F1 2025: why abolition of fastest lap point does not generate greater transparency
01/02/2025 08:45 AM
F1 2025 – The new year brings very few regulatory changes. From a strictly technical perspective, nothing will change before opening the door to the most significant transformation in F1 history, which will unfold starting in 2026. However, some minor updates are noted in sporting matters, including the abolition of the additional point for the fastest lap during the race.
A few months ago, the FIA confirmed the abolition of the controversial bonus through an announcement. The Singapore GP marked a pivotal moment in this decision, as Daniel Ricciardo, who was not in the points zone, set the fastest lap, effectively benefiting Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver for the Visa Cash App RB team.
“The World Council approved some minor amendments to the sporting and technical regulations for 2024 and 2025, including the removal of the point awarded for the fastest lap.” This statement concluded a contentious chapter that never fully convinced everyone.
The fastest lap point: how it worked and when it was introduced
The fastest lap point in races is not new. It existed during the early days of the series and was in place for ten seasons, from 1950 to 1959. It was then removed until it was reinstated in 2019, continuing until the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP.
The rule stipulated that the extra point would only be awarded if achieved by a driver finishing in the points. This practice altered race strategies and sparked controversies. For instance, drivers with nothing to gain in terms of standings would fit fresh tires in the final laps to claim the point, denying it to rivals.
When this tactic was employed by a satellite team, such as Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, it created an undeniable conflict of interest. The system risked becoming a dirty game, accessible only to those owning multiple teams in Formula 1—namely, Red Bull.
To avoid such controversies, F1 decision-makers, for once taking a resolute step, decided to revert to the pre-2019 system, rewarding only the top ten and freezing any proposal to extend benefits to positions beyond the top ten.
This return to a standard and less convoluted mechanism will change race strategies starting in the season commencing in March. Drivers will no longer stop in the final laps, provided they have a significant gap to those behind, to fit new tires and claim the extra point.
F1 too lenient in pursuing transparency
Formula 1 seeks to be more transparent by eliminating a tool that was undoubtedly exploited differently from the legislator’s intent, which aimed to further enliven Grands Prix by offering a bonus. However, teams prioritize profit maximization over ethical consistency. If a team can impact another for its benefit, it will, as Red Bull demonstrated.
Perhaps the sport’s leaders, to achieve even greater clarity, should not have only abolished the fastest lap point but also imposed stricter regulations on multi-ownership, which creates an anachronistic and increasingly unjustifiable conflict of interest. Yet, F1 seems unable to overcome its contradictions, which are likely to persist in the coming years.
FOM waged an all-out battle against Andretti, barring its entry despite fulfilling all FIA-imposed requirements. The eleventh team materialized only when Renault decided to discontinue its engine program in Viry-Châtillon. The decision-makers, in a genuine about-face, reversed their stance and welcomed the new entrant.
Perhaps it would have sufficed to require Red Bull GmbH to sell its Faenza subsidiary, facilitating the entry of another manufacturer and ending an advantage felt not only on the track, as evidenced by the aforementioned episode, but also in the corridors of power, where having an additional ally is no small matter.
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