You have to go back to the '80s to find a championship that wasn't won by the guy who got the most race wins (or equal race wins but the most second places), so clearly race wins are already supremely important and if any driver doesn't recognise that then he's a chump.

Quote from duke_toaster :

He wouldn't be able to do it mid-season.

IMO the points need to be changed to 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, reward recovery drives and good performances in slower cars.

I think there should be a greater reward for winning. The battle for first place should be the most important on the day and also in terms of the championship. I think risk/bravery should be rewarded, I want teams and drivers going all out to win, not playing it safe to think about the championship.
Might as well go back to 10,6,4,3,2,1.

Quote from dungbeetle :

How does the old points system differ?

10-6-4-3-2-1 IIRC. The important bits being only 6 cars getting points and a bigger gap for a win.

Quote from lococost :

so, if someone wins more than half of the seasons races, he's automatically world champion? exiting last races that'll be, great 'thinking' mr E

Very good point.

At least in theory with the current system it's worth running the remaining races to see if someone else can catch up on points.

Another attempt to encourage overtaking it would appear. I think however that the current points system should remain in place this season, although it is clear that an incentive to complete the race as quickly as possible is needed.
It is suggested therefore that three hours before the race each driver must consume:
a) A chicken Vindaloo.
b) 8 pints of Guinness.

Before the race commences drivers will be allowed to pee only. This will not only encourage drivers to race like hell, but should also serve to make pit stop strategy more critical.

Quote from (-Mark-) :

12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1..?

Rewards the winner. But Still gives drivers a chance to win WDC. Will make drivers push for first thinking "I need those extra 4 points".

I like it!

Quote from Hyperactive :

20 16 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The driver should not be punished for engine or gearbox change, just take some points away from the manufacturer.

We have a winner!

With some additional rules to avoid slow moving cars on track and ofddities in the points: Noone after (and including) the best DNF gets any points (I.e. you have to take the flag, and you can't park it for 60laps and go out to take the flag). And let the stewards black flag in dangeorusly slow drivers. (So in Australia only the first 6 drivers would have gotten points)

I spent several hours to recalculate 2006 points to a 22-1 scale and it only differed in the mid pack (i think only two drivers gained positions and pushed some others back)

To actually create overtaking the cars must be harder to drive, bring back the stick shift to get more mistakes, and turbos, huge, laggy 300hp giving turbos

Quote from heson :

To actually create overtaking the cars must be harder to drive, bring back the stick shift to get more mistakes, and turbos, huge, laggy 300hp giving turbos

None of those fixes the real problem with lack of overtaking...

Ernie is just crazy, changing F1 to his convenience... its just crap

He just want's to convert F1 into a touring car like wrecker series (like DTM and WTCC)

Next he'll suggsest reverse grid and weight penalty.

Weren't weight penalties suggested a few years back?

I believe handicap ballast was suggested by Mad Max or Brainless Bernie, but it was going to be relative to your team-mate IIRC. It would have been for every point you have more than your team-mate you get 1kg. But that wasn't actually considered.

Quote from dungbeetle :

Agreed it wouldn't make sense to change for this season. Maybe he's thinking about next season.

How does the old points system differ?

Obviously. The drivers and teams would revolt if there was a rule change in the middle of the season with out the drivers and teams apart of the discussion, and agreed. Any mid season rule change has to be ok'ed by all drivers and all teams. It's some where in the rule book of the FiA.

Quote from heson :

With some additional rules to avoid slow moving cars on track and ofddities in the points: Noone after (and including) the best DNF gets any points (I.e. you have to take the flag, and you can't park it for 60laps and go out to take the flag). And let the stewards black flag in dangeorusly slow drivers. (So in Australia only the first 6 drivers would have gotten points)

That would not be allowed anyway. It's about the distance you have covered, the laps you have completed. If I had gone out on lap one of a race, then sat in the pits repairing my car for the whole race only coming out for the last lap to take the flag, I only get the credit for two laps. That's it, nothing more. So if some one went out on lap 3, they would still place ahead of me, even though they did not take the flag.

Quote from NSX_FReeDoM :

[T]he best driver [is not] just about winning. its [about] consistency.

Yeah, what's the point of being blindly fast for the whole race and the crashing on the last turn? The best drivers are the best drivers because they know when it's time to race and when it's time to conserve their car or position. It's crap over all to think just because your the fastest that your the best.

Quote from Kalev EST :

Only a few teams/drivers are capable of winning a race. How would they classify other drivers in the drivers championship?

The same way they do right now, if you go out on lap one, you get credit for one lap. If some one goes out on lap two, they get credit for two laps, and thus place ahead of you.

Quote from Mustafur :

They can't do this mid season, and its a rubbish of an idea to start with.
If anything just make 1st place have 12 instead of 10 and then it would be good.

They are not, who gave you this idea? The FiA would not allow it!

Quote from Mazz4200 :

Can't imagine he's thinking of only giving points to the winner. Not even Bernie's that daft.....then again...

Please tell me that was a joke.

Quote from hyntty :

No it won't turn into poker. I don't remember statistics very good, but for the last ten years the driver who had most wins has won the championship.... there might be an exeption though, i'm not sure

I really DON'T want to do that much math right now, but I think your correct.

Quote from Mustafur :

Agreed, this points system works, but it dosen't really reward the winner as much as it should be.

Anyone remember the points system of, I think it was last used in 1996? That was a good system, I think they went over to the current system so that drivers would have closer races as the points from first to second where decreased. <sarcasm>That worked really well</sarcasm>

Quote from lococost :

so, if someone wins more than half of the seasons races, he's automatically world champion? exiting last races that'll be, great 'thinking' mr E

Nope, what if your closest rival, happens to get second in all of the other races? Then he wins all of rest of the races and you get second for all of the rest of the races. Then it goes to who had the better places in the qualy. Should there be a dead heat, the FiA reserves the right to assign a winner by any means it sees fit.

Wasn't the point of the new rules to stop one person running away with the title year after year. The old man's losing his marbles. They all are. I think it's time LFS takes over FOM and FIA...

/me votes for Tristan to take Bernie's job

Personally, I think Bernie should stop messing with F1's points. The best driver wins, he should get the most points IMO

I'll take his job. I can assure you there wouldn't be any of the nonsence in F1 with me in charge. But then there wouldn't be an F1 because all the teams would have left in a strop because of my ineptitude...