Formula 1 is a fiercely competitive sport, contested by the world’s leading manufacturers. There’s a lot of money at stake – the difference between finishing positions within the championship can be worth millions. And while the coveted Drivers’ Championship captures the public’s imagination and generates the most media attention, for the teams themselves the Constructors’ title holds much more significance.
Driver standings are determined by the number of points a driver accumulates during the season, with 25 points awarded to winners of Grand Prix races and 10 points for each position they finish in Sprint races. The driver and team with the most points are crowned champions at the end of the season.
Historically, F1 has been dominated by a few big teams, with the likes of McLaren, Williams and Renault (formerly Benetton) winning every championship between 1984 and 2008. However, the soaring costs of Formula 1 have opened the door to more small independent teams – today there are seven of them: Alpine, Aston Martin, Haas, Kick Sauber, Red Bull and Mercedes.
The battles at the bottom of the Constructors’ table are just as intense as those at the top, with the final positions determining the amount of prize money a team receives at the end of the year. That makes it all the more important to ensure a strong result, and so it’s no surprise that the teams work hard for every single point they can get.