F1 records: Carlos Sainz reaches key milestone making him 15th driver to achieve this feat. Carlos Sainz's win in Melbourne allowed him to surpass the milestone of 1000 career points.

Carlos Sainz’s victory in Melbourne allowed the Spanish driver to surpass the milestone of 1000 career points, making him the 15th driver to achieve this feat.

The 1000 Points Milestone
Carlos Sainz’s victory in the Australian Grand Prix was not only a great sporting achievement for the Ferrari driver, but it also revealed significant and intriguing statistics for the three-time Formula 1 race winner. In addition to being the first, after Gerhard Berger, to stand on the highest step of the podium since his immediate return to Formula 1, the Spaniard also secured 25 points. So far, nothing unusual, as those are the points awarded by regulations to a race winner, but crucial for surpassing the milestone of 1000 career points.

Changes to the Points System
In the history of F1, the points system has been modified several times over the decades, but the winner could initially receive 8 to 10 maximum points, at least until 2010. It was in this season that the regulations were completely overhauled, with the maximum points zone expanded from the top eight finishers to ten, in addition to the introduction of extra points for the fastest lap and for the Sprint race, introduced in 2021. All of this raised the points awarded to the winner to 25, akin to the MotoGP. This has allowed present-day drivers, and in some cases even those from the past, to significantly increase their overall points. The driver who accumulated the most points without ever falling under the new regulations was Alain Prost, currently 16th and stuck at 798.50 points. Until the Australian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz was below the 1000-point mark, but his success in Melbourne propelled him to 1022.50.

Drivers in the “Podium” Club
In this manner, the Spanish driver has joined a “club” of 15 drivers, some of whom are still active. The absolute record is held by Lewis Hamilton, currently standing at 4647.50 points. Behind him is a four-time champion like Sebastian Vettel, the first among drivers no longer in F1, with 3098 points. However, the German is closely followed by the reigning three-time champion Max Verstappen, another driver who has made history behind the wheel of the Red Bull, with 2637.50 points. Following them, the top 15 is complete, awaiting the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix.

Drivers with over 1000 career points after the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.