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With the latest World Motor Sport Council decisions for the 2009 season (see the 2009 Formula 1 regulations thread), the Drivers' Championship will awarded to the driver with the most number of wins. Only if two or more drivers are tied on number of wins will the title be decided on points.

This was proposed by Formula One Management (FOM) along with a medal system but the FIA didn't approve the medal system.

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) proposed an alternative points system of 12, 9, 7, 5 .... but that was rejected.

I wish it were a question of prefering a particular system. However it isn't a question of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" or "don't throw baby out with the bathwater" or "if only things were different". The problem I have with this is that it sends a javeline of derision and scorn back through time, piercing great champions, heroic drives, and concerted season long endeavours.

Bernie, Sado-Max and the WMSC have once again deficated not only on the participants of F1 but also the die hard followers in an effort to cement gobal domination. I hate them with a passion that will one day engulf a star and cause it to go supernova.

So, ......

It would appear that Pinky and the Brain have decided that being consistently competitive is not something a driver should aspire to.
A driver with more points and a more consistent season wont be rewarded for his efforts????
Instead winning just over half of the races is far more important from a drivers point of view.

Theoretically, an all or nothing driver could finish the season with 90 points from 9 Wins and 8 DNF through driver error, and be the champion!!! Meanwhile his nearest opposition could finish the season with 152 points from 8 wins and 9 second place finishes and be called the runner-up or loser as some would have it!

The season could be wrapped up far sooner than anyone would like, including Pinky and the Brain. As the season progresses and the balance of power shifts from one team to another it could just be a major case of "too little too late"

Maybe it will even impact the way teams approach the season, hell who cares, if we aren't winning why even finish? Maybe, if our chassis is really good, we can use our 8 engines in the first eight races to almost wrap up the drivers championship before the rest catch up and then start worrying about the constructors points.

What the hell were they thinking!!!

So after the medal system got rejected and rightly so in my opinion, they decide to have a medal system without the medals.

Why decide so close to the start of the year. It will effect the way teams will go about how they will race with team orders starting from very early on in the year. Most teams want have a driver winning the WDC.

A change in the way points are awarded I can accept but not the winner takes all method.

I agree totally with Southernman. The winner takes all WDC idea penalizes all but the top 2 or 3 teams. Consistency should be able to win the WDC. What if the WDC has only 3 wins? Is that fair or even indicative of what happened during the season?

It looks like this new system is receiving a mixed reaction from within F1:

New points system sparks more questions than praise

Drivers not keen on new points system

Briatore backs new 'gold medals' system

I would have preferred the FOTA system as it seems to strike a balance giving the winner a 3 point advantage over second place.

There will always be cases when a scoring system would be unfair and we have seen many different scoring systems in Formula 1. Sadly this one does seem to be politically motivated as FOM had a proposal, FOTA counter proposed and the FIA chose the FOM proposal (less the medals)

One very valid concern with this new system is team orders as the driver with one or two wins early in the season would be at a big advatange over his own team-mate within the team. It could also be very confusing to the fans who could see a World Champion who is actually second or even third in the points standings.

The aim was not to allow a driver who won less races in a season become a World Champion. Their solutions was to effectively make the Drivers Championship a single point system (1 for the winner, 0 for everyone else). It doesn't seem that this solution was well thought of.

Bernie Ecclestone is predicting that Brawn GP could win a few races early in the season but as the season progresses, the other teams will catch up. The new scoring system would thus benefit Button as he would secure a few wins and the others will have to play catchup - all according to Ecclestone.

Related: New system to work in Button's favour - Ecclestone

Both Webber and Schumacher speak out on the new scoring system, both were surprised by the late change and questioned the need for it.

Related: Schumacher, Webber, muse 'gold medals' system

I agree with most that this may not work and may backfire badly. What I would suggest is give the winner 15 points and second 10 points but have bonus points for moving up the grid. For example, give half a point or a point for every position you gain. This will make everyone trying going for it. It may sound complicated but with all the technology, the calculations can be done easily.
This will also give points to the backmarkers.

The FIA has backed down on implementing this system at least this season. The system has been widely criticised and given the late change all the teams have to agree. The FIA are indicating that Bernie told them that the teams were in favour of this system. It appears not!!

FOTA issued a statement that read:

Statement on 2009 drivers’ championship award

Following the decision of the World Motorsport Council of the 17 March 2009 to change the way the drivers’ championship is awarded, the Teams gathered and unanimously agreed to question the validity of this decision.

FOTA had made a proposal that was carefully based on the results of a Global Audience Survey, which allowed listening to preferences of the public, and all the Teams firmly believe that these indications should be properly taken into account.

The amendment to the sporting regulations proposed by the World Motorsport Council was not performed in accordance with the procedure provided for by Appendix 5 of the Sporting Regulations and, as per the provisions of the article 199 of the FIA International Sporting Code, it is too late for FIA to impose a change for the 2009 season that has not obtained the unanimous agreement of all the competitors properly entered into the 2009 Formula 1 Championship.

Since the change to the scoring system unanimously agreed by the Teams and proposed to FIA did not receive approval of the WMSC, no change can occur in 2009, and the Teams wish to reaffirm their willingness to collaborate with the FIA in order to jointly define a new point system for the 2010 season within a comprehensive set of measures aimed at further stimulating the attractiveness of the F1 Sport.


The FIA press statement read:

On 17 March, the FIA World Motor Sport Council unanimously rejected FOTA’s proposed amendment to the points system for the Formula One Drivers’ Championship. The ‘winner takes all’ proposal made by the commercial rights holder (who had been told that the teams were in favour) was then approved.

If, for any reason, the Formula One teams do not now agree with the new system, its implementation will be deferred until 2010.

Related: FIA agrees to call off new scoring system

Mosley thought teams wanted scoring change

I'm glad that the system has been wiped for this year at least. I just hope that it isn't seriously considered for next year.

What I read into the survey results was that the public wanted bigger points difference between who wins and gets second and so on down the order. I didn't get the impression that fans wanted a winner take all system. I guess that the problem with statistics is that you can read into it what you want.

Great news that the winner takes all approach has been dumped. Im glad someone decided to read the regs. and use them against Max and the gnome.
Surprised by their audacity and arrogance. Well not really , but they just keep on doing it.
Makes F1 look like it is run by clowns, well I suppose it is.

Lloyd wrote:Great news that the winner takes all approach has been dumped. Im glad someone decided to read the regs. and use them against Max and the gnome.
Surprised by their audacity and arrogance. Well not really , but they just keep on doing it.
Makes F1 look like it is run by clowns, well I suppose it is.

Fully agree with you Lloyd. They are a bunch of clowns.

Year 5 students would do a better job.

Max Mosely the President of the FIA which governs and regulates the most sophisticated sport in the world relies on word of mouth to pass a decision that requires unanimous agreement.

What is this 'Bernie told me' and 'I was led to believe', he should go on grounds of neglegence. I guess teams can now work around the rules and claim, oh Charlie told me or I was led to believe that it is legal.

They are a bunch of clowns indeed

JayVee wrote: I guess teams can now work around the rules and claim, oh Charlie told me or I was led to believe that it is legal.

What a great idea.