REPORT: F1 scraps new winner-take-all format after teams protest
As if there could be any more drama before the 2009 F1 season begins, the recently (and hastily) implemented change to the points system has now been thrown out. This year's "winner take all" format was a variation on the gold medal system Bernie Ecclestone proposed last year that was likewise rejected by the teams. According to Max Mosley, Ecclestone told the FIA that the teams were behind this revised points system, so the FIA "unilaterally" made the change. Yet the teams, which had proffered their own points system that put more space between first and second place finisher, scoffed at that explanation. No matter, because last year's points system is back in place. Consistency, except where the FIA is concerned, wins the day. Now we only have the diffuser controversy left to be dealt with...
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Steve Bennet 9:33AM (3/22/2009)
Hoorah!
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Tim 3:57PM (3/22/2009)
No kidding, those FIA jokers keep trying to wreck the sport.
The point system has been working fine for DECADES. All they need to do is go back to the way it was where there's a greater difference between first and second place. Duh.
hyundaifans.com 9:52AM (3/22/2009)
Yeah it had to go. I was open to trying it but the more i think about it, the more i hate it.
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J 10:08AM (3/22/2009)
It just seemed to destroy the strategy element that had been a part of F1 for so long, especially when it was announced not even 2 weeks before the first race
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esteva03 3:05PM (3/22/2009)
strategy element. for me it means ferrari making one driver slow down to let a car 2 seconds slower come first. the night GP had any strategy? i just think they need to do something to make drivers go all out in every race. aim for first place not x# points.
Mazda FTW! 10:15AM (3/22/2009)
I think F1 needs a good 'ol 'regime change'
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ken_aisin 1:14PM (3/22/2009)
Yeah, it's really about time for a regime change. Seeing the faces of Bernie and Max just makes me sick.
I was really hoping for the teams to quit F1 all together and start their own league.
Mino 2:08PM (3/23/2009)
yea I completely agree one of the two above posts need to happen. FIA is way out of date now, all these restrictions, rules etc have killed motorsports.
Beastage 10:20AM (3/22/2009)
You know, I only heard about it today (from mainstream local news source), but it is news from Friday, thanks for not updating us Autoblog!
Anyway, good! and yea, I don't like what the current people in control doing.
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Throwback 10:21AM (3/22/2009)
Bizarre, which is par for the course in F1. Imagine the NFL changing the rules without getting input from the team owners. F1 seems to thrive despite Mosely
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slicecom 11:16AM (3/22/2009)
Don't get too happy guys. Bernie said that the new "winner takes all" system will DEFINITELY be in the 2010 regs.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7957788.stm
Al Terego 11:17AM (3/22/2009)
As much as I want to, I can't care for F1 anymore. The two jokes running the show were too quick to cast the Montreal GP aside, IMO. It was the only race I could attend without spending a fortune. If that's how they value me as a buying customer then I have to return the favour. That means no more buying F1 merchandise or any other form of handing them money.
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Franz 1:28PM (3/22/2009)
This was a joke to begin with. I'm actually surprised at how many people were saying this made sense. Which other major race series in the world does anyone else know of that's decided on the number of race wins? NONE! To those people I say keep your big noses out of F1... go ruin some other sport.
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Mazda FTW! 1:59PM (3/22/2009)
Agreed. Heck...if that was the system in Gran Turismo 3, I would have never made it past the first racing series.
As for F1 itself...I lost interest in 2005 when they started switching from the legendary European/North American tracks to places like Bahrain. To hell with that! What made F1 so damn fun to watch was the fact that all of us knew those courses like the back of our racing-gloved hands thanks to various racing sims we had played since childhood! lol.
Not to mention the history of those tracks. Now it's just a season long marketing campaign aimed at "emerging markets" aka rich oil guys who buy Ferarris and AMGs.
Rally-racing for me, thank you!
Sandok 2:36PM (3/22/2009)
Agreed Mazda, what the hell is wrong with the "leaders" of F1? I want the history of the sport back!!
Unfortunately, Rally-Racing (well WRC) is heading down such a path too... And they also get stupid rules (the recent... well last year's new tire rules are just dumb) but hey, that's motorsports for ya!
GP2 for me :D
hashiryu 5:33PM (3/22/2009)
FOTA 1, FIA 0 ......
Now that's what you need to be doing guys. The announcement was completely against the sporting rules anyway, so it would have been perfectly illegal.
Take that sMax.
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Matt 9:14PM (3/22/2009)
Now just change the winner's points to 12 and I'm happy
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Tom Winch 10:45PM (3/22/2009)
And sanity prevailed. For once.
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dallasward007 11:14PM (3/22/2009)
Max and Bernie are living jokes. They have made F1 a boring parade.
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sean 10:44PM (3/25/2009)
Bernie & Max were so butt-hurt that Hamilton (McLaren) won the championship instead of their fav Massa that they changed the rules so their beloved Ferrari fans could say "If they had the 2009 rules in 2008, Massa would be the championship!". Uncle Bernie and Mad Max are stoned!
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