F1 News
Hamilton reaches magic milestone with total World Championship points
- GPblog.com
Lewis Hamilton is breaking all records in Formula 1. One record that the Brit had held for some time was the record for most points ever scored in a Formula One career. But while he's held this one for a long time, it's taken him to a magical number.
Gigantic lead for Hamilton
Hamilton's victory in Russia made him the first driver ever to break the 4,000-point barrier. He did not need the full 25 points he received for the win, as before the weekend the seven-time world champion had a total of 3,999.5.
Incidentally, it seems that he will not lose this record for the time being. Sebastian Vettel is the current number two in the rankings and he is almost 1,000 points behind Hamilton. Number three is Fernando Alonso, who is in turn over 1,000 points behind Vettel.
Point system often changed
The record for the most points in a Formula 1 career is not entirely fair. Formula 1 has had several different point systems since the first season in 1950. In 1950 the driver who finished first only got eight points. Nowadays, the same eight points can be earned for a sixth place - a place that didn't earn you any points in 1950.
The current points system was introduced in 2010, although in 2020 a point was added for the fastest lap and in 2021 there will be additional points on weekends with sprint qualifying. Lewis Hamilton has been driving Formula 1 continuously since 2007 and has therefore experienced every season with the current points system.
Calendar is longer than ever
What also counts is the calendar which is getting longer. Twenty years ago the drivers usually drove about seventeen Grands Prix, while in 2021 the counter will be 22 races. To take 1950 as an example again, there were only seven Grands Prix in that season. One of which was the Indianapolis 500, where F1 rules were not even valid.
All these reasons make that the current top ten of drivers with most World Championship points only includes drivers who have driven in Formula 1 since 2010. Michael Schumacher drove the least since 2010 from these ten drivers. The majority of his points come from his period with Ferrari.
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