Despite cascading hatred from fans, teams, and that small part of Bernie Ecclestone’s brain that deals in common sense, the rule awarding double-points for the final race of the season is getting the green light.
F1: Double-Points Drool
In any ordinary race, the winner is given a hefty slab of 25 points, which is fitting for any race-winning driver, whether deserving or not, but now for the final bout, the winning driver will gain a grand sum of 50 points to go on their F1 CV.
The collective hearts and minds of the F1 community trembled at this idea. I can understand, with the domination of Sebastian Vettel in previous years, the wish to extend the championship deciding race until later on in the season, but this rule is so artificial and transparent you can clearly sense they’re not doing it for the quality of the race: it’s for the viewing figures.
Not many casual fans want to continue watching the season when the championship has already been decided weeks ago. The teams, drivers, and the hardcore fans at large can be forgiven for their impassioned hatred of the sport currently, despite the excitement surrounding the brand spanking new power units that the teams are struggling to wrap their heads around.
But more on the double-points rule as I have a suggestion, and, like so many of my ideas, I think it’s brilliant: why not have double points at the first race of the season?
Think about it. Not only will this add to an already suspenseful first race, it will give extra incentive to the teams in getting their car reliable right off the bat. The latter part of the year is often a case of which team has managed to get their car reliably fast and consistent, and as anyone who takes a cursory glance at Formula 1 will know, the last few years have been a certain Bull.
Food for thought, no? I would still much rather do without the rule if I had it my way, though as often is the case in much of life, it’s one step forwards and two steps back.
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