Sidepodcast

New Championship Deciding System Retracted

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

Early last week, the FIA announced some new regulations that would affect the 2009 season. It seemed very late to be changing things, particularly the points system. The World Motorsport Council met and decided that the driver with the most wins would secure the championship, regardless of how many points he had scored. Points would still be calculated in case of a tie, and for the constructor's championship.

There was a general outcry in the paddock, with many past, present and future champions suggesting that although the principal was good - to encourage drivers to fight for wins - this was not the way to go about it.

FOTA issued a press release over the weekend stating that the FIA's actions were actually illegal and they couldn't enforce this points system change on them. The Sporting Regulations do state that a change cannot be introduced so close to the start of the season without the teams unanimous agreement. They argued that they had not agreed to any such thing.

"The amendment to the sporting regulations proposed by the World Motorsport Council was not performed in accordance with the procedure provided for by Appendix 5 of the Sporting Regulations and, as per the provisions of the article 199 of the FIA International Sporting Code, it is too late for FIA to impose a change for the 2009 season that has not obtained the unanimous agreement of all the competitors properly entered into the 2009 Formula 1 Championship."

The FIA then retracted the decision, saying that if the teams weren't in agreement, then the system could be postponed until 2010. Their retaliation was that the WMSC was under the impression the teams were behind Bernie Ecclestone's medals idea, and this was essentially the same thing. FOTA admitted that they had talked to Bernie about the idea but that no firm decisions had been made, and they were definitely not behind the system that the FIA was proposing.

Either way, for now, things will remain as they were, with the winner scoring 10 points, down to the eighth place finisher scoring 1 point. Bernie Ecclestone is confident the "winner takes all" system will be in place for 2010, though, and that it will be in the regulations early enough that teams will know what they're getting into.

FIA Change Points System

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council met this week to discuss some regulation changes and once they were announced, they caused great surprise.

The biggest change is with the points system. Previously, Bernie Ecclestone has suggested that awarding medals rather than points to only the top three places would encourage drivers to fight for wins, instead of playing a more strategical game during a race. The FIA didn't seem keen for this to go ahead, and FOTA suggested simply raising the points scores, so the gap to first place was larger, and worth going for.

Neither of these options have been taken up, though, and we are presented with a mixture of both.

The driver's championship will now be solely based on wins, although points will still be counted for the constructors championship. So, for instance, Driver A has 7 wins, and Driver B has 6. Driver A wins the championship, regardless of how many points he has scored. If, at the end of the season, more than one driver has the same tally of wins, then it reverts to second place finishes.

There are a few concerns about this system, most of all that it could be confusing for new and existing fans to see a driver scoring points, but that not counting. It could also cause confusion if a driver has more points than his rival but still doesn't win the title.

There is also the problem that if one team is particularly dominant, and win the first 9 races in a row (it's unlikely, but still a possibility), then the season is over by July. It also rewards those who achieve a lucky win, and perhaps achieve nothing else, rather than those who consistantly finish in the points.

The changes have not been received well both in and out of the paddock. It doesn't seem fair that the FIA can change the regulations so close to the start of the season. Both Button and Alonso have registered their dissatisfaction in the changes, both mostly worried about the effect it will have on the fans. Former driver and BBC commentator Martin Brundle suggests that it probably won't have too much effect on the racing, either, as it's overtaking that is the problem and not motivation.

FOTA Announce Future Proposals

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

The Formula One Teams Association have been doing a lot of research behind the scenes over how to cut costs and improve the spectacle of F1, thereby securing it's future. After pressure from Max, they have come up with a raft of proposals for the future of F1. These suggestions would have to be agreed by the World Motorsport Council, but could be implemented as soon as that happened.

Development
Williams recently complained that they were losing out on the wind tunnel restrictions, given that they have invested heavily in the infrastructure and do not have the same CFD capabilities. FOTA is now proposing that CFD time could be traded in for wind tunnel time, as long as the maximum limits aren't met.

They have also suggested a restriction on the number of updates allowed each year on specific parts. For example, wings can be updated five times, sidepods only three. This should reduce the cost of replacing parts for every Grand Prix. FOTA have also presented details of a gearbox freeze, similar to the engine freeze, plus standard KERS in 2010.

The Show
To try and make Formula 1 more accessible, and more entertaining to the fans, FOTA have come up with some ideas. Rather than support Bernie's medals idea to replace the current points system, FOTA have suggested changing the top three points to 12-9-7 rather than 10-8-6. The idea behind this is to get drivers fighting for position on track, rather than settling for a points haul, knowing they're only missing out on a single point.

They have also floated the idea of having some points available for the constructor's championship, for the team who complete the fastest pit stop during a Grand Prix. It also looks like the length of time could be reduced, with a proposal for the total distance to be shortened to 250km, or maximum duration of 1 hour 40 minutes.

Apparently, the market research was inconclusive on qualifying, so FOTA have not made any suggestions on how to change Saturdays. They are continuing to evaluate the options though.

FOTA Submit Future Proposals

At a crowded press conference in Geneva today, FOTA presented their idea of the future for F1. There was a raft of possibilities, that will now go to the WMSC to be agreed on, or not as the case may be. Whilst there was nothing extraordinary, there were a couple of surprises.

Wind Tunnel

When Frank Williams first mentioned he was unhappy with some of the FOTA decisions regarding wind tunnel useage, we thought this was the first crack in what was going to be an inevitable break up of the teams. They just aren't capable of all agreeing on things. Except, they are. The association have obviously heard what Frank was saying, and paid attention. They've suggested a limit on wind tunnel and CFD testing, but to make it fair for those who have already invested, you can use either, as long as you don't exceed the maximum. This seems to be an acceptable compromise, but are the two methods comparable?

Points

Completely ignoring Bernie's medal idea, FOTA have proposed the points for the top three finishers is increased, to try and encourage overtaking. From 10-8-6, they suggest it be moved up to 12-9-7, with the rest working from 5 backwards as usual. Is this really enough to get a driver challenging for position? Is the points system really the place to make this happen? Either way, we should really just be grateful that they are numbers and not medals.

One of the most surprising ideas to come from the announcement is the idea of offering points for the fastest pit stop. A constructors point could be on offer for the team with the slickest mechanics. I can understand the idea behind this, but it seems like a bizarre offering. Considering the ban on refuelling seems to be discouraging pit stops, this would make them an integral part of the race weekend.

Accessibility

The teams are starting to realise that we want to know more about what is happening during the race, and get better access to the teams throughout the weekend. For a start, they suggest presenting their race fuel loads, tyre choices and pit stop data to the public as the race is going on. FOTA also want to engage with fans more, referencing tennis and cricket as good examples of informative coverage. They also propose mandatory driver autograph sessions, and a team spokesperson available for the media to contact during a race. We saw this at a couple of races last year, where the TV/radio stations had access to someone on the pit wall. It was definitely an addition to be encouraged.

Of course, these are simply proposals at the moment, and the full statement is available to read here. The FIA have final say on all the above, so who knows what will become fact. However, presenting a commitment to make the sport better for the fans and encourage overtaking, whilst still remaining unanimous and in agreement is a step in the right direction for FOTA.

FIA Publish Medals Analysis

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

Bernie Ecclestone floated the idea of replacing the current points system with medals a while ago. It was around the time of the Olympics, which must have spurred him on to suggest the subject. He insisted that it would increase the desire for drivers to win rather than settle for points, and that would make overtaking better and the championship more exciting. The idea has fallen out of the headlines until recently, when the FIA released some statistics on the subject. They applied the gold, silver and bronze medals idea to all the previous championships to see how things would be different.

Here are some of the results they came up with:

• Only 22 of the 59 World Championships to date would have the same top 3. The other 37 World Championships would be different. The World Champion would be altered on 13 occasions.
• The medal system would create three "new" World Champions who did not win the title using the various points systems.
• The overall effect would be to reduce the number of World Champions, concentrating the titles in a smaller group.
• The results that would change are largely before 1990. The last 20 years would be largely unchanged.

They went into a lot more detail, taking a look at which World Champions would have gained a title or two, and those which would have lost. Overall, Michael Schumacher would still have kept his seven titles, and would still be the most successful, whilst poor old Nelson Piquet Sr would have lost all three of his titles and be without his former champion status.

They also looked at how long the battles in each season would have lasted for. We have been spoilt for the last couple of years that the championship fight has gone right down to the wire. It's not always that exciting, and under the medals scheme, it would have been even worse. 14 of the World Championship battles would have been over quicker than they were in reality, whilst 8 would have been longer. Overall we would have gained one season finale championship showdown.

It's not clear what the FIA are trying to prove with this information. It's unlikely they are providing it for no reason. They did suggest market research would be carried out to guage the reaction to the medal idea, and perhaps this is just a fore-runner to that process. Either way, it is an interesting perspective on the history of F1, but I still hope the medals don't make it into the rulebook.

Daily: 2nd January 2009

I hope everyone had a good New Year's Day. We've just heard some fireworks going off, meaning that someone is celebrating exactly 24 hours too late. Bless them. It's been a quiet day in F1, which means there's only one news story to talk about, but we've been filling our time with other things.

• Apparently, Hakkinen supports Bernie's medal idea. Well, he said it was interesting, and I guess that counts as support, doesn't it?
• We're still looking for people to join in our Sidepodcast BatRacer game. All the details can be found in the Wiki, thanks to Scott Woodwiss for setting it up and writing a guide. If you want to join in the fun, head over to Batracer with a password of sidepodcast.
• The Sidepodcast header poll is now closed, and Mark Webber beat Ferrari 21-20 points. That's a close one, just like the '08 championship. Thanks to everyone that voted, and the header will be refreshed later today.

Don't feel constrained by anything I've listed above. The Daily thread is your place to discuss anything on your mind, whether it's related to Formula 1, to other motorsports, or any other topic you feel like. I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 28th November 2008

It's been a day of strange goings on, as Donington Park announced they would be making the 2010 British GP car free. It's not what you think, they want spectators to arrive by public transport, but this is just a bizarre thing to ask for of people attending a motorsport event.

• What is going through Donington Park's mind? Do they realise that when they say "We don't want any cars here," that it could happen to a much higher degree?
• Word on the street is that the FIA are going to say no to Bernie's medal scheme. They can be sensible sometimes, then.
• Elsewhere in the Sidepodcast universe, we have somehow come up with Sidepodland, the land where those who clicked 'none' on their Fantasy Racers profile can choose to live. There needs to be a flag designed, so get your thinking and artistic caps on.
• The shuttle is beginning to say its goodbyes and get ready to depart from the ISS, so Sidepodspace updates are very important.

Please don't forget that this list is not exhaustive by any means. I'll be in the comments just waiting to hear what you have to say, so come up with something good. See you there.

Ecclestone Wants Medals System for 2009

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

Bernie has been talking about the idea of medals rather than the current points system for a long time. It came to the fore when the Olympics took place earlier this year, and since then it has gathered steam.

The idea would be for the current points system to apply only to the constructors championship. For the drivers, there would be a gold, silver and bronze medal available for first, second and third respectively. It's unclear at this stage whether any more than the first three finishers will be rewarded, but those places will be really important.

Just like in the Olympics, if someone has one gold medal, they will beat anyone who doesn't, even if that other person has six silvers and three bronzes. The gold medal is the important one, and Bernie believes this will make the drivers fight for wins more often.

He said he's introducing this scheme because he is fed up of people saying that there is no overtaking out on track. He doesn't believe it is because of the circuits, or the aero regulations. He believes it is simply because there is nothing pushing the drivers to make up positions. Especially if you consider the Brazilian GP this year, when Hamilton only had to finish fifth. Although he struggled to make that position, in that incredible finale, but the point is he wasn't ever going to fight for the win because he didn't need to.

It's always difficult to compare what happens in one season to what would have happened if it was different, because teams tailor their strategies to the current regulations. However, if the medals table was in place during 2008, Massa would have won the drivers championship because he had more victories than Hamilton.

Personally, I don't like the idea. It's all very well saying that drivers aren't fighting for wins, but if you only reward the top three finishers, what happens to the rest of the field? That's seventeen drivers who have no chance of getting to the top and therefore lack the exact same motivation. I don't understand what's behind these radical changes of the support when we have just enjoyed two really spectacular and close seasons. We're already mixing up the regulations, I'm not sure any more tweaking is necessary.

Daily: 27th November 2008

Bernie seems to be doing his damnedest to make himself unpopular with Formula 1 fans. Firstly the calendar shenanigans and now brazenly suggesting he's got all the teams onside with his medals idea. Some people don't think it's such a bad system, whilst others think it's completely pointless and unnecessary. That leads us straight into one of our topics:

• Where do you stand on the medals idea? Has Bernie really talked all the teams round? Why are they being so quiet about the subject? What will the World Council make of the medal system?
• LG Electronics have signed up to be partners/sponsors with Formula 1 for the next few years. Does this mean that live timing will actually work in future? Does anyone have any experience of their gadgetry and are they any good?
• Sidepodspace continues with the I Spy game still amazingly popular (it even has it's own Wiki page), and we were also contemplating how much litter there is in space, and that it's really good of the ISS to send their rubbish back to earth.

Don't feel constrained by the discussions I've posted here. Feel free to comment whatever is on your mind. We love to hear from you and with that in mind, I will see you in the comments.

F1 at the Olympics

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

With the Olympics in Beijing being a success, thoughts now turn to the 2012 competition to be held in the UK. As ever, some sports might be retired from the lineup and new ones could be introduced. Speculation was mounting for a short while that Formula 1, or at least some kind of motorsport, could make an appearance at the Olympics, but that doesn't seem likely.

Firstly, there's the matter that the Olympics is about human endeavour and therefore discourages any sports that have machinery doing all the work. There are exceptions to the rule, obviously, but that may be more to do with the history of the games, and a new sport would have a tougher road to inclusion.

Secondly, it would have to be a version of Formula 1 that centres on nationalities. To make it a fair competition, the cars would all have to be the same, and this would be more in the realm of A1 GP rather than Formula 1. If you were to use Formula 1 teams, questions would rise over whether the driver's nationality or the team's country should get the medal, and I believe it would all be too complicated to make it worthwhile.

The final problem really lies in the fact that anyone can have a go at diving or tennis, and get good at it. Getting into motorsport can be difficult and costly, and is therefore slightly out of sync with the feeling of the Olympics. Although now it is quite a professional competition, the Olympics is all about letting everyone have a go, and capturing the spirit of the underdog.

For now, it seems as though we will have to live without our drivers getting gold, silver and bronze medals. It seems a shame, because motorsport is an activity that fans can easily get behind. Whilst something like diving can be all about interpretation, and the gymnastic judging has been called into question, in a race, it's clear who's winning. The introduction of BMX racing into the games has been a success, so it doesn't seem out of the question that racing cars could follow.

Perhaps we'll see a form of motorsport at the Olympics one day, but it seems the games aren't quite ready to accept four wheels just yet.