Ecclestone wants double points for three races

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Bernie Ecclestone says he wants to award double points for the last three races of 2014 or not at all.

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Double-point rule ‘could be scrapped next month’ (The Telegraph)

Bernie Ecclestone: “It may well be that the rule is cancelled altogether at the next [Strategy Group] meeting in January. I think it should be the final three races or nothing.”

Double points too artificial – Ferrari (Autosport)

“Autosport has learned that teams were pressured into supporting the move because they were told by Bernie Ecclestone that television companies and race promoters had asked for a way to ensure the world title battle was kept alive for longer.”

Kobayashi set for F1 return with Caterham (Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog)

Kamui Kobayashi is set to return to F1 with Caterham after emerging as the most qualified candidate for the seat.”

Di Montezemolo looks ahead (Sky)

“I’m in favour, and I’m sure a lot of people, the public, the large public, want Formula One more extreme in which you have you push you have to do your best engine, gearbox, car, maybe one pit stop, not too many because if not it becomes like a circus. But we will see and we have to accept these new ideas and we will judge everything after a while.”

Jenson: The McLaren drive (McLaren)

Lewis [Hamilton] is the fastest team-mate I’ve been up against. Rubens Barrichello could sometimes pull it out of the bag in qualifying and be quick over one lap, but Lewis does that pretty much every qualifying session and he’s also very competitive during the race. A lot of drivers would say that Lewis is the worst possible team-mate to have because he is so fast, but I find that exciting, it pushes me forwards.”

Internet hits to choose name of new F1 car (Ferrari)

“The name of the Scuderia’s car for 2014? It will be chosen this coming January by millions of Ferrari fans from around the globe through the Internet.”

The farce of the 1999 title decider (MotorSport)

“What a performance, though, what a lot of time and effort – to say nothing of legal fees – had gone into somehow keeping the world championship alive to the end.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

@JerseyF1 on Luca di Montezemolo’s plan to bring F1 teams together for a summit on the future of F1:

Great idea, get all the teams together to talk. You could give this group a name, maybe “Formula One Teams’ Association” or “FOTA” for short. Oh, wait a minute…
@JerseyF1

From the forum

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Dan M and Huhhii!

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On this day in F1

Lorenzo Bandini was born on this day in 1935. Having arrived in F1 with Scuderia Centro Sud in 1961, and returned on the team when he was dropped by Ferrari at the end of 1962, Bandini became a fixture at Ferrari from 1964. He picked up the single win of his career that year while team mate John Surtees clinched the title.

Two years later Surtees left Ferrari and Bandini became the senior driver at the team. But at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1967, while pursuing leader Denny Hulme, Bandini crashed and was trapped in his burning Ferrari. An age seemed to pass before he was extracted, and after three days he succumbed to the terrible burns he had suffered.

Image © Red Bull/Getty

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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104 comments on “Ecclestone wants double points for three races”

  1. It’s really cool that Ferrari are going to let the drivers chose the name of the new car. Now that’s something new.

    Call me a fanboy, but IMO Ferrari have became a more likable team ever since Domenicali took over from Todt.

    1. The way I read it was the fans will choose the name, not the drivers. I stand corrected as. usual…

      1. @glennb
        Yes, I meant fans, of course.

    2. I just hope they drop a “Dino” homage somewhere, Dino designed a V6 and that’s why for a while V6 Ferraris where Dinos.

    3. Domenicali does come across very well when interviewed on the BBC coverage. I don’t remember seeing him on Sky as much. But he seems very fair and unbiased. Could there be a name like the F2014-Dino or something? It’ll be interesting to see what the fans pick.

  2. So no confirmation on Gutierrez yesterday… I saw he tweeted a picture of him attending his sister’s graduation, maybe it’s delayed because of that?

    1. Well, they just confirmed him in Mexico. Today here, yesterday there, so all as predicted ;)

  3. I hope that rumour about Kobayashi is true, it would be great seeing him back in F1, even with a small team – after all, he’d be probably the best experienced guy to join a small team after Glock (and maybe Kovalainen) in my opinion.

    1. I’d be happy to see him back at Sauber.

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        21st December 2013, 1:21

        @beejis60 right now, let’s dump Sutil, Kobayashi showed much more in less seasons!

    2. I hope it’s true. Kobayashi seems like a cool dude!

    3. I hope he will be back at Sauber next year :)

    4. Hope he’s back.

    5. While he would be better fitted at Sauber, and although to return as a paying driver may be awkward, Kamui must be hoping that the 2014 Caterham is with the midfield, as I’m sure he won’t want to be doing a Kovalainen of the past few years i.e. outperforming a slow car for little reward. I thought he had left it too late to return..

    6. I would love to see Kobayashi back!

  4. This double points crap seems to have reached the next level – boss fight.

    1. I think they will kill it in January.

      1. Indeed, as it has come out that the TV companies “wanted a way to guarantee a longer title battle, possibly to the last race every time”. Well, for that, simply don’t play the tyres into RB’s hands (who did well to complain about it all year until the change).

        1. I keep seeing this garbage being repeated.

          Every team wanted the tyres changed.

    2. I don’t comment much about most things, but in my opinion this is one of the poorest ideas I ever heard of. So here you are neck and neck all season and finally you are ahead going into the last race by 11 points. You are involved in an accident through no fault of your own which takes you out of the last race. No points for you, and another driver(s) pass you in total points. Who was the better driver that year?? The driver championship would automatically be decided on racing luck not skill and machinery. F1 would be more about the money than ever before. Remember when Mike Hawthorn used to wear a tie while driving? It is just all about money today……

    3. Double-point rule ‘could be scrapped next month’ (The Telegraph)

      @spoutnik – what was the actual direct link to the Telegraph article?

      The one @keithcollantine embedded into the round-up is simply: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/

      Thanks!

  5. So Bernie makes a ludicrous demand for 3 races with double points or none at all, Bernie could teach the chinese a thing or to about saving face. Bernie never had a bad idea in his life, only ideas that other people mucked up.
    Any way 3 cheers for fan power.

    1. Yes, they need to scrap it and just say. Look we thought it could be great but the fans decided against it so we listened. Clear as that!

    2. Haha. I love him. Seriously, if you understand his sense of humour you’d find him one of the funniest blokes on the planet.

      He’s winding you up.

      1. Yeah this is classic Bernie, he’s just trying to get a rise out of people to get them talking about F1. He still has all his marbles and more, he always does stuff like this

        1. Yeah, Bernie knows double points are unpopular. He would also know that more double points races would be more unpopular. So he suggests that the FIA make more double points races, or abandon the idea altogether, knowing full well that the latter option is the best for all involved.

          So here is Bernie, offering up a solution to please everyone whilst allowing everyone involved to escape with most of their dignity intact … and the fans accuse him of being senile.

    3. I propose to double points in the last 19 races :)

      1. Absolutely what i think as well… This way, every one is happy.
        After a few years of inflation, we’d end up with pinball-scores, like :
        +1 million for a win
        +200 000 for pole
        +10 000 for a pass

        1. @gwenouille … And that’s not even talking about combo super bonuses!
          Here it is:
          – Unlock secret pathway
          – Super grippy tyres
          – 120 sec full KERS
          – Force another to pit
          – Crane restore
          – Instant safety car
          – Double cars time
          – Laser (unconfirmed)

          1. You forgot the Red, Green, and Blue Shells!

          2. @thejwooly Absolutely, my bad!
            And of course everyone wants to see the super star in action!

    4. Translation: Bernie would like to charge the last 3 venues double for the ‘privilege’ of holding a race worth double points.

  6. “The name of the Scuderia’s car for 2014? It will be chosen this coming January by millions of Ferrari fans from around the globe through the Internet.”

    If this is a free suggestion/vote, what’s the bet the name would be akin to ‘Mr Splashy Pants’?

    1. Is it too late for them to secure the RB10 name?

    2. Lets hope they put up 5-10 options, and people only vote on those.

    3. Just call the car “Tim”.

    4. I can’t top 150th Italia.

    5. I’d call it “Monica Belucci”

    6. LaFerrar1

  7. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
    21st December 2013, 0:32

    Bernie, why not just extend the double points for the entire season. That way everyone gets what they want!!

    1. good point :)

    2. Although I am really against double points, I would be happy to agree to double points at every race. This will make every race double as exciting for the casual viewers!

  8. this “ridiculous” double points talk is all about making us fans have something to read and talk about in the off season, the talk was dieing down so what else is bernie going to say but “lets have 3 races with these ridiculous points”. So here we are again.

    I will put money on it that it will never fly…all about press mumbojumbo

  9. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    21st December 2013, 0:50

    Bernie, you need 3 diapers or none of them.

  10. So, what… Vettel: 5, Alonso: 14, Hamilton: ?, Raikkonen: 7, Bottas (if no-one between he and Hamilton choose first) 77? Who else has set their eyes on specific numbers?

    1. @spdoyle – Alonso wants 14, Raikkonen has been tipped for 7, Bottas wants 77, Rosberg wants 6, Perez wants 11, Vergne wants 25, Bianchi wants 7 (but will probably get 27), and Sutil has submitted his numbers, but won’t say what they are. No word on anybody else, but the FIA wants the numbers by Christmas, so everyone has probably submitted something by now.

      1. That should be @spdoyle17. I forgot the 17.

    2. Alonso’s target? Number one, four times? :)

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        21st December 2013, 1:24

        hehehe @spoutnik gr8 one

    3. Ricciardo’s target: 21 (or if multi 21: 42, 63 or 84).

  11. I’m nonplussed by the idea of Kobayashi returning. I always thought he had more style than substance.

    1. Yes and there are some guys on the grid that still share that path like Maldonado Perez and Massa.

    2. I guess, like Hamilton, his advantages of overtaking moves were nullified by the DRS. He needs to show consistency and his best pace now, after Perez seemed to outclass him with strategy and tyre preservation. A little more Suzuka, a little less anonymous results (or being taken out in Spa, like others with a chance to shine there after a good Q, like Alguersuari being hit by Senna).

    3. His driving style (loose) should be more effective with the promised more durable tyres and torquey motors of 2014, he was seriously handicapped by the clown tyres of 12 and 13.

  12. In fairness, it’s going from 1 race to 3 races. Give it eight more amendments and we’ll be at 19 races of double points. Then the ridiculousness of the rule would be cancelled out.

  13. I sincerely hope the Kobayashi rumour is true and my prayers weren’t made in vain

    1. Yeah, although it’s small, with Honda stepping in next year, he might get a more competitive seat.
      He certainly is the best Japanese driver F1 has seen so far.

      1. @yoshif8tures Ukyo Katayama just called. He’d like to have a word with you.

        1. I always liked Ukyo. Really nice guy.

    2. So do i…

  14. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    21st December 2013, 1:29

    If all races end up with the double points, it will only be worth for Alonso’s points record written on his helmet
    Or let’s put the points in the races as in the TV show “Whose Line is it anyway” when Drew Carey says: “That joke was amazing! A million points for you”

    1. Maybe it will be double points at all races, and Bernie just wants his golden boy to beat that lonely Alonso record as quickly as possible as well.

    2. I didn’t know WLIIA had been revived in the US, by the sounds of it Drew Carey is reusing Clive Anderson’s original jokes too!

  15. It may well be that the rule is cancelled altogether at the next [Strategy Group] meeting in January

    called it

    1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      21st December 2013, 2:06

      @alfie maybe it’s Bernie’s way to step back (without admiting it), to ask something even more absurd “or nothing”, so he will make sure everyone goes for the “nothing”.

  16. Bernie has his thoughts on the matter, while we the F1 fans want 0 races at the end of the season with double points, or failing that none at all.

  17. IF I see another Bernie pic, I would like the title to read: “After a succesful career. blah blah, Mr Ecclestone retires from F1”

  18. Meanwhile back at the Bat Cave, Bernie announces to the FIA that there will be “Double Points for All Races in 2014!”. Upon hearing the news, everyone in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff jump up and cheer, throwing their wizard hats into the air in celebration. All the while, those in Slytherin scowl and bicker amongst each other…

    1. Bernie with his Sorting Hat

        1. Having a bad day with this… Last attempt:
          Bernie with his Sorting Hat

    2. What about Ravenclaw?
      Newey would certainly be sitting on their table.

  19. Double points for the final three races will just make it all the more easy for someone to create an unassailable lead in the build-up to the finale. I can’t believe they found a way to make the double points thing worse…

    Of course, that’s just the opinion of an F1 fan, which means F1 will most likely do the opposite of what I want (but will still claim it was done for my interests).

    I can but hope this is all just to keep F1 in the headlines during the off season and the double points idea will be scrapped next month.

    Perhaps the FIA will give us a Christmas present in the form of scrapping DRS too.

    1. Exactly.

      If they scrap double points, we’ll only be back to the 2013 rules, with DRS and cars having to start on their qualifying tyres and use the other colour tyre in the race. There are still plenty of rules that should be scrapped or improved.

      Instead, at the next meeting Bernie will pressure the teams into accepting double points for three races…

      1. I think BE is just faking it at this point, and knows that the double points joke will be scrapped. He’s just sensationalizing now.

        As to everything else being the same as last year…I’m fine with that, or at least resigned to that, except for the DRS which I think is terrible, but on the bright side, the technical regs are now so different that we shouldn’t be able to compare 2014 to 2013.

  20. What would you guys think of 3 races in the year with double points? But this would only be decided after the race… a big bowl with 3 black balls. If it is a black ball, it is double points! haha :)

    1. Personally I think that there should only be two black balls, belonging to the person who thought up the idea of double points, after making contact with a size ten, steel toe capped, boot!

    2. Yes! A big bingo ball cage with 19 balls with different points percentages that are drawn after the race. And we can have 1 set of high deg tires that is randomly supplied to a team. Have a lottery for starting grid positions. Allow a random car to use unlimited KERs and one for unlimited DRS. Bring back the idea of installing sprinklers for random wet conditions….and any other alterations to traditional racing to hinder any real competition

      1. Stop giving the man ideas!

  21. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    21st December 2013, 7:17

    The only way I could even mildly support a double points race is for races that hold higher esteem, or are genuinely physically tougher to drive at.

    So, for example, I might award double points for the the best tracks on the calendar (Monaco, Spa, Monza & Japan). Or I could award double points for more physically demanding races, seeing as the driver has to work harder, they could be rewarded with double points (Malaysia & Singapore perhaps).

    I don’t support the double points rule, but if it had to be implemented in some way, that’s how I’d do it.

    1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      21st December 2013, 7:20

      And perhaps award half points at the rubbish tracks, like Bahrain, Korea (null), Abu Dhabi etc.

  22. Retire already

  23. I think some will love Ferrari if they decide to veto this stupid rule!
    Bernie really has lost it now… time for him to go to a retirement home!

    1. absolutely! It is been getting beyond a joke now for a few seasons.

      I think there has been this mistaken mantra repeated time and again along the lines of “but look how much he done for the sport, it wouldn’t have been successful without him ….” yada yada yada. There are many, many great leaders out there with vision and drive who could have done what he has done, and maybe have not bled the sport dry in the process. Time for him, and the sport (before it really is reduced to the show), to move on.

  24. Next time BE will be suggesting:
    -Double points for the antepenultimate race
    -Quadruple points for the penultimate race
    -Octuple points for the last race
    This makes it much more likely that the title will not be decided until the last race, which is the whole point of it all.
    Or while we are at it, why not go all the way up to the first race? The last race would be worth 2^18=262,144 times the points. A cool 6,553,600 points for the winner. The only question would be if anybody would care to show up in the previous 18 races.

    1. for the previous 18 races, I mean

      1. @Hyoko, the FIA would love to adopt your suggestion. Just think how much money they could make, from the teams, with entry fees at $5000 a point. Of course this would mean the end of Formula 1. The fees for the following season would bankrupt all of the teams. Bernie and his greedy friends would finally have killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.

  25. Alo14, my birthday date (14 June) What do you think @vettel1 ,@omarr-pepper ?? Let’s see if i bring good luck

    1. Maybe so, but I think we will have to be more reliant on James Allison, Pat Fry and co for that @tifoso1989 ;)

    2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      21st December 2013, 13:11

      Please bring all your luck or call uncle Luca in behalf of F1Fanatics to veto the double points.
      And yes, Alonso needs a good car to make the championship enjoyable. As well as Seb and Kimi.

  26. Thank you for the mention, @keithcollantine
    Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all fellow F1Fanatics!

    1. Happy birthday today, enjoy it!

      1. Thank you, @bascb!
        It’s been good day so far, I hope it stays that way…

  27. I think this is all just smoke and mirrors at this point. BE will have seen the overwhelming negative reaction to double points, so now is just playing with us and the media to stir up more controversy and more headlines until the idea gets scrapped at the next meeting. He isn’t serious about the final 3 races. He could have just as easily said he thinks every second race should be doubled up or any number of permutations, just like his sprinkler suggestion. Especially the fact that he said ‘or none at all’ has me convinced it will be none at all. And then of course if someone seals up the WDC with a few races to go, he’ll forget the overwhelming rejection of the idea and just say ‘told you…it should have been the last 3 races with double points.’

  28. Nice to include that reminder of Ferrari just being out for their own best (as every other team out there probably) – I mean the article about the 1999 Championship finale – no words about ridiculousness and how the sport was losing its core then from Luca.

  29. “I’m in favour, and I’m sure a lot of people, the public, the large public, want Formula One more extreme…

    There’s something really rocking
    in turn number three
    modern man got motoristic company

    A colossal fossil-based fuel feud
    unlike anything before
    between the Reckless Racers and the Extreme Teams

    Extreme
    Extreme
    Extreme T-eams

  30. Am I the only one who thinks Bernie’s 3 races idea is his way of cleverly backing out? Sounds like a classic move to me…

  31. The idea of double points in the last race is dumb. Esp on a track like yas marina it should however, be awarded double for Monaco and maybe spa and another where the track is especially difficult and “special”

  32. If you want to eliminate the hard work throughout the year by the teams, simply have a roulette wheel call the winner.
    If not , be careful with so much at stake for the last or maybe three races, be careful of unorthodox people trying to influence those specific races.

  33. Ecclestone should be in Jail.

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