F1 Eliminating Fastest Lap Point from World Championship

Beginning in 2025, the Formula 1 points pool will no longer include a point for posting the fastest lap of a race.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council, which is chaired by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, made the announcement in Paris on Thursday in wrapping up its third meeting of 2024.

The move means that in a 24-race season, there would be 24 fewer points up for grabs. Since 2019, drivers have been awarded one championship point for posting the fastest lap of a race, so long as the driver with the fastest lap also finished the Grand Prix in the top 10.

If a driver outside of the top-10 finishers turns the fastest lap, no bonus point for fastest lap is awarded for that race.

The race for fastest lap and the valuable bonus point has led to a bit of gamesmanship over the years. Some of that gamesmanship has included strategy of pulling out all the stops at times to have a driver out of contention—or not even in the hunt for a top-10 finish—change tires before a last-lap run at the fastest lap with the intention of stealing a point from a championship contender.

Last month in Singapore, Daniel Ricciardo turned heads and started a discussion after pitting late for tires and then going out and turning in the fastest lap of the race. Ricciardo finished 18th and outside the top 10, meaning that the bonus point was not awarded to anyone that race.

Ricciardo, who drives for the Red Bull junior team RB, in effect stole a point from championship contender Lando Norris. Norris, who is chasing Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the season points championship, was in line for the precious bonus point had Ricciardo not come into the pits late with the single purpose of setting a fast lap to in effect help Verstappen.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he was “a little surprise that the highest priority of racing [for RB] was to go and score fastest lap. At the same time, I have so much sympathy, support and friendship with Daniel that I'm just happy that he may add this fastest lap to his track record.

“Look, this is a big matter. As soon as you invoke the [issue of] sportsmanship, I think you need to approach this with a sense of responsibility that I want to have. I don't know the facts, I just saw that Racing Bulls (RB) went for the fastest lap and they achieved it. But for me here to talk about sportsmanship and so on, I think it would be out of place."

Championship contender Norris has earned four points for fast laps in 2024. Championship leader Verstappen has two such points.