Double Points in the Final Race

[sushifiesta]

I believe this is what you end up with for 2012 if you give double points for the last three races:

1) Alonso, 362pts (+1)
2) Vettel, 355pts (-1)
3) Raikkonen, 274pts (0)
4) Button, 257pts (+1)
5) Hamilton, 240pts (-1)
6) Webber, 191pts (0)

Both Hamilton and Webber suffered at least one retirement through no fault of their own in the last three races.

It's difficult to decide whether doubling one or three races is better (well, clearly not doubling any is better but let's assume that isn't an option). The more races you double the more likely it is that luck will balance out on average, but you increase the possibility of someone getting absolutely screwed over by a run of bad luck at the end of the season.

EDIT: Also, if they were going to come up with a stupid points system they could have at least tried to make it completely ridiculous. How about this, for example:

First 3 races: 8, 6, 4, 3, 2 points system
4th to 6th race: 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 points system
7th to 9th race: 9, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 points system
10th to 12th race: 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 points system
13th to 15th race: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points system
16th race onwards: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 points sytem

A trip through all the historical F1 points systems during the season... and it gives the "desired" effect of more weighting for the latter races.

 

[Mephistopheles]

One race should not be worth any more points than any other it just doesn't make sense. It's like saying away goals are worth double home goals in football or F1 drivers score double points if it is their home grand prix it is total fucking bollocks of the highest order....

 

[teabagyokel]

Mephistopheles - Away goals works the way the League Cup does it but not the Champions League, but that's a discussion for another day.

One of the most interesting things in the double Dhabi idea would be how Ferrari responded to the 2010 race - maybe the big 50 would have convinced them to ignore Massa.

 

[Jos the Boss]

teabagyokel really? Scoring three away at Stoke is as valuable as three away at Barca?! Sorry off topic!

 

[soccerman17]

How bout we just double points for all the races? Problem solved.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Great idea why stop at doubling why not triple or say a million point for a win at every race there will be some points records broken then I can tell ya, come on Bernie you numpty get with the program you slacker I'm sure you have many more pearls of wisdom rattling around in that empty skull of yours to make F1 even more shit than you have done to date, how about making it compulsory for every driver to do at least one race wearing nothing more than flip flops and a grass skirt (That's thongs to you antipodeans.) He'd still have to display his number on his helmet though...

 

[Kewee]

The only positive I can find is double points on the last race will lift the importance of the five or six races leading up to it. Every driver that has a half chance at the title will want to take as many points as possible from the five or six races leading up to that final race to make the last race as near to irrelevant as possible. Of course all the races are important, but I've singled out the last five or six because by then all the drivers will know which of them have a chance of taking the title. It could lead to the last third of the season being incredible. My bet is Bernie's fancy playing with the points will make it less likely the title will be decided during the last race, the drivers will see to that.

 

[Mephistopheles]

So you think that a racing driver who has winning embedded in his/her bones doesn't try his/her best at every event he/she enters and needs double points at a final race to bring that aspect of their character out in them?

I'm sorry but that is bullshit, watch this about Alex Zanardi it will give you an insight as to why a true racer, races and it has nothing to do with double points in the final race..

 

[Mephistopheles]

Alex is a god in my view and everything he has done since that horrific crash just goes to prove that he doesn't give a shit about double points you only have to look at his actions in the 2012 paralympics to know that he is the ultimate racer and the ultimate professional.....

There is no motivation for a driver by giving double points in a single race....

Alex has already won the ultimate race but that won't stop him trying to do better....

 

[Kewee]

Mephistopheles …..

Of course they try their hardest, but it's not 'bullshit' as you put it to realize that the races leading to a double points final take on far greater importance. You overlook the fact that in these days of fuel and tyre conservation drivers are rarely flat out and in those closing races of the championship many factors will come into play. The three big considerations regarding how hard to push in those last half dozen races are obvious, fuel, tyres, and reliability, all of which will determine in which races they can push hard and which they need to compromise to a degree. None of that is bullshit.
One other point, I don't need to be told who are real racers, unfortunately only a few are in Formula One. Most come out of America and New Zealand has bred it's share, Chris Amon being one and Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme's record in the Can Am Championship shouldn't need explaining. If you want to pick a current driver who could be described as a pure racer you'd struggle to go past Tony Stewart. It's also worth saying no New Zealand motorsport enthusiast needs to have Zanardi held up in front of them as an example of a true racer. The current Indy Car Series Champion is Scott Dixon. He's seen a previous teammate killed as well as loosing Dan Weldon and of course he's now lost Dario Franchetti as a teammate also. Many in New Zealand had the privilege of catching up with Dixon when he was in New Zealand for his annual break and a visit to Western Springs Speedway. He's now back in the States, having been awarded 'Sportsman of the Year' here in NZ, beating all the current All Blacks I might add. He's now beginning his preparation to defend his title and try for another Indy 500. He's a pure racer in every sense of the word, as is Zanardi.

You may have misunderstood my attitude to double points. I think it's a terrible idea, I was simply pointing out one possible positive.

 

[Blog Zbod]

I think Bernie had insider information before Jerez indicating the Renault engines were drastically lagging in development.

I think Bernie knew the Renault powered teams were going to be at a substantial disadvantage when the season opened.

I think Bernie wanted to intervene to boost the chances that his Golden Boy would win his fifth consecutive WDC.

I think Bernie dreamt up the double-points scheme in an effort to improve Vettel's odds of making a late season surge to the title, not to give the other drivers a fighting chance up until the final race of the season.


I think if I write this in enough F1 forums, it eventually will come back to me told as the truth.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Double points for the last race? Well that would be rubbish wouldn't it!

 

[Brogan]

/unsubscribes from F1

 

[Hamberg]

There is no motivation for a driver by giving double points in a single race....

Maybe not the driver but the team will surely behave as Kewee has described.

I'd also dispute that those final races don't have an impact on drivers. Vettel excluded to a degree but the stakes and mistakes grow when it's within grasping distance.

 

[Kewee]

So you think that a racing driver who has winning embedded in his/her bones doesn't try his/her best at every event he/she enters and needs double points at a final race to bring that aspect of their character out in them?

If you read my posting again Mephistopheles you'll realize that is not what I said, nothing like it. In fact if you read what I said again you will realize I suggested the drivers with a half chance at winning the title would drive those last five or six races to the absolute maximum their car, tyres and fuel would allow, to try and make Bernies final double points race meaningless as the title would already be decided due to the total commitment of the top drivers.
I'm very clear when I make a posting so the meaning will be obvious. There's no need to twist the meaning of my postings just to have a go at me. It would be nice if you could keep it friendly.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

My first thoughts on the double points system was that it provides a reason for teams towards the end of the season to not stop development work but to try and squeeze as much out of the car in the last race (or three). Whether that's a good or bad thing is debatable, but potentially this would make the sport more expensive as more parallel development would need to take place, especially when focus is switching to the next year's car.

 

[FB]

As I have said before, the most likely result is the teams with a clear No.1 driver, mainly Red Bull & Mclaren, ensuring the No.2 holds position to maximise the team leaders points to nullify the effects of the last race. Meanwhile Mercedes and Ferrari drivers will be taking points off one another all season meaning neither has the chance of winning the title.

It's going to be Schumacher and Barrichello all over again and F! fans will get very vexed as teams manipulate the results but it's neither the teams nor the drivers fault but the fools who run the sport trying to artificially create a spectacle.

 

[RasputinLives]

FB do you really think Ferrari and Merc won't switch to those tactics by about race 4? I'd say there was already a number 1 at Merc and I'm pretty sure Ferrari have a default setting for number 1 driver.

Other than that though I completely agree with you. Expect a lot of formation flying people.

 

[FB]

It depends how the early season pans out. If one of the Merc or Ferrari drivers get's off to a flyer then I could see one becoming de-facto No.1 but with the relative merits of the 4 people involved I'd be hard pressed to see anything being resolved before mid season, or even later, and it may be too late by then.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Cheap coy to make the championship more excting. No doubt we have a certain S. Vettel to blame for this. The fact is, he would have won the championship in India last year regardless of this double points rule. Who's to say what race is worth more points, it just makes earlier season triumphs look worthless