F1 changes will improve racing, says Ecclestone

Source: Agencies | March 19, 2009, Thursday |

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HANDING the Formula One title to the driver with most wins will get drivers racing this season, according to the sport's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Formula One's governing body made the change on Tuesday, with points acting as a tiebreak at the top and still deciding positions from second downwards and the constructors' championship.

Ecclestone had proposed an Olympic-style medals system, with the title going to whoever won most golds, after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won last year's title despite taking fewer wins than Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa.

He told the BBC he was happy with the compromise.

"Its sort of a modification of my idea of medals which I wanted to go down to bronze in third place but this is a good start," said Ecclestone.

"The idea is to get people racing so that if somebody is second he's going to try and win rather than thinking that if he happens to win he'll only get two (more) points. That's not a big motivation to do something to try and get past somebody.

"For what reason would they want to get past if someone is in the lead and someone is second? Why are you going to take risks to try and get past for two points?"

Ecclestone said complaints about a lack of overtaking in Formula One were as much to do with the drivers' mentality and the scoring system as with the design of the cars and circuits.

"I think in the end there's a lot to do with the drivers who are actually driving the cars," he said. "If you were first and I was second and I thought it was going to be a risk overtaking you, I wouldn't bother."

The Briton said the change was unanimously agreed by the International Automobile Federation's world motor sport council and the initial reaction from drivers was positive.

"The guys who know they are going to win are quite happy and the ones who aren't going to win don't care, so it's a nice situation to be in."

Motor Racing

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F1 changes will improve racing, says Ecclestone

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