Formula One’s governing body backed down on Friday and agreed to put off a new points system for the sport until next season after the teams objected.
The Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) said the FIA’s decision this week that the championship would go to the driver with the most race wins instead of the highest points total was invalid, prompting the governing body to reverse course.
“If, for any reason, the Formula One teams do not now agree with the new system, its implementation will be deferred until 2010,” the FIA said in a statement just hours after the teams announced their objection.
The U-turn came little more than a week before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne next Sunday, heading off any possible team boycott.
FIA said that it made its decision on Tuesday under the impression that the teams wanted the switch from the established system of giving the title to the driver with the most points.
Such was the strength of criticism from the teams and drivers, including world champion Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, the FIA may not be able to implement the change next year either.
“It is too late for the 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,” FOTA said.
The teams said their proposal to award more points for victories would make the sport more attractive. They want to reopen talks with the ruling body over a compromise for next season, showing no indication that they would accept the winner-takes-all system.
NEW PROPOSAL
The teams want to award 12 points rather than 10 for a race win, making individual victories more worth chasing.
“FOTA had made a proposal that was carefully based on the results of a global audience survey, which listened to preferences of the public,” FOTA said. “All the teams firmly believe that these indications should be properly taken into account. The teams wish to reaffirm their willingness to collaborate with the FIA in order to jointly define a new points system for the 2010 season within a comprehensive set of measures aimed at further stimulating the attractiveness of the F1 sport.”
CRITICISM
Hamilton, who would have finished second behind Felipe Massa had the new system applied last year, Alonso and record seven-time champion Michael Schumacher have all criticized the change.
“It’s a shame what’s happening to F1,” Hamilton said in a statement provided by his McLaren team on Friday before the FIA backed down.
“It’s hard to believe these recent decisions will improve things for the track-side spectators and TV viewers, who should always be our priority. Whatever the points system, I know that all F1 drivers will always race our hearts out,” Hamilton said.
Schumacher had already expressed his astonishment that the change was announced less than two weeks before the start of the world championship.
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