The Unbreakable F1 Record: 100% Points in a Season

While Max Verstappen's 2023 season set modern records for points percentage, a technicality from Formula 1's early era means two legends achieved the ultimate, unrepeatable feat: scoring 100% of available championship points.

Why it matters:

This deep dive into F1's scoring history highlights how much the sport's regulations have evolved. Modern scoring systems, with their high point values and inclusion of all results, make it virtually impossible to achieve a perfect score, cementing these early records as truly unbreakable.

The Details:

• Modern Context: In 2025, a driver can score a maximum of 473 points out of 648 available, equating to 72.99% for a perfect season like Lando Norris's theoretical best. This would place him 16th on the all-time list, behind Nico Rosberg's 73.33% in 2016.
• Verstappen's Dominance: Max Verstappen's 2023 season, with 575 points from 19 wins and two second-place finishes, stands at an astonishing 92.74% – the highest under the current scoring system.
• The Dropped Scores Era: Up until 1990, F1 championships used a 'dropped scores' system, where only a certain number of a driver's best results counted towards the final tally. This crucial rule created the possibility for a 'perfect' season score.
• Alberto Ascari (1952):
  • Context: Out of eight races (including the Indy 500), only the best four results counted.
  • Scoring: Points were awarded 8-6-4-3-2 for the top five, plus one point for the fastest lap, capping a perfect score at 36 points.
  • Achievement: Ascari, despite missing the opening Swiss GP, won six consecutive races with fastest laps, accumulating the maximum 36 points. His full-season tally without dropped scores would have been 53.5.
• Jim Clark (1963 & 1965):
  • Context: In 1963, the best six out of 10 rounds counted, with a maximum of 54 points.
  • Scoring: Points system: 9-6-4-3-2-1 for the top six.
  • Achievement: Clark won seven races in 1963, scoring 54 points to hit the 100% mark. He repeated this feat in 1965, winning six of nine races and again reaching 54 points. Notably, he missed the Monaco GP in 1965 to win the Indy 500, becoming the only driver to win both in the same calendar year.

The Big Picture:

The 'dropped scores' rule fundamentally changed how championships were won and how records were set. Modern F1 demands consistency across all races, making a 100% points haul an impossibility. These historical records underscore the unique challenges and regulations of different F1 eras.

What's Next:

With current regulations favoring a cumulative points system, the remarkable achievements of Ascari and Clark will remain untouched, securing their unique place in F1 history as holders of an impossible, unbroken record.