What Is The 90% Rule In F1?

If you’re new to Formula 1, you might think it’s as simple as “fastest driver wins.” But there are plenty of important F1 rules and terms that also come into play. In reality, the sport comes with a long list of regulations that decide everything from qualifying eligibility to race classifications. One of the most important is the 90% rule, which comes straight from the sport’s governing body, the FIA. It determines whether a driver is officially classified as a finisher by tracking how much of the race each driver completes before they get their official classification assigned.

Under the 90% rule, any driver who completes at least 90% of the scheduled race distance is considered a classified finisher. That means you can “finish” without actually ever seeing the checkered flag at the finish line. It’s based on laps completed rather than time, with the required number rounded down to the nearest whole lap. For example, if a race is scheduled for 57 laps, a driver would need to complete at least 51 laps (rounded down from 51.3) to officially finish the race.

Because of the 90% rule, a driver can get an official classified result even if they fail to complete the final few laps. Likewise, those who fail to complete 90% of the race don’t get classified as finishers, no matter how close they come. That said, every driver does still receive a ranking in the official order for statistical and betting purposes — and for fans to decide who the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time are, of course.

Another important percentage-based regulation in F1 is the 107% rule. Rather than determining who gets classified at the finish, it determines whether a driver is eligible to start the Grand Prix based on their qualifying performance. It requires each driver to record a lap during the first qualifying session that falls within 107% of the fastest time. To reach that cutoff number, officials simply convert the fastest lap into seconds and multiply it by 1.07. Drivers over that limit will not qualify for the race unless race stewards decide to make an exception.

There’s also the 75% rule, which decides how championship points get distributed when a race is stopped before its scheduled distance. Points are awarded based on a scale depending on how much of the race was completed. Any percentage of race distance completed over 75% awards full points to the top 10.