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Since its inception in 1950, Formula 1 has always awarded points to the top-performing drivers and their teams. These points add up and at the end of the season, the series crowns a driver and constructor as champions. However, there has been a major change in the Formula 1 points scoring system. Since 2010, the winner gets 25 points instead of 10. Scoring points has become much easier compared to the times when only the top 8 were given points. This begs the question:
Who has scored the most points in a Formula 1 season?
#1: Lewis Hamilton - 413 points (2019)
The 2019 Formula 1 season saw Lewis Hamilton win his sixth world championship, a feat he achieved by amassing 413 points. This became the record for the most points scored in a Formula 1 season. Hamilton won the 2019 Formula 1 world championship finishing 87 points ahead of his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
It was a dominant year for Hamilton. Out of the 21 races in the season, Hamilton won 11 of them and took podiums in another six. The Brit finished outside the podium on only four occasions throughout the season, which is a staggering statistic.
#2: Lewis Hamilton - 408 points (2018)
Lewis Hamilton is also second on this list. He scored 408 points during the 2018 Formula 1 season. The year saw a straight fight between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton for their fifth world title. Vettel dominated the early parts of the season, winning the first two races in Australia and Bahrain. However, it all started going wrong for the four-time champion at the German Grand Prix. Vettel crashed out from the lead of the race, and Hamilton took his opportunity to win the Grand Prix from 14th on the grid. Fortunes turned after the event, and Lewis Hamilton ran away with the title.
Lewis Hamilton won 11 races in the 2018 Formula 1 season and finished 88 points ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton also stood on the podium six times, meaning there were again only four races where the Brit didn't taste champagne.
#3: Sebastian Vettel - 397 points (2013)
Although Sebastian Vettel only scored 397 points in 2013, it was one of the most dominant seasons in Formula 1 history. The German smashed multiple records on the way to winning his fourth consecutive world championship. With only 19 races on the calendar, Sebastian Vettel won 13 of them. He tied the record for most wins in a season. He also broke the record for most consecutive wins in a season, with nine.
He finished the season a whopping 155 points ahead of second-placed Fernando Alonso. This is also the biggest gap between the top two positions in Formula 1 history. However, the most shocking of all statistics is that out of the maximum points available in the season, Vettel scored 83.58% of them, marking the most dominant Formula 1 season in history.
#4: Sebastian Vettel - 392 points (2011)
Sebastian Vettel amassed the 4th highest points tally in Formula 1 history during the 2011 Formula 1 season. This year saw him win his second consecutive world championship. The German scored 392 points, finishing 122 points ahead of the second-placed Jenson Button.
Sebastian Vettel won 11 out of the 19 races that season and managed a podium finish six times. The German finished outside of the podium places on just two occasions out of which his car had to be retired in one. Vettel won 82.53% of the points available to him.
#5: Nico Rosberg - 385 points (2016)
In fifth place is the 2016 Formula 1 world champion, Nico Rosberg. The German scored 385 points in his title-winning season. 2016 was one of the most dominant constructor years in the sport. Mercedes won 19 of the 21 scheduled races. Lewis Hamilton finished second in the season with a whopping 380 points, showing how one-sided 2016 was.
Nico Rosberg won just eight races compared to Hamilton's 10 over the season. He also had fewer podiums than his British teammate. However, it was Rosberg's consistency that won him the title. The German, son of another Formula 1 world champion, Keke Rosberg, finished outside the podium positions only thrice in 2016.
Nico Rosberg also became the first driver since Alain Prost in 1993 to retire after winning the championship.
