The Constructors Championship is a title awarded by the FIA to the most successful Formula One constructor over the course of a season through a points system based on the performance of their cars. Constructors' Championship points are calculated by adding points scored in each race by any driver for that constructor. From the inaugural season of the World Constructors' Championship in 1958 up until the 1978 season, only the highest-scoring driver in each race for each constructor contributed points towards the World Constructors' Championship. Since the 1979 season, points from all cars entered by each constructor have counted towards their championship total.
The Constructors' Championship is won when it is no longer mathematically possible for another constructor to overtake another's points total regardless of the outcome of the remaining races, although it is not officially awarded until the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony held in various cities following the conclusion of the season. The Constructors' Championship was first awarded, as the International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers, in 1958 to Vanwall.
The Constructors' Championship is different from the Driver Standings, which is another primary metric used to rank drivers in Formula One. While the Driver Standings rank individual drivers based on their performance in races, the Constructors' Championship ranks teams based on the performance of their cars. The Constructors' Championship is important because it has a deep impact on how drivers are paid. Certain teams are given monetary incentives in an effort to keep the constructor in Formula One.
