By: Not all Formula 1 fans are aware of how the world championship standings are compiled. Naturally, for drivers who regularly finish inside the top 10, it is straightforward: simply see who has scored the most points. But how is the order decided for drivers who have not yet managed to finish in the top 10 even once?
It may seem strange to some, but there is also a method for establishing the exact finishing order for this small group of drivers which, this year, with three races remaining, consists of Stroll, Bottas, Perez and Câmara (the 21-year-old Brazilian Ferrari Driver Academy member who currently leads the 2026 Formula 2 championship).
The Formula 1 world championship does not allow ties
Indeed, the world championship does not allow ties, not even for those occupying the lower reaches of the standings. So how is the best and worst of the group determined?
The standard tie-break rule is simply applied. There are three different criteria: the first considers the best result achieved, the second considers how many times it was achieved and, if there is still a tie, the third rewards the driver who achieved it first.
Perez is no longer bottom of the standings
Applying these criteria, Haas debutant Rafael Câmara, having finished P20 in his only Grand Prix for the team he will drive for in 2027 (which was also his home Grand Prix), is currently placed last in the standings. That result has enabled Perez, who finished 14th three times in 2026, at Barcelona, Great Britain and Azerbaijan, to move off the bottom and into P24. Bottas has done better, taking Cadillac to P13 in China, while Lance Stroll is credited with P22 thanks to his 12th-place finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Tsunoda and Hirakawa (who, like Câmara, stepped in to replace full-time drivers) have both managed to finish 10th at least once. Yuki takes the position ahead of the Haas driver because he scored his point at the Italian Grand Prix, well before Hirakawa.
Cover photo and interior images by Vinicius de Oliveira / WHYOUT Images
