How we score races
Every race gets a score from 0 to 10 for one question: is it worth watching? The score never gives away the result.
What goes into the score
- 80%
-
The race review
An AI model reads race reports and fan reactions, then rates the race against two reference races: the dull 2019 French Grand Prix (1.5) and the wild 2019 German Grand Prix (10). It does this three times, and again a day later. We use the average.
- 20%
-
10 numbers from the timing data
Overtakes, safety cars, rain, the winning margin and more.
Why the review counts most
Numbers alone miss what makes a race good. Forty midfield overtakes still make a dull race if the win was never in doubt. One late pass for the lead can make a classic.
So we check the score against fan ratings: the average score that readers of a large F1 news site give each race. For the 2025 season, giving the review more weight brought our ranking much closer to the fans' ranking.
For older races, the AI partly remembers what fans said at the time, which flatters this test. For races we score live, the agreement is lower: about 0.5. Take the score as an informed opinion, not a fact.
The 10 numbers
Together they make up 20% of the score.
Racing
- Overtakes in the top 10 2.3%
- Passes between drivers who finished in the points.
- All overtakes 1.4%
- Every on-track pass, anywhere in the field.
- Grid shake-up 3.0%
- How far the finishing order moved from the starting grid.
The finish
- Winning margin 2.1%
- The gap between first and second. Closer scores higher.
- Teams in the top 5 1.9%
- More different teams near the front scores higher.
Disruption
- Safety cars and red flags 2.6%
- Safety cars, virtual safety cars and red flags.
- Retirements 1.4%
- Drivers who did not finish, did not start or were disqualified.
Weather and strategy
- Rain 2.6%
- Did it rain during the race? Yes or no.
- Tyre types 1.4%
- Dry, intermediate and wet tyres in use.
- Strategy variety 1.4%
- Different tyre strategies among the top six.
From numbers to a score
Each number becomes a mark from 0 to 10 by comparing it with every race since 2023. A race with as many overtakes as the busiest races in the archive gets a 10. One with half as many gets a 5. The winning margin works the other way round: the closer the finish, the higher the mark. Rain is yes or no.
Each mark is multiplied by its weight, and the results are added up. When a new race sets a record, the scale moves and every race is scored again. Older scores can shift a little.
1.5 from the review, 0.9 from the numbers.
What the score means
Every score falls into one of five groups. The counts cover the 88 races since 2023.
- Skip
- 0 to 3.5
- 24 races
- Highlights only
- 3.5 to 5
- 10 races
- Worth it
- 5 to 6.5
- 18 races
- Well worth it
- 6.5 to 8
- 25 races
- Must watch
- 8 to 10
- 11 races
What the score cannot tell you
Your taste.
The score reflects how a race lands with fans in general. It knows nothing about your favourite driver or team.
Races before 2023.
Our timing data starts with the 2023 season.
Perfect data.
Overtake counts come from a data feed that is still in beta, and unusual races can confuse it. We correct the known cases by hand. When a number is missing, we fill in the average of all races. 6 races have at least one such gap.
The final word on race day.
The review runs an hour after the race and again a day later, when more has been written. The score can move a little in between.
Timing data from OpenF1, results and standings from Jolpica (the Ergast API), weather from Open-Meteo. The fan ratings we test against come from a reader poll on a large F1 news site.
Questions
How does F1 Race Review score races?
Each race gets a score from 0 to 10. 80% comes from an AI review of how the race played out, based on race reports and fan reactions. 20% comes from 10 numbers in the timing data, such as overtakes, safety cars, rain and the winning margin.
Does the score spoil the result?
No. The score and the verdict do not say who won. Results and standings on a race page stay hidden until you open them.
Why does the AI review count for 80%?
Because it matches fans best. Against ratings from readers of a large F1 news site (2025 season), raising its share from 14% to 80% lifted agreement with the fans from 0.72 to 0.83 (1.0 is identical). For races scored live it is about 0.5.
Can the score of a race change?
Yes, a little. The review runs again a day after the race. And when a new race sets a record, for example the most overtakes, every race is scored again on the new scale.