F1 points system could change
The F1 chief executive revealed recently he wants the drivers on the podium to be presented gold, silver and bronze medals, rather than awarded ten, eight and six points respectively.
The change, he argues, will rid the sport of the situation of the 2008 series finale in Brazil, where Lewis Hamilton was able to finish just fifth and still be crowned world champion.
If Ecclestone's new system had been in place, the McLaren driver and Felipe Massa would have been tied on 5 gold medals apiece, setting up a dash to be first to the checkered flag and the title.
It is believed that points will still be awarded to the teams for the constructors' championship on the basis of the current system.
Drivers finishing races 'out of the medals', meanwhile, will not score points, but their finishing positions over the season will determine their championship ranking.
Ecclestone, 78, told The Times: "The FIA and all the teams are behind it and it will be done."
He insists that the system will ensure that the emphasis of the front-running drivers' approach to races will be on winning, rather than scoring good points.
"The whole point will be, when they get to Melbourne for the first race, the guys will want to leave there with a gold medal. They (will not) want to leave with ten, eight or six points," Ecclestone said.
The Times said the matter has been discussed by FIA president Max Mosley, but the details are yet to be worked out.
Ecclestone's system will require ratification by the World Motor Sport Council at its December meeting.
11/01/08 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is pushing to totally scrap formula one's current points system.
Lewis Hamilton needs only to finish fifth in Sunday's championship deciding Brazilian grand prix to be champion, but if the F1 chief executive got his way, the Briton would have had to push to win.
He is proposing that, instead of winning points based on finishing in the top eight, drivers should compete only for either a gold, silver or bronze medal, as in the Olympics.
Going into the 2008 finale, then, Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa would be tied on gold medals with 5 wins apiece.
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| Bernie Ecclestone |
"The way things stand, fans will not be given any wheel-to-wheel racing by the two title contenders in Brazil," Ecclestone told the British newspaper The Sun.
"There is no way in the world Lewis is going to try and win the race or go all out on the attack.
"Felipe can drive his socks off and win but Lewis merely has to coast home in the top five. Under the current points system he'd be incredibly stupid to do anything else."
Ecclestone, 77, said Valencia was another example of Hamilton not making "any effort" to win, because second place affords only 2 points less than victory.
"Imagine the tension and excitement created because both drivers needed victory to secure the title," he said at Interlagos.
It is believed that, under to Ecclestone's medals regime, points would still be awarded to constructors on the basis of the current system.
10/26/08 Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes that Lewis Hamilton will win the Drivers' title next Sunday but says he never wants to see such a one-sided ending to a season again.
Hamilton holds a seven-point lead over his nearest rival, Felipe Massa, and only needs to finish fifth to guarantee his first World Championship, an issue Ecclestone plans to fix.
"The problem with next week's race is that Hamilton barely has to bother. I'd much rather he and Massa had to race to the finish to decide the title. It's all about the racing. There's not enough of it these days, and I want this to change," he argued, speaking to the Mail on Sunday.
"I'm not criticizing Hamilton at all. He's played it smart, but the reality is he didn't try to win in Valencia or in Singapore and that's not right."
Ecclestone will propose a new championship scheme to next month's FIA World Council meeting as a result, one that will see the driver with the most race wins succeed by awarding gold, silver and bronze medals for first, second and third, with points retained only for the Constructors' championship.
If the system was already in place, then Hamilton and Massa would approach the Brazilian Grand Prix tied on five victories a piece with everything still up for grabs.
"I don't think points mean anything. I mean, David Coulthard has score more F1 points than another other British driver, but nobody really knows this because people look at race wins," the 77-year-old explained.
"I've managed to convince everyone that we should do away with the points and award medals instead. Everybody realizes it's the right thing to do." Setanta Sports