Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are the Castrol EDGE Rankings?

    The Castrol EDGE Rankings are a rankings system based on the performance of every race and rally driver across 43 of the world's leading international and national championships and major races.

  • How are the Castrol EDGE Rankings calculated?

    a) RESULTS

    Castrol EDGE Index Score: Each driver is given a score depending on his qualifying position and his race result from each event that counts towards the Castrol EDGE Rankings. Additional points are given for fastest lap in the race, leading the race or rally, leading the most laps, finishing on the lead lap, most positions gained, and starting the event.

    b) WEIGHT THE PERFORMANCE

    Castrol EDGE Index Score x weighting x race adjustment = Castrol EDGE Rankings points: The driver's Castrol EDGE Index Score is multiplied by a pre-determined weighting. The weighting is based on the type of race or rally contested so the more important the race or rally, the higher the weighting. For example, a Formula 1 World Championship race will be weighted higher than a round of the British Touring Car Championship. Points are then adjusted depending on the number of rounds in the championship to equalise each series to a theoretical 20 rounds. Therefore, a race win in the 36-round NASCAR Sprint Cup would carry exactly half the value of a race win in F1 if there were 18 grands prix in the season. The result is a Castrol EDGE Rankings points total awarded for every driver in the race.

    c) CREATE THE RANKINGS SCORE

    The points total is then added to all previous points to provide a cumulative Castrol EDGE Rankings points total for the past 12 months. Each week the driver with the highest Castrol EDGE Rankings points total over the last 12 months will lead the Castrol EDGE Rankings.

  • Which drivers, championships and events do the Castrol EDGE Rankings cover?

    The Castrol EDGE Rankings includes all drivers participating in: Formula 1 World Championship, NASCAR Sprint Cup, IndyCar Series, World Rally Championship, GP2 Series, GP2 Asia Series, Superleague Formula, Formula Renault 3.5, Formula Nippon, Formula 2, GP3 Series, GT1 World Championship, World Touring Car Championship, Porsche Supercup, Eurocup Megane Trophy, Intercontinental Rally Challenge, American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, Masters of F3, Macau F3 Grand Prix, F3 Euro Series, AutoGP, Sud-Am F3, Brazilian V8 Stock Cars, Australian V8 Supercars, Australian F3, British Touring Cars, British F3, DTM, German F3, Italian F3, Japanese F3, Super GT, European F3 Open, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Truck Series, Indy Lights, Grand-Am, Superstars Series, Argentinian TC2000, Spa 24 Hours, Dakar Rally, European Touring Car Cup, Scandinavian Touring Cars.

  • How are the championship weightings calculated? What are the current weightings?

    Our analysts use their knowledge of the drivers and teams in each championship, plus the relative strength in depth of competition, to generate a strength rating for each series.

  • Who decides the weightings of points for each championship and race?

    The Castrol EDGE Rankings committee, comprising experts with knowledge across the spectrum of motorsport, monitors each of the championships and races to assess their value.

  • How often will the Castrol EDGE Rankings be updated?

    The Castrol EDGE Rankings are a rolling ranking system that looks at the past 12 months (eg October 2 2010 - October 1 2011). The Castrol EDGE Rankings will be made available each week via www.castroledgerankings.com.

  • What is the Castrol EDGE Race for 2011?

    The Castrol EDGE Race for 2011 is a new addition to the Castrol EDGE Rankings this year. Unlike the Castrol EDGE Rankings, which runs over a rolling 52-week period, the Castrol EDGE Race for 2011 only includes scores achieved by drivers during the current calendar year. As with the Castrol EDGE Rankings, the Castrol EDGE Race for 2011 will be updated on a weekly basis.

  • Is there a minimum number of events a driver has to compete in to be ranked?

    All drivers are ranked irrespective of how many events they have competed in. However, a driver's points total for each event will still be adjusted corresponding to the total number of rounds of the championship. In a 20-round Formula 1 season, if a driver contests just two races his/her points will be adjusted to the same formula as a driver who contests all 20.

  • What if a driver competes in more than one championship?

    If a driver competes in more than one series he or she will count all scores from their 'primary' series, plus up to two bonus scores from others.

  • Surely the driver who wins the F1 World Championship will top the Castrol EDGE Rankings?

    No. While this is likely if a driver dominates for a long period, an F1 season in which the top drivers are closely matched could always open up the possibility of a driver from World Rally Championship, NASCAR Sprint Cup or the IndyCar Series topping the Castrol EDGE Rankings. For example world rally champion Sebastien Loeb led the 2009 Castrol EDGE Rankings from April to September.

  • Are championship-deciding races or rallies worth more than other races or rallies?

    No, all rounds of a championship are of equal value. There is one exception though. In the case that a race counts for more than one championship, the higher-weighted of the two championships will apply. E.g. the Sebring 12 Hours counts for both the American Le Mans Series and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, but as the ILMC has a higher series weighting than the ALMS, the race will receive an ILMC weighting, whereas races that only count for the ALMS will be weighted lower.

  • Is car performance taken into account?

    No, it is impossible to objectively calculate the exact performance of each car relative to the opposition.

  • What happens if a driver is subsequently penalised or excluded from a race or rally?

    The points are adjusted immediately for each driver whose position is affected by a penalty or exclusion, or the overturning of one.

  • Why does the Castrol EDGE Rankings not include series such as Formula Renault or GT3?

    Simple. The majority of the drivers in the categories covered by the Castrol EDGE Rankings have already made some headway up the motorsport ladder. Championships within and outside of the Rankings will always continue to be monitored as to whether they should be included at a future date.

  • How do I search for a specific driver?

    Click on the 'RANKINGS' tab, second from the left near the top of the home page. Then, to the right, you will see the 'DRIVER SEARCH' function. Enter the name of the driver you wish to search for.

  • How do I find who has scored most Rankings points from a particular championship?

    Click on the 'RANKINGS' tab, second from the left near the top of the home page. At the bottom right of the page, you will see the 'Castrol EDGE Rankings SERIES LEADERS' function. Click on the 'Full Series Leaders' tab at the bottom. Then just click on whichever series you are searching. This will only give you a driver's score in this particular series, although he or she may have competed in other series and therefore have a different overall Rankings score.

  • How do I find out the best performing nation?

    Click on the 'RANKINGS' tab, second from the left near the top of the home page. At the bottom left of the page, you will see the 'Castrol EDGE Rankings NATIONS' function. Click on the 'Full Nations Rankings' tab to discover which country's drivers have scored the most Rankings points. Click on the country of your choice to discover who are the best-performing drivers from each nation.