The bonus point everyone fights for on the final lap — and the strategy behind it.
You've watched drivers push hard on the final lap when they're already out of podium contention. What are they chasing?
They're hunting the fastest lap — the single quickest lap time recorded during the entire race. It's worth one championship point, but only if you finish in the top 10.
That last part is crucial. Set the fastest lap but finish 12th? No point for you. This rule exists to prevent backmarker teams from throwing on fresh tyres with nothing to lose and stealing points from competitive drivers.
The strategy gets interesting because fresh tyres make you significantly faster. Think of it like switching from worn running shoes to brand new ones mid-marathon.
Teams often pit a driver late in the race specifically for a fastest lap attempt — especially if they're sitting in 10th place with a comfortable gap behind them. Fresh rubber can be worth 2-3 seconds per lap.
Sometimes you'll see dramatic last-lap battles where multiple drivers are pushing for that extra point. The timing screens light up purple as drivers find those final tenths of a second.
The fastest lap point might seem small, but in a championship fight, every point counts. Ask Max Verstappen — he's lost titles by fewer points than he's gained from fastest laps.
Next time you're watching a race, check the timing tower in the final laps. When you see drivers suddenly finding pace they didn't have before, they're probably on fresh tyres chasing that fastest lap point.
And if someone pits with just a few laps to go while running 8th? They're not giving up — they're gambling on fresh tyres to steal a point.
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F1 Fastest Lap Explained — The Bonus Point and the Strategy Behind It