F1 standings: What happens if Drivers' Championship is a tie?

max verstappen, lando norris, oscar piastri, chinese grand prix, shanghai, china, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Explained

F1 standings: What happens if Drivers' Championship is a tie?

The 2025 F1 title race nears it's nail biting conclusion

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 29 October 2025 14:57

With four rounds of the 2025 F1 title race remaining the battle has never been more exciting with three drivers - Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen - still in contention.

Only Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain to decide which way the 2025 drivers' title will go, with two of these remaining rounds featuring extra points due to the sprint format.

Norris currently leads team-mate Piastri by a point in the standings, with Verstappen only 36 points behind the Brit, which means every point counts in the conclusion of the season.

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If Verstappen wins every race of the season and both Norris and Piastri finish consistently on the podium, then the Dutchman will be on equal points with either driver on 437 points.

So, what happens if two drivers tie on points at the end of the season? Which way will the F1 title swing?

Who will win the F1 title on a tie?

If two or more drivers are tied on points at the end of the season, then the driver with the most wins will be declared champion.

However, if these drivers have an equal number of victories, then the driver with the most second place finishes, and so on down until a point of difference is reached, would win the title.

As the 2025 season currently stands, Piastri has the most grand prix wins with seven, Norris has six and Verstappen has five.

If Verstappen wins every grand prix from Brazil until Abu Dhabi, he would of course usurp Piastri and sit on a total of 9. Two race wins in the remaining four rounds would not be enough, even if Piastri failed to win another race as they would both be on seven victories.

Therefore, their second places would be taken into consideration. This is where Verstappen currently holds an advantage, finishing second on five occasions to Piastri's three.

Should Verstappen be tied with Norris on equal points, one more race win would not be enough to better the Brit and would place them on equal race wins.

Norris however, has eight P2 finishes, and on this current tally would beat Verstappen to the title if it is determined by second place finishes.

There are plenty of what ifs however, and each position, whether first, second or third, will be instrumental in deciding the title if Verstappen, Norris or Piastri do end up on equal points.

Sprint race wins are not included in a tiebreaker scenario.

The likelihood of this situation is low in the first place, with no championship in F1 history ever being decided on equal points after the season finale.