Even NASCAR drivers apparently don't like new F1 scoring system
The winner-take-all points system hastily introduced and then hastily rescinded for this year's Formula 1 season truly has no friends outside of Bernie Ecclestone. NASCAR drivers commenting to Fox Sports on the proposed system have trashed it: Carl Edwards, playing the role of NASCAR's Felipe Massa, said, "I think if you determine your champion just based on wins, you're taking a huge gamble of having the wrong champion." That, even though Edwards would have won last season had such a points system been in place.
Jeff Burton, echoing nearly every F1 driver who stressed the value of consistency, cited NASCAR's 36-race season as a marathon. And Kevin Harvick said what almost every pundit – and Autoblog commenter – said, "the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard." But if Bernie gets his way, we can still expect to see that very idea in place for 2010. Thanks for the tip, Nicholas!
[Source: Fox Sports | Image: Geoff Burke/Getty]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
slicecom 4:46PM (3/26/2009)
Everyone but Bernie thinks its a stupid idea. Unforteunetly he's the one person who can change it. At least this season will be determined by points. Hopefully something will happen before next season to prevent the new 'winner takes all' system to be implemented.
Reply
superman211 7:39PM (3/26/2009)
Why would anyone care about the opinion of NASCAR drivers? Most of them are drunk 75% of the time and the other 25% of the time all of them are.
Joe 8:57AM (3/27/2009)
superman, that might just be THE most ignorant comment I've ever heard.
I can guarantee you, that even if you don't respect it as a sport, 90% of those NASCAR drivers are genuine athletes who keep themselves in tip-top shape. Carl Edwards is one of the most conditioned drivers you will ever see at ANY level of racing, and that includes F1 and WRC.
So, think before you speak next time, and don't make yourself look like a douche.
DreamTheater 6:04PM (3/27/2009)
I'm going to say something controversial here - you're saying "Hopefully something will happen before next season to prevent the new 'winner takes all' system to be implemented." - Given his age maybe he'll die... talk about forced retirement... Actually, most companies have a fixed retirement age, that's something to think about, too... Clearly senility has a lot to do with what this guy is up to...
H4MM3R 4:51PM (3/26/2009)
Winner take all!
For once I would like to heard them say we where going for the Win! Instead of we are looking at the bigger picture and it is a long season etc....
Reply
bn 5:00PM (3/26/2009)
You can hypothetically have a "world champion" win 4 out of 18 races, and crash out every single other race, while have the driver who won 3 out of 18 races and who got second for the other 11 lose out.
Points wise, that would be 40 for the world champion, and 118 for the loser. Brilliant. Why they don't just take the simple route and give the winners more points is beyond me. Then again, nothing the FIA does seems logical.
superman211 7:40PM (3/26/2009)
AMEN! That's what a race is about.
jv2k 8:43PM (3/26/2009)
"You can hypothetically have a "world champion" win 4 out of 18 races, and crash out every single other race, while have the driver who won 3 out of 18 races and who got second for the other 11 lose out."
That is asinine. Winning a race should give you significantly more points than getting second, but there is something wrong when you can win a whole season just by winning less than a quarter of the season and nothing else.
bn 4:55PM (3/26/2009)
This whole thing is absurd. The FIA is probably the one that is most at fault. They said they believed that all the teams were in agreement with the winner-take-all system, which is pretty much bull considering FOTA unanimously agreed on a plan which called for winners to get more points.
Scrap the FIA! They are trying to screw F1 like they screwed the WRC.
Reply
fujia 5:01PM (3/26/2009)
A NASCAR driver talking about F1 is like a MacDonald burger cook talking about a culinary competiton in NY, Paris or Milan.
Reply
dejal 5:19PM (3/26/2009)
And what are your qualifications? Video games? Using your logic, unless you drive you shouldn't even have made that comment you made.
Taking your Mustang out for a track day doesn't count.
That's probably over your head though.
Tagg 6:55PM (3/26/2009)
So what makes you qualified to comment on F1?
Seriously, many NASCAR drivers are fans of F1 so they are at the minimum as qualified as anyone else on here to comment on it. Most race drivers have a mutual respect for all forms of auto racing and many in F1 have openly said they respect the NASCAR drivers.
I know for a fact both Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick are fans of F1 so they are just like you but with a cooler job.
Franz 5:10PM (3/26/2009)
Stupid people come up with stupid ideas... and there's always other stupid people that'll support them apparently. It's not by accident that you don't have any other major auto racing championship that's decided on wins... it's just a dumb idea. Bernie thinks that it's all about winning... what about other battles on the field? I can speak for myself and almost everyone that I know personally that watches F1: a Formula One GP is so much more than who wins. That's why we're torn between the live timing graphic online and the TV screen every Sunday. It's always been a sport that favors a good strategist, and as far as I can tell, most of us F1 fans, and most of the drivers would like it to remain that way. Why would anyone want to mess with that?
Well, at least I have another year of the old system... you know, just in case dictator Adolf Ecclestone has his wish and f*cks it all up in 2010. I can barely sit still... practice tonight!
Reply
IOMTT 5:14PM (3/26/2009)
Bernie definitely should retire. It concerns me that the proposed scoring system was ever considered. As far as Nascar goes, I think if they adopt a scoring structure like F1 currently has, the championship would be much better. IMHO, Nascar should award points for the top 10 with a large premium for the top 3 places and you must qualify on time. No more top 35 owner points, no more chase.
Reply
Joe 9:00AM (3/27/2009)
FINALLY, a well thought out comment about NASCAR, instead of just the usually "left turns" comment.
I agree 100%. Get rid of the chase...playoffs only work in sports where you can whittle down the number of teams playing to the best. Get rid of this top 35 qualifying thing. I don't necessarily have a problem with provisionals or champions provisionals, but this top 35 thing is ludicrous.
Kumar 5:36PM (3/26/2009)
Nascar could do itself a favor and require that it's final 12 for the chase win at least one race. There's something to be said for consistency, but if you don't win one, you shouldn't be allow to compete for the championship.
Reply
dave821 8:43PM (3/28/2009)
I understand the current point system and all but I fail to see why it's such a terrible idea to have the person who "won" the most races be the series champion. Unfortunately racing has come down to marketing and teams. Of course they don't want to run the risk of some joe blow being the champion instead of Lewis Hamilton but at the same time if Lewis Hamilton is supposed to be the best driver then he should win the most races. The other thing they should do away with racing is teams. It should be every man for themselves not a 4 man team and three of the drivers try and slow down everybody else while they can get their fourth guy to win the race. It takes the skill out of it IMO but as usual opinions are like a$$holes, everybody has one
Reply
f3rg 7:20PM (3/26/2009)
I think Bernie knows he doesn't have much time left, and he's trying to completely f*ck the sport over before he kicks it. He can only hope the reaper gets to him before he ruins F1 for all the fans and competitors.
Reply
Snix 7:25PM (3/26/2009)
Please Bernie, go away and take Max with you. They are becoming 2 senile old men like the two characters on "The Muppet Show". They were even talking about this and the finacial crisis/sponsorship impact on Bloomberg TV.
Reply
H4MM3R 7:30PM (3/26/2009)
It is all about winning and nothing but winning matters.
When did you ever hear, any great driving, say different?
Look how long it took Dale Earnhardt Sr to win a Daytona 500. He won everything at Daytona, shot outs, placed second a few times etc. It matter untill he won.
The pionts system is designed so NASCAR can control the season.
If winning really doesn't matter then the driver who leads the most laps should get the victory in each race.
Reply