The FIA announced on Thursday, October 17, that a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council resulted in the elimination of awarding a point for the fastest lap for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
A point for the fastest lap was given for the first ten years of the championship and then abandoned after the 1959 season. The concept had the dust blown off it 60 years later, with a point for the fastest lap returning for 2019 and running until next season.
The meeting also saw the organization add an additional opening practice session for teams to install a rookie driver in each of their cars, shifting from one to two. Pato O’Ward, for example, will be practicing for McLaren in Mexico City next Friday under the new rules. McLaren would then still need another rookie in the car, and O’Ward will be in for one other session.
Getting rid of the fastest lap is a mistake in many ways. If the goal was to have only race results decide championships, the FIA had already botched that notion. For example, last year’s driver’s championship was clinched at the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint on Saturday.
The second is that the fastest lap itself was not enough to flip a championship or be even a minor factor. That might be 24 points all added up, but with how inconsistently it gets distributed, it doesn’t mean much.
At the same time, however, it is something. And it does lead to big moments on track at the end of races, frequently adding drama to races that are already essentially over.
That Singapore race last month in which Daniel Ricciardo scored the fastest lap at the very end? That was a big, nothing of a race. Ricciardo going for the fastest lap was the only moment that had any kind of excitement to it that entire second half.
And if nobody can make a free pit stop to take it, it usually requires drivers to go and save all they can on the final run before making one last all-out lap at the end.
Now, there were ways the FIA could adjust the rule to stop it from being gamed. One idea I’ve seen online would be to have the fastest lap be the fastest lap amongst the top 10 finishers instead of it being open for everybody but only the top 10 being eligible for the point.
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