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Double points system set to be ditched
Formula One is set to ditch the controversial double points system for 2015, according to reports.
The scheme was introduced for the 2014 season, where double points were only available in the calendar's final race in an attempt to keep the drivers' championship alive. However, the system has proved widely unpopular since first announced in December last year, with Bernie Ecclestone even conceding it had been a bad idea.
As a result, F1 bosses have seemingly agreed to drop the system for next year. BBC Sport claims the decision was made after meetings between the rule-making Strategy Group and F1 Commission in Geneva, following the culmination of the season's final race in Abu Dhabi. However, it still needs to be formally sanctioned by the sport's legislative body, the FIA World Motor Sport Council, which meets in Qatar on December 3.
The outcome at the Yas Marina circuit - where Lewis Hamilton was crowned world champion ahead of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg - was not determined by double points. However, the system did have an effect on several positions lower down the drivers' championship standings. Similarly, a plan to introduce standing Safety Car re-starts has also reportedly been abandoned. The idea of standing re-starts following Safety Car periods had been mooted in order to improve the spectacle.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
