The FIA’s announcement on Monday that “Double drivers’ and constructors’ points will be awarded at the final race of the Formula One season in order to maximise focus on the Championship until the end of the campaign” has been met with shock, disbelief and anger. Fans, commentators, media, teams and drivers have been united in their condemnation of the rule change and I am no different.
This decision undermines the credibility of the entire championship – you now get more points for finishing 3rd in Abu Dhabi than for winning at Spa or Monaco? Ridiculous!
Sebastian Vettel labelled the change, “absurd” and I couldn’t agree more.
POSTSCRIPT: As pointed out by the always informative Joe Saward, this change was proposed by the F1 Strategy Group and not the FIA directly. The make-up of the F1 Strategy group is: FIA has 6 votes, Formula One Management has 6 votes and Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, Lotus and Williams each have 1 vote. Meaning some of the teams must have voted in favor in order for it to pass. It was then ratified by the World Motorsport Council.