- F1 Commission
Button backs new points system
ESPNF1 Staff
December 11, 2009
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Next year a win will earn the driver 25 points © Sutton Images
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Jenson Button has supported plans to introduce a radical new points system for Formula One next season. The new system which was suggested by the F1 Commission on Thursday and ratified by the FIA on Friday is a reaction to the increased number of cars on the grid in 2010.
At present the winner of each race gets 10 points, second place gets eight and third to eighth get from six to one point. The changes mean the winner will now get 25 points, with second to 10th being rewarded with 20, 15, 10, 8, 6, 5, 3, 2 and 1 respectively.
"It's a great idea," Button told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It's nice that you get five points over second for winning. That's important because we all love winning races. I won six races this year and I got just two more points."
The F1 Commission represents teams, sponsors, promoters and suppliers of the sport, and the meeting was chaired by Bernie Ecclestone with FIA president Jean Todt also present.
Last season Ecclestone tried to introduce a medals system where the championship would be decided by race victories rather than cumulative points, but the idea never got off the ground after an unenthusiastic response from teams and the public.
The new scoring, which sees a much greater difference in points between the leading drivers, will make a top-three finish more important while also offering rewards for lower-placed cars.
Had the new system been operational in 2009 then Button would still have won the drivers' championship.
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