Formula One back in 1950 was very different to how it is nowadays, but in a brilliant video by Racing Statistics, the total points accumulated by each driver in Grand Prix races since 1950 have been based on the 2019 points system, which allows for drivers from the earlier systems to be accurately compared to modern drivers.
In the 2019 system, the top 10 drivers are awarded points in each Grand Prix, ranging from 25 points for first place, down to one point for 10th position.
One point is now also awarded for the fastest lap if the driver has finished in the top 10.
At the very start of the video, Italian Giuseppe Farina is in the lead with just over 100 points in early 1950, but he's almost instantly overtaken by Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio.
Fangio is then momentarily taken down by Alberto Ascari, but remains extremely dominant, stopping at the top on 825 points until he is finally overtaken by Brit Jim Clark in 1967, giving Fangio an impressive reign of nearly 20 years at the top.
- Vettel’s onboard footage shows poor driving conditions in German GP
- Five things we learned from the German Grand Prix
- Leclerc lets out his emotions on radio after German GP crash
Graham Hill is the first man to hit 1,000 points by 2019 standards in 1971, but is quickly toppled by fellow Brit Jackie Stewart, who had burst onto the table in 1968 and made an ascension to the top in just four years.
Alain Prost then makes a very impressive rush to the top of the table after arriving in 1984, stopping at just over 2,500 points in 1992. By this time, Ayrton Senna had managed to fly into second place before stopping in second prior to his tragic fatal accident in 1994.
Michael Schumacher can be seen entering the top 15 in 1995, rocketing to the top of the table and finally ending Prost's reign of 10 years at the number one spot.
The seemingly unbeatable Schumacher finally stops at number one, just shy of 4,000 points in 2012, the year that both Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton begin their ascent to the peak.
Between 2013-2019, Hamilton and Vettel remained very close to each other as they moved up the rankings, and by 2017 they were in second and third place respectively.
As it stands in 2019, Schumacher remains at the top with an extremely impressive 3,961 points, while Hamilton sits at 3,630 and Vettel just behind at 3,090.
It would be difficult to argue that Schumacher is not one of, if not the greatest of all time, but credit must also be given to drivers such as Prost and Senna who have managed to remain on the table long past their time.
Incredible stuff.