EPAMax Verstappen
NOS Sport•vandaag, 19:46
Formula 1 will remove the bonus point for the fastest lap in the race. Starting next season, the driver who clocks the fastest lap during a grand prix will no longer receive an extra World Championship point.
This was announced by the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), the consultative body of the international motorsport federation FIA that is responsible for all rule changes in motorsport. From 2025 onwards, 25 points will again be the maximum achievable score for the winner of a grand prix.
Seasoning
The bonus point was introduced in 2019 as an extra spice during the grand prix on Sunday. To receive the point for the fastest race lap, a driver must finish in the top ten. And the race must be at least half completed.
In practice, little came of this extra element of tension. Often a driver walks away with the point who has created a large gap behind him and can thus make an extra pit stop to drive the fastest lap on new tires. Teams often opt for a strategic late stop to gain a point from the competition.
Crucial role
Moreover, the bonus point can play a crucial role this season in the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. During the Singapore Grand Prix, almost a month ago, Daniel Ricciardo took the fastest race lap from McLaren driver Norris in the final phase.
The Australian drove his last race in Singapore for Racing Bulls, the sister team of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing. Because Ricciardo only finished eighteenth and outside the top ten, no one received the extra World Cup point. Not even winner Norris.
“Daniel, thank you!”, said Verstappen, who came second in the run-off lap, over the on-board radio. “If Max becomes world champion by one point, I have just assured myself of a nice Christmas present,” Ricciardo joked after the race.
