F1 rejects radical change
Formula One bosses have shied away from making radical changes to the sport for next season.
The biggest changes agreed at a meeting on Monday were to qualifying, the rule on team orders and the points system.
The more radical options on the agenda were all voted down.
These had included proposals for drivers to swap teams during the season and for ballast to be added to cars corresponding to the amount of championship points scored.
The changes agreed are as follows:
...The single one-hour session on a Saturday has been abandoned in favour of two one-hour sessions - one each on Friday and Saturday. Cars will go out one at a time for single flying laps.
...The points system will change in a bid to keep the championship open for as long as possible and to award points down to eighth place rather than sixth.
The new system awards 10 points for a win, and will then go eight, six, five, four, three, two and one.
...Team orders that affect race results have been banned.
...The Belgian Grand Prix has been struck off the calendar because of a row over tobacco advertising.
...Tyre companies will be allowed to custom-make tyres for each team they supply.
The desire to make changes had come after Ferrari's domination of the 2002 season led to a decline in TV viewing figures.
The changes amount to a compromise between the desire for an upheaval to inject new life into F1 and a wish to keep F1 true to its original spirit.
The changes to qualifying and team orders are the biggest shift from the past.
F1 had two-day qualifying as recently as 1995, but this is the first time that it has moved away from the idea of having all the cars qualifying at the same time.
Under the new system, the cars will run on Friday in championship order.
The times set on Friday will then define the order in which the drivers go out on Saturday.
The fastest driver on Friday will go out last on Saturday, the second fastest on Friday, second last and so on.
Next year will also be the first time that teams will not be able to decide which of their drivers will be able to win a race if they are running first and second.
The new rule has been prompted by Ferrari's controversial manipulation of several race results in 2002.
It remains to be seen if they will find a way around the new rule.
