Ecclestone medal system discouraged
In response to his renewed bid for a medal system to be implemented, Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone has faced a backlash of criticism from drivers and team workers alike, who argue that the system would
be “wrong for the sport.”
The 79-year-old Ecclestone, who believes that the gold, silver, bronze medal system would place more emphasis on winning and therefore result in more aggressive and entertaining competition, stated earlier
that, “If you look at the points system, it has made absolutely no difference. If we had the old system, it would be exactly the same position as now.”
The current points system, which was put into place this year, is a modified version of the older one where the intervals between first, second, and third places, etc., are much larger. Yet despite Ecclestone’s
comments, the general consensus among F1 enthusiasts is that it has been a success, with the 2010 championship season hardly lacking in excitement. With five drivers in dangerously close contention for the title and each race promising endless suspense, many
have hailed the year as one of the best.
Jenson Button of McLaren joked, “Oh yeah, I don't think it's been an exciting season at all! Seriously, I think for the first three people it is exciting in the championship – when you are right at the
front it could be really exciting. Last year I would have loved that and could have sat out the last few races and gone on a big holiday for three months, but this year it has been so close it has been a fantastic season. The points system has worked.”
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton, currently second in the standings, reasoned that a change in the points system would not guarantee any significant change in racing strategy. “At the end of the day we are pushing
as hard as we can already to win the races,” he insisted. “It doesn't matter if you give us a gold medal or you give us a trophy. We want to win more than anything. So even if you gave us a gold medal we would still be doing exactly what we are doing right
now. It would not make any difference whatsoever.”
He added, “As far as having the most race wins winning the world championship – I don't think that is a true reflection of someone's performance. For example, if Red Bull had not failed their car so many
times this year, they would have won the championship ages ago and we might as well have gone home.”
Other drivers believe that consistency should be rewarded too, with the overall finishes of the driver, not the wins, more accurately reflecting their capability. Red Bull boss Christian Horner stated,
“There are merits to rewarding more to a winner, in the scenario we have now, but if you have a runaway leader like in the Ferrari days then there is a disadvantage. But, at the end of the day, it is the same for everybody, whether it is medals or points whatever
they are.”
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