Every F1 Driver Under Today's Points System: Who Really Scores the Most Per Race?
Who is the highest-scoring driver per race in Formula 1 history? It sounds like a simple question, but the points system has changed so many times that raw career totals tell you almost nothing. A win was worth 8 points in 1950 and is worth 25 today.
So we levelled the field. Every driver's career was re-scored with today's points system, then ranked by average points per Grand Prix. The video below counts down the top 30, from #30 all the way to #1.
How the ranking works
The method is simple: take every race result in a driver's career, award points as if the current system had always been in place, and divide the total by the number of Grands Prix entered. The result is one number that lets you compare a 1950s champion with a driver on the 2026 grid.
The top 30 at a glance
Here is the complete ranking. Spoiler warning: if you want to be surprised, watch the video first.
What stands out
Fangio is in a league of his own. Juan Manuel Fangio averages 15.84 points per race, more than a full point clear of anyone else. Under today's system that is close to a podium finish every single time he started.
Verstappen and Hamilton lead the modern era. Max Verstappen (14.54) and Lewis Hamilton (14.06) are second and third. Hamilton has held that level across 396 Grands Prix, the largest sample in the top 10 by a distance.
Antonelli is already ahead of Senna. Andrea Kimi Antonelli sits eighth with 11.75 points per race after 40 Grands Prix, just in front of Jim Clark (11.57) and Ayrton Senna (11.55).
Six current drivers make the list. Verstappen, Hamilton, Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are all inside the top 16.
Schumacher and Prost show real longevity. Michael Schumacher averages 12.71 over 306 races and Alain Prost 12.41 over 199.
The current grid against history
Pull out only the drivers still racing and the picture gets interesting. Verstappen and Hamilton are separated by less than half a point, while Antonelli and Piastri are both ahead of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel (10.98).
Why sample size matters
An average rewards drivers who were consistently at the front, but it also flatters short careers. Fangio's 15.84 comes from 51 races and Alberto Ascari's 13.16 from just 32. Seasons were much shorter in the 1950s, and the best drivers spent most of them in the best cars.
The most extreme case is Jim Rathmann at #25. His 8.36 average comes from only 11 starts, because the Indianapolis 500 counted towards the World Championship in the 1950s. At the other end, Kimi Räikkönen closes the top 30 with exactly 8.00 points per race across 349 Grands Prix.
That is also why Antonelli's position deserves a caveat. Forty races is a strong start, but averages tend to drift down over a long career, as cars change and the bad seasons arrive.
Full F1 GOAT ranking table
# | Driver | Avg points | Total points | GPs |
1 | Juan Manuel Fangio | 15.84 | 808 | 51 |
2 | Max Verstappen | 14.54 | 3619.5 | 249 |
3 | Lewis Hamilton | 14.06 | 5569.5 | 396 |
4 | Alberto Ascari | 13.16 | 421 | 32 |
5 | Michael Schumacher | 12.71 | 3890 | 306 |
6 | Alain Prost | 12.41 | 2470.5 | 199 |
7 | Giuseppe Farina | 12.28 | 417.5 | 34 |
8 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 11.75 | 470 | 40 |
9 | Jim Clark | 11.57 | 833 | 72 |
10 | Ayrton Senna | 11.55 | 1859.5 | 161 |
11 | Jackie Stewart | 11.20 | 1109 | 99 |
12 | Oscar Piastri | 11.02 | 926 | 84 |
13 | Sebastian Vettel | 10.98 | 3283 | 299 |
14 | Mike Hawthorn | 9.92 | 446.5 | 45 |
15 | Charles Leclerc | 9.91 | 1863 | 188 |
16 | Lando Norris | 9.69 | 1618 | 167 |
17 | Damon Hill | 9.49 | 1091 | 115 |
18 | Jose Froilan Gonzalez | 9.42 | 245 | 26 |
19 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 8.78 | 825 | 94 |
20 | Stirling Moss | 8.61 | 568 | 66 |
21 | Mika Hakkinen | 8.58 | 1382 | 161 |
22 | Piero Taruffi | 8.56 | 154 | 18 |
23 | Nico Rosberg | 8.43 | 1737 | 206 |
24 | Denny Hulme | 8.39 | 940 | 112 |
25 | Jim Rathmann | 8.36 | 92 | 11 |
26 | Nelson Piquet | 8.29 | 1682 | 203 |
27 | Wolfgang von Trips | 8.14 | 219.7 | 27 |
28 | Richie Ginther | 8.12 | 422 | 52 |
29 | Nigel Mansell | 8.06 | 1500 | 186 |
30 | Kimi Räikkönen | 8.00 | 2791 | 349 |
Current drivers are shown in bold. Points are calculated with the current F1 points system for every era.
Who surprised you the most?
Was it Antonelli ahead of Senna, or how far clear Fangio still is more than 70 years later? Tell us in the comments on the video.
Who do you think is the F1 GOAT?
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