New points system is a step in the right direction

From 2010 a new scoring system will apply in Formula One. Under the revised format, the winner of each Grand Prix will receive 25 points, rather than the 10 currently allocated, while second down to tenth positions will be awarded 20, 15, 10, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2 and 1 respectively. The changes were proposed last Thursday by the F1 Commission - a body made up of team stakeholders, promoters, suppliers and sponsors, chaired by Bernie Ecclestone - and ratified by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) the following day.

The last time that the points system was altered, in 2003, it was to promote closer competition in the drivers' and constructors' championships. In 2002 Michael Schumacher had blitzed the field, winning the championship with six rounds to spare and ultimately securing a record margin of 67 points. The 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 format, however, reduced the relative value of a race win, and placed more importance on consistent points finishes. As a result the 2003 championship went down to the final round at Suzuka, with both Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen still in contention, despite the German having taken six victories to the Finn's one.

Change for the better? 

The latest revisions are an attempt to the balance between race wins and consistency, providing greater reward for podium finishes relative to the rest of the points-scoring places. Since 2003 the difference between first and fourth has been five points; from next year it will be 15. Clearly the hope is that drivers will be inspired to push harder and bring home the big points, rather than settle for the bits and pieces left over. No longer should they be able to rely on gradual accumulation of points to secure the championship, as Raikkonen almost managed in 2003 and - to a far lesser extent - Button did this year.

The new system appears to be a compromise between the teams and Bernie Ecclestone, who last year tried to introduce an Olympic medal-style system for the top three finishers. Under this method, the championship would have been awarded to the winner of the most Grands Prix in a season. Ecclestone's intention was to give drivers extra incentive to press for victory, and so encourage late-race overtaking, particularly at the front of the field. And although the points concept has survived, the same spirit is clearly present in the new format - as should be expected, given Ecclestone's presiding role in the commission which drew it up.

Greater emphasis has been placed this time round on improving the spectacle of the racing itself. Yet there is no guarantee that the new points system will actually encourage this. In fact, the effect might be entirely the opposite. With the first few places now being so much more valuable than before, front-running drivers will surely prefer to hold station in the closing stages of a race to safeguard a second- or third-place finish, say, rather than push and risk it all. Attempts at last-lap heroics, like Lewis Hamilton's at Monza this year, could become even less frequent, since the price paid in relative terms for a DNF will be that much greater. Simply put, there will be too much to lose, and too little to gain.

From points to prizes

At the heart of all this of course lies the fundamental question: what constitutes a Formula One World Champion? Should a glut of podium finishes be regarded more highly than sporadic wins? Should reliability be rewarded over outright, if inconsistent, pace?

Opinion is divided on these issues, and it will be hard to reach a consensus. Setting a value on something as subjective as a Grand Prix win is not an exact science, and never will be. Many spectators would argue that a race won after fighting through the field is worth more than one led from pole to flag. From a driver's perspective, a home victory is often considered more special than any other, while other events are seen as more prestigious by virtue of their history or the challenge of the circuit. Triple world champion Nelson Piquet once said that "a win [at Monaco] is worth two anywhere else", a sentiment no doubt shared by many of the current F1 crop.

No points system can take such things into account. At the end of the day it is only a rough tool for determining the best driver over a complete season. All that can be asked is that it provides as fair a reflection of achievement as possible.

Work in progress

Admittedly there are still some flaws to be ironed out in the new format. Why, for example, is sixth place judged to be worth only one point better than seventh, when seventh is worth two more than eighth? With luck this will be addressed before the first round in Bahrain, and the points allocation for sixth-seventh-eighth revised from 6-5-3 down to 6-4-3.

In general, though, most would agree that the new system is a step in the right direction. It is unlikely on its own to improve the spectacle of F1 or increase overtaking - that is more a question of tweaking the aerodynamic regulations, improving circuit design, or even altering the race format itself. Nevertheless, it will undoubtedly prove a fairer division of rewards and ensure that the 2010 championships go to the driver and constructor who most deserve it.