Double points and permanent race numbers in 2014
FIA continues to announce new regulation changes for the 2014 F.1 season. After the several technical regulation changes that have been brought about are causing some troubles to teams and engine manufacturers, the F.1 Strategy Group – which is made up of FIA, FOM and six teams – together with the Formula one Commission, have approved to bring about other important changes to the regulation. Those changes will be effective immediately and they’ll be controversial, for sure.
Double drivers’ and constructors’ points will be awarded at the last race: the goal is to make the Championship less boring and predicted. Starting from next season, at the Abu Dhabi GP, the winner will be awarded 50 points. Other points: 36 points to the driver who finishes 2nd, 24 points to the fourth place, 20 to the fifth, 16 to the sixth, 12 to the seventh, 8 to the eighth, 4 points to the ninth, 2 to the tenth. “That way, it takes only one race to ruin all the work done throughout the season. Scoring zero points at Abu Dhabi would mean losing the Championship. I would simply consider it as a show where luck plays the main role, rather than a way to make the last event more engaging. Reliability, luck, mistakes…Too many factors can come into play to define a F.1 World Champion. We have to see this item also from the point of view of small teams. A double-point-finish for a team – maybe due to rivals’ misfortune rather than to the team’s merit – could ruin a rival’s whole season, during which several good positions were achieved.”
Permanent race numbers will be allocated to drivers: number 1 will be reserved for the current world champion, other drivers will be asked to choose their race number, between 2 and 99 “I like this decision. That way drivers can be identified not only with the helmet, but also with a race number.” What happen if a driver temporarily gets out of the Championship and gets back into it in late season?
A 5-sec. penalty: this 5-sec. penalty could be added to the final race time “Pay attention to who impose these penalties. If these penalties won’t be imposed by the same people, who always use the same parameters, these penalties could become very dangerous instruments to distort the final result. During the 2013 season, too strict penalties were imposed, that went to the detriment of a correct sense of competitiveness.”
The minimal weight doesn’t change: the request to boost the weight’s limit – car and driver – from 690 kilos to 700 kilos wasn’t approved: “I don’t understand why some teams didn’t allow that. That could discriminate some drivers. It seems to me we’re going back to the ‘80s and ’90s, when cars’ design was based on small and lightweight drivers. If we consider the large number of extra parts cars will be equipped with next season, that could be a right way to avoid to reduce the space available for the driver”.
Rumors has it that the Budgets Cup will be introduced in 2015, but this is another story….
