F1 star climbs three places in drivers' standings despite scoring ZERO points in Japan

A Formula 1 world champion has managed to climb three places in the drivers' championship standings, even though he didn't score a single point at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was not even included in the official ranking after the first two grand prix weekends, having failed to finish either of the two main races at the Australian or Chinese grands prix.

It meant that he was not classified in either event, with drivers having to complete 90 per cent of the race winner's distance in order to be classified as a finisher, regardless of whether they make it to the end or not.

Alonso's nightmare start to the season continued in Japan, crashing out in FP1 before failing to make it out of Q2 in qualifying, although he did manage to outqualify Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll.

However, Alonso came within less than three seconds of securing his first world championship point of the season during Sunday's race, finally finishing a full-length race for the first time since the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP.

Alonso finished 11th, behind Haas' Ollie Bearman, and he remains point-less in the drivers' championship, while team-mate Stroll has picked up 10 points already this season.

Alonso receives standings promotion

Despite once again failing to pick up a point, Alonso climbed three places in the drivers' championship, and now sits in 17th, ahead of Liam Lawson, Jack Doohan and Gabriel Bortoleto.

This is because 11th is the best that any of those drivers have achieved across the season so far, with 18th-placed Lawson's best result being 16th in China, as well as picking up a 14th-place finish in the sprint race in China.

Doohan, meanwhile, has managed to finish 15th twice, but finished last during the sprint race in China, and DNF'd at his home race in Australia.

Alonso will be hoping to climb the rankings over the coming weeks due to his points-scoring, however, rather than his ability to finish ahead of certain drivers towards the back of the grid.

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