduction of Sprints added another layer: on six weekends in 2025, the top eight in Saturday’s 100 km dash score 8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1. If a race is shortened, the scale compresses according to how much of the distance is completed, shrinking the gaps between finishing positions and reducing the impact of a single result. If you want the fine print on reductions and thresholds, we break it down here: How F1 Standings Are Calculated in Shortened Races. Crucially, the fastest‑lap bonus point was removed from the sport in 2024, which means there is no late‑race “patch” available anymore; finishing position is everything. For the full Saturday picture, see: How F1 Awards Points in Sprint Races.
The net effect is clear. With more opportunities to score across a long season—but fewer artificial bonuses—drivers who turn average Sundays into solid points hauls and protect high‑value positions on bad days are rewarded most.
2025: how steadiness is shaping the title fight
Based on our live dataset (updated August 31, 2025), Oscar Piastri leads the Drivers’ Championship on 309 points with seven wins for McLaren. His team‑mate, Lando Norris, sits second on 275 with five wins. Max Verstappen is third on 205 for Red Bull, George Russell fourth on 184 for Mercedes, and Charles Leclerc fifth on 151 for Ferrari. The shape of the table tells a familiar story: outright speed matters, but regular scoring matters more over 24 rounds.
The same logic plays out, magnified, in the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren’s twin threat has produced 584 points so far, while Ferrari have amassed 260, Mercedes 248 and Red Bull 217. Two cars quietly collecting P3s, P4s and P5s week after week will outpace a rival that mixes wins with DNFs. In a long calendar, one zero can cost 18–25 points; two zeroes can erase the value of multiple victories. Title leaders know it, which is why they protect high‑value P2–P4 finishes even on off‑weekends.
Why consistency beats volatility
Consistency wins because points compound. Ten consecutive third places are worth 150 points—double the haul of three wins offset by several no‑scores. Risk management also moves to the foreground. Backing out of a low‑percentage move to secure fourth often pays more over a season than a heroic lunge that ends in a gravel trap. Sprints add another layer of insurance: a couple of points on Saturday can blunt the damage from a compromised Sunday. With the fastest‑lap point gone since 2024, there is no longer a late‑race trick to salvage an otherwise poor result. The only path to a title is to keep finishing where the points are.
What champions actually do differently
Championship campaigns are built on a thousand small, boring decisions executed well. Qualifying close to the front limits exposure to Lap‑1 chaos; race‑day set‑ups prioritise tyre life, traffic handling and stint consistency over one‑lap fireworks; pit crews deliver clean stops without drama; strategists avoid own‑goal zeroes by resisting low‑odds gambles. On Sundays when the car isn’t the class of the field, champions turn sixth into fourth, and on days when conditions flip, they take what the race gives rather than force what it won’t.
Case studies from 2025
McLaren’s season has been a lesson in how two steady scorers create daylight in both titles. Even when a rival wins, dual top‑fives keep the net damage under control and the trend line positive. Verstappen’s year offers the other side of the coin: podiums and good Sundays keep him in the hunt even with fewer wins than in previous seasons. Down the order, rookies and midfielders are proving the same principle. P6–P9 finishes on chaotic days move teams multiple places in the prize‑money battle; one or two “quiet” Sundays can swing millions across a campaign.
For deeper narrative context and the weekends that flipped the table most dramatically, see our round‑up: The Biggest Points Swings in the 2025 Season and our long read on title run‑ins: Closest F1 Championship Battles.
The arithmetic of steady scoring
Consider a simple five‑race slice. Driver A finishes second five times for 90 points. Driver B wins twice (50 points) but retires three times, leaving them stranded on 50. Over a sprint weekend, a fifth in the Sprint (four points) combined with a third on Sunday (15 points) yields 19 points—often a net gain over a rival who finishes second in the Grand Prix (18) but leaves Saturday empty‑handed. Shortened races present a twist: reduced scales compress the spread, so banking second for 14 points between 50% and 75% race distance can be wiser than risking everything to chase a marginal shot at 19 for the win. The message repeats: finish, finish high, finish often.
History’s verdict: steadiness decides titles
F1’s record books are littered with evidence. Keke Rosberg’s 1982 crown arrived with just a single race win, backed by relentless scoring on Sundays. Nico Rosberg’s 2016 title owed as much to accumulation during key stretches as it did to outright victories against Hamilton. Michael Schumacher’s 2002 season—podium in every race—remains the purest expression of consistency as a weapon. Across eras and regulations, the constant is that champions minimise zeroes and bank results even when the car is merely very good rather than untouchable.
Consistency and the Constructors’ Championship
Teams win by pairing two point‑scorers. A win plus a DNF yields 25 points; a third and a fourth bring home 27. Multiply that by a season and the picture becomes obvious. The constructors’ fight is a marathon of combined returns, which is why seemingly conservative calls—tyre choices, undercuts avoided, pit windows widened—often pay out more than high‑wire strategy. If you’re new to how the team title is tallied, our explainer is a good place to start: F1 Constructors’ Championship Explained.
2025 FAQs
Is the fastest‑lap point still a thing?
No. It was discontinued in 2024, so there’s no bonus for fastest lap anymore.
How many Sprint events are there?
Six, each awarding points to the top eight finishers on Saturday.
What’s more important for the title: wins or avoiding DNFs?
Both matter, but over 24 races the absence of zeroes usually proves decisive. The bigger the calendar, the more consistency compounds.
Do Sprint points really matter in a close fight?
Yes. A handful of Saturday points can cushion a compromised Sunday and change the arithmetic of a weekend.
Final thought
Wins ignite a title charge; consistency seals it. In 2025’s long, attritional calendar, the champion will be the driver who turns mediocre Saturdays into decent Sundays—and bad Sundays into workable points. That’s how you win modern Formula 1.
Looking for live, in‑race standings swings? Keep RaceMate open on sprint Saturdays and Sundays—we’ll update every scenario in real time.
For more on the rules and strategy behind the points, explore: F1 Points System Explained, How F1 Awards Points in Sprint Races, How Standings Work in Shortened Races, Fastest Lap Points History and F1 Constructors’ Championship Explained.